FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Have questions about the CUMU Conference? Use the tabs below to find answers to frequently asked questions for presenters and for attendees. Still have questions? Reach out and we’ll be in touch.

We understand that you have a limited travel budget and you need to be selective about where you go and what you do. In communicating with administrators about the value of CUMU Conference attendance, the following talking points may be useful for you.

Dear Administrator,

I am writing to request support to attend the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) annual conference which will be held November 8–11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. This conference offers a unique opportunity to engage with thought leaders, share best practices, and explore innovative strategies that directly impact urban and metropolitan universities. The sessions and workshops align closely with our institution’s goals and will provide valuable insights and connections to advance our work. More information about the conference can be found on the CUMU Annual Conference webpage.

We are lucky to be part of a diverse coalition representing different geographical, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds. With that in mind, there is no one dress code, and attendees tend to represent a range of clothing choices from suits to casual wear. If you are wondering what to expect at your first CUMU conference, the majority of attendees fit into the category often described as “business casual.” Whatever clothes you feel best in, make sure to wear comfortable shoes because between Community Experiences, sessions, receptions, and dinners with new friends, expect to be on the go for most of the conference!

The 2026 CUMU Conference will take place at the Marriott Marquis Houston.

The CUMU Conference is a place where people from across the network connect and collaborate. In fact, many of the session types are expressly designed to promote those connections, such as Community Conversations, Poster Sessions, and Roundtables. So, if networking is your primary goal, we recommend you attend those sessions. We also hope that the 15 minute transition time between sessions leaves plenty of room for serendipitous hallway conversations and post-session chats.

CUMU also has an online presence on LinkedIn. Connect with us and with each other over LinkedIn, use the conference hashtag #CUMU2026, and keep the conversation going after the conference is over.

Make sure you have the conference app downloaded. You can find instructions to do so on the Whova app tab of these FAQs. On the home screen for the app, scroll down until you find the “documents” button. That button will take you to the instructions for uploading or accessing materials shared by presenters. Additionally, in the conference follow-up email you will receive about a week after the event, we will include the link to the folder where you can find session uploads.

The Anchor Learning Network (ALN) and Huddles have in-person meetings on site.

On Sunday night, CUMU typically hosts a Meet and Greet. This is a wonderful time to catch up with old friends and meet new collaborators, connect with the CUMU team and with colleagues from across our international network. You can also take the day to explore and experience Houston.

On Monday morning, CUMU offers Pre-Conference Workshops to attendees on topics of high interest. On Tuesday morning, local campus partners offer Community Experiences, during which attendees are transported by bus to visit campus and community locations to learn about work in progress.

The Pre-Conference Workshops and Community Experiences are popular and memorable parts of the CUMU Conference. As such, there is no other programming during this time to ensure that attendees are available to participate in these important opportunities.

Pre-registration is required for both opportunities and at a nominal fee in addition to regular conference registration.

There is not an option for attendees to participate virtually via Zoom or another virtual platform. The level of technology available in the meeting rooms doesn’t allow for hybrid engagement, making it difficult, making it difficult for us to guarantee attendees a good experience when we start to blend in-person and online experiences in one venue. However, throughout the year, CUMU offers fully virtual programming. Learn more about virtual programming opportunities, including webinars, community conversations, the MUJ Dialogue Series, Huddles, and the Anchor Learning Network. Keep an eye on our homepage for a full listing of upcoming virtual events and check out our programming inventory to review some of our most recent virtual events.

Yes! If you plan to attend the conference and want to volunteer in an official capacity, we would be excited to have you join our team! Email Stacey to let her know you want to be part of the volunteer conference team.

We welcome attendees from member campuses and every other kind of organization! We particularly appreciate our corporate partners who make the conference possible through their sponsorships. Attendees who work with corporations should read this informational page for more information.

Senior leadership presence at the conference is substantial. The 2025 conference drew 35 presidents and chancellors, and the total attendance was comprised of approximately 32% executive leadership, 55% administrators/staff, 11% faculty, and 2% other. Presidents and provosts are featured speakers throughout the conference and have programming built specifically around them, including dedicated breakfasts, the Presidents’ Dinner, and the Presidents’ Council. Full programming for presidents and provosts is available here, and the full conference program is available here.

There will not be any printed programs at the CUMU Conference; however, you can download and print your own copy from the Program page.

There is not an option for presenters to participate virtually via Zoom or another virtual platform. Throughout the year, CUMU offers numerous virtual programming opportunities, and we are excited to bring people together in-person for our annual conference. Additionally, we do not have the level of technology in the rooms that allows for hybrid engagement. There may be some issues with audio (such as lack of speakers in the room) which can create accessibility issues when we rely heavily on technology. Also, conference WiFi is sufficient for most data needs, but depending on the number of people accessing it at one time, we can’t be sure that video conferencing is possible since Zoom is a high bandwidth tool. These and other issues make it difficult for us to guarantee attendees a good experience when we start to blend in-person and online experiences in one venue. We prefer that presenters focus on fostering those in-person connections that are only possible at the CUMU Conference.

Presenters do not receive a registration discount. There are a number of discounts available, including early-bird rates, reduced rates for CUMU members, team discounts (register 5+ from same institution and receive 15% discount), and discounted rates for students and community partners. We appreciate all of our presenters and hope that they attend the entire conference.

