2026 CUMU Conference: Anchored in Purpose
November 8–11, Marriott Marquis Houston, Houston, TX

The 2026 CUMU Conference: Anchored in Purpose explores how purpose-driven strategies, rooted in place and responsive to community needs, advance social and economic mobility for students, support regional prosperity, and enhance community well-being. Together, we will examine how campuses stay steadfast in mission while adapting to evolving challenges, forging partnerships that amplify impact, and activating institutional strengths to build stronger institutions and healthier, more vibrant communities.

Before submitting your proposal, we invite you to explore tracks, session types and formats, and review criteria to help guide your call for proposal submission.

Tracks

We invite proposals that showcase impactful work, collaborative and cross-institutional initiatives, critical perspectives, and innovative ideas. Proposals may highlight ongoing or completed work. Submissions should align with one or more of the following tracks.

● Advancing social and economic mobility for students

Anchored in opportunity, urban and metropolitan campuses play a vital role in expanding opportunity and opening pathways to mobility. This track explores purpose-driven strategies that support students from enrollment through graduation and beyond.

Potential topics include:

• • Affordability, accessibility, and opportunity
  • Student success
  • Long-term tracking of institutional and individual success
  • Holistic approaches to student well-being and belonging
  • Basic needs initiatives rooted in place and community context
  • Early college, dual enrollment, and college readiness models

● Anchor strategies for regional prosperity and community well-being

Anchored in our regions, campuses strengthen regional economies, foster community vitality, and help address shared challenges. This track highlights collaborative, sustainable, place-based strategies that advance community and regional goals.

Potential topics include:

• • Effective anchor collaboratives and long-term partnerships to address public challenges
  • Local and regional economic development initiatives
  • Place-based strategies for neighborhood and regional well-being
  • Innovation districts and entrepreneurship

● Strengthening the workforce

Anchored in vocational purpose, our institutions drive regional prosperity that depends on strong, connected ecosystems aligned educational pathways with evolving workforce needs. This track highlights how through their roles as educators, employers, and community partners, campuses contribute to building a resilient, inclusive workforce that supports both individual mobility and regional vitality.

Potential topics include:

• • The campus as an employer advancing talent development and economic opportunity
  • Preparing students for meaningful work through the curriculum, high-impact learning opportunities, and partnerships
  • Aligning academic offerings and talent pipelines with regional workforce needs
  • Cross-sector collaborations that strengthen career pathways and support community economic mobility

● Institutional mission, culture and infrastructure

Anchored in the mission, purpose-driven institutions require mission alignment, supportive culture, and effective systems. This track examines the internal structures, practices, and leadership approaches that strengthen institutional resilience and enable public-purpose work.\

Potential topics include:

• • Navigating federal, state, and local funding and policy changes
  • Promotion, tenure, and recognition of engaged scholarship
  • Strategic planning and institutional transformation
  • Change management and cross-campus coordination
  • Strategic resourcing and operational infrastructure for innovation

● Civic and community engagement for community well-being

Anchored in community, campus–community partnerships advance democratic participation, community health, and local resilience. This track explores the work of engaging communities, strengthening civic life, and building trust between institutions and the public.

Potential topics include:

• • Engaged research and scholarship
  • Sustainable, equitable cross-sector partnerships
  • Civil discourse, dialogue, and community trust
  • Strengthening democratic processes and civic life
  • Public communication strategies that enhance institutional transparency
  • Community-identified priorities and shared leadership models

● Measuring impact and telling our story

Anchored in impact, purpose-driven work requires evidence, learning, and compelling communication. This track highlights approaches to evaluation, assessment, and storytelling that demonstrate institutional and regional impact.

Potential topics include:

• • Evaluation methodologies for partnerships and place-based initiatives
  • Institution-wide approaches to tracking and assessment
  • Data-informed programs, policy, and decision-making
  • Mixed-method approaches to capturing regional and community outcomes
  • Purpose-driven storytelling and narrative change
  • Innovative tools for communicating impact

Session types and formats

The CUMU Conference offers a range of formats that afford participants different methods to access and engage with innovative ideas.

Traditional sessions

Traditional sessions are 45 minutes long. Please select the session type that best fits the content you plan to present.

• Community Conversations: The presenter(s) facilitates a discussion that engages participants to better understand and strategically approach a complex scenario facing their campus and community. 45 minutes. Should use a peer-coaching/design-clinic format. We recommend no more than two presenters/facilitators.
• Mini Workshop: The presenter(s) lead an interactive session through which attendees learn about a new process, infrastructure, or policy approach. 45 minutes. We recommend no more than three presenters.
• Panel Presentation: A group of panelists with diverse viewpoints and perspectives engage in a facilitated discussion with time for participant questions and reactions. 45 minutes. We recommend no more than five panelists (facilitator included).
• Research and Impact Presentation: The presenter(s) share original research, impact evaluation, or design and implementation of an innovative program, initiative, or methodology. Participants are invited to offer questions and feedback. 45 minutes. We recommend no more than two presenters.

Dynamic sessions

Some of the most popular events at the CUMU Conference are dynamic sessions—the poster session and roundtables. Both events allow presenters to share their work with larger groups of people in a more intimate, conversational setting where the participants are moving around to join the conversations they find compelling.

• Poster sessions: Presenters share original research, program or policy innovations, or evidence-informed practices. The presenter provides a poster which is displayed in the poster reception area. During the poster reception, conference participants are invited to peruse all the posters and interact with presenters while enjoying beverages and snacks. 75 minutes. We recommend no more than two presenters.
• Roundtables: Roundtable attendees visit three different tables during the 75-minute session where they participate in 25-minute discussions of projects, programs, or initiatives. Each presenter/facilitator is assigned to a table in the large banquet room and will present twice and attend one roundtable of their choosing. 75 minutes with three 25-minute discussions. We recommend no more than two presenters.

Pre-conference workshops

Pre-conference workshops take place Monday, November 9, 8:30–11:30 a.m. These in-depth workshops target specific audiences for interactive skill development and collaborative learning. Three hours. We recommend no more than four presenters.