Gardner Institute

06/22/2026

Ready to explore practical strategies for transforming the postsecondary experience? Registration is now open for the 2026 Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience. Join us October 14-15 in Indianapolis, IN.
Register here:
https://hubs.la/Q04l5Knq0

06/18/2026

LSU Shreveport is one of six institutions that shared their experience utilizing the Institutional Transformation Assessment (ITA). By partnering with the Gardner Institute, LSUS developed several new efforts, which led to significant impact on retention, including:

- An 11.3% increase in first-to-second-year retention, rising from 61.0% to 72.3%
- A 19.6% increase in first-to-third-year retention, rising from 45.3% to 63.9%.

Discover the steps LSUS took to achieve these outcomes, learn more about their ongoing efforts, and see how your institution can use their model to drive similar transformation: https://hubs.la/Q04kj6820

06/17/2026

The 2026 Symposium on Transforming the Postsecondary Experience will feature two full-day pre-conference sessions and the launch of the Academic Leadership Community on October 13, 2026. Each session will provide an interactive professional development opportunity, allowing you to connect with facilitators, fellow participants, and your own team in advance of the main conference. Register soon to save your spot in these sessions:

- Teaching and Learning Community- The Humanity of Teaching: Cultivating Moral Imagination and Courage in the Classroom
- Grounding AI for Student Success: From Decision Points to Deliberate Action
- Academic Leadership Community Launch

Register here:
https://hubs.la/Q04kJ_600

06/16/2026

What does it mean to navigate a data desert? Listen in as Deirdre McMahon, Teaching Professor and Assistant Dean of Online Program Assessment, and Anne Converse Willkomm, Assistant Vice Provost for Curricular Support Services and Associate Teaching Professor at Drexel University, delve into the data challenges in graduate education and their work in academic transformation to encourage graduate student success at Drexel University: https://hubs.la/Q04jW_K10

06/15/2026

We’re proud to share that at the close of EFYE last week, Global Forum for Student Success member Manuel João Costa was honored with the 2026 EFYE Leader/Champion Award.

Gardner Institute team members and Global Forum colleagues also led a session, “From Framework to Action: Bringing the Global Student Success Principles to Life,” highlighting practical ways institutions can turn high-level principles into meaningful results.

Pieterjan Bonne, Tadas Karosas, Luke Millard, Barry O'Connor, Andrew Koch, Sara Koch, Alicia Morey, Katie Locke, Johannes De Gruyter, Brad Wuetherick, and David Hornsby.

06/15/2026

Registration closes for the Data Culture Academy on June 26! How is your institution currently using data? The Data Culture Academy can help you develop processes to build a culture that proactively uses data to increase student success. Register today: https://hubs.ly/Q04kvFT10

06/12/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Victoria Fields for successfully defending her dissertation!

06/11/2026

We’ve updated Strong Start to Finish’s core principles based on what we’ve learned with states and systems nationwide. The refreshed framework focuses on clear pathways, timely support, and coordinated action so more students get a strong start and stay on track.
Read the full report:

Strong Start to Finish works to amplify a set of evidence-based Core Principles that guide all of our developmental education reform efforts. Strong Start to Finish works to amplify a set of evidence-based Core Principles that guide all of our developmental education reform efforts.

06/11/2026

Andrew Koch, Barry O'Connor, Catherine Andersen, and John Gardner presented on “The First-Year Experience as a Model Template for the PostGraduate Experience.” Building on this conversation, the Gardner Institute will co-host the Graduate Student Experience with Georgia Tech. Sign up here to learn about the upcoming conference: https://hubs.la/Q04l3xTN0

06/11/2026

Dan Volchok from the Graduate School of Education at Northeastern University recently co-authored an article with John Gardner titled "Using the First-Year Experience Concept as a Model for Creating the Graduate School Experience."

Learn More: https://hubs.la/Q04kYNsV0

Faculty: Dan Volchok, Graduate School of EducationResearch Focus: EducationPublication Type: Published Research — NASPA 2026 Knowledge Communities Publication, pp. 7–9Published Research: naspa.org/report/2026-knowledge-communities-publication The Challenge Graduate and professional students have...