As presenters, it is especially important that you take the time to complete your speaker details. Bios should include your affiliation, current position, and relevant URLs including references to published work. This will help you make connections, share your expertise, and make this conference experience more impactful. Speakers will receive an email in July from our conference event management tool, Whova, inviting them to update their speaker profile using a custom link. When the official conference app is released leading up to the conference, speakers will be able to update their speaker details at any time by logging in directly to the conference app.

Each presentation room is equipped with a laptop, projector, and sound.

We do not. Your conference presentation represents your work. We encourage you to use slides that represent your institution, personal brand or own preferences.

Arrive at your presentation location at least five minutes before your concurrent session is scheduled to begin. Each room has a provided laptop for presenters, so the easiest way to present is by bringing your slides on a flash drive that you can plug into the provided laptop. If you have your presentation saved in the cloud (i.e. Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar), please bring a flash drive with your loaded presentation as a backup in case of challenges with WiFi or other technical difficulties.

As a presenter, you are responsible for keeping track of your time, introducing yourself, and moderating your Q&A. Please allow extra time to move between rooms and to load your presentations before your session begins. If you are in a Forum session, a volunteer timekeeper will be assigned to ensure parity between presentations.

Make sure you have the conference app downloaded. You can find instructions to do so on the Whova app tab of these FAQs. On the home screen for the app, scroll down until you find the “documents” button. That button will take you to the instructions for uploading or accessing materials shared by presenters. If you do upload slides or other documents, please make sure they are clearly named with an abbreviated session title and your name to ensure that attendees can find easily.

You can find session types and format descriptions on the Call for Proposals page.

  • Each presenter/group of presenters is limited to one poster
  • Posters should be no smaller than 36″ W x 24″ H and no larger than 42″ W x 36″ H (oriented horizontally/landscape)
  • Drop off your poster at the registration desk when you check-in for the conference by 11:30 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
  • CUMU staff will hang your poster and will place an 8.5″ x 11″ label below your poster.
  • A high-top cocktail table will be placed near each poster for any additional materials. Technology is not available.
  • Posters can be retrieved at the registration desk beginning Tuesday afternoon.
  • Any posters remaining at the end of the conference will be disposed of.

The Roundtable Session takes place Wednesday, November 11.

  • Each presenter is positioned at their own table with eight total seats. Presenters should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the session start time to find their table, go over the agenda and instructions, and get their table set up.
  • Attendees have access to table maps that indicate each session title and location.
  • Attendees are invited to rotate three different times—meaning they will have three ~25-minute conversations at three different tables with time built in for a smooth transition to the next table.
  • Presenters will be at their tables to present two out of the three rotations—meaning that they will be able to attend one rotation as a participant and present two times as a presenter.
  • A dedicated timekeeper keeps the session flowing.
  • Because of the social nature of this session, these presentations do not have access to technology other than any devices brought by the presenters.
  • Presenters are encouraged to bring print materials relevant to their discussion that participants can take with them.

The Forum sessions position two, 20-minute presentations on similar topics in the same time period so the audience can benefit from hearing two perspectives on that topic. If you check out your session on the program, you can get a sneak peek of who your session co-presenters will be. You can even look up your co-presenters in the app (learn more about the Whova app in the FAQ) and send them a message to coordinate if you want.

As part of a Forum, each presenter or presenter group gets 20 minutes for their portion of the session, whatever you decide to include in your presentation. The order of presentations is determined by the order in the online program. That means that the first presenter or group of presenters listed in the program will get the first 20 minutes of the session. Then, the second presenter gets 20 minutes. Then, there is 4–5 minutes at the end for audience Q&A. There will be a CUMU host and timekeeper in the room to help keep us on track. The room is set up “classroom style” meaning that participants are at long tables all facing front.

Please arrive 10 minutes early to the Forum session to have a chance to get set up and meet your CUMU host/timekeeper and co-presenter prior to the start time.

As a presenter at the CUMU Conference, you’re invited to submit your presentation for inclusion in the annual conference issue of CUMU’s journal, Metropolitan Universities. Check back soon for the 2026 conference issue call for manuscripts.

It means that that many people have expressed interest in your session, but it does not mean that that many people will attend it.

The Whova app is our all-in-one event management platform used for the CUMU Conference. In the app, you can:

View the agenda and create a personalized schedule with the sessions that interest you the most.

Explore the directory to connect with presenters and attendees before, during, and after the event.

Customize your profile to share more about you and your work.

Receive real-time updates and announcements from event organizers.

The Whova mobile app is supported by iOS and Android devices. You can also access Whova via your web browser.

You can download the Whova app in the Apple App store or Google Play store. You can also download it here.

Log into your Whova account either using the mobile app or the web portal. If you have not used Whova in the past, you will need to create an account via the mobile app first. Note: When logging in, please use the email address associated with your conference registration. By doing this, the app will automatically take you to the event after you log in. Learn more.

The Whova mobile app and web portal will only ask for an invitation code if you are using a different email address than the email you used to register for the conference. Please make sure to access the event with the correct email address. If you did not use a different email address during the registration, please contact us at info@cumuonline.org to ensure you are added to the event or that your email address is correct on our attendee list.

Follow the instructions on this page to reset your password.

Follow the instructions on this page to set up your attendee profile in the Whova app.

Follow the instructions on this page to add a session to your personalized agenda.

The event will be accessible to attendees for up to three months following the event.
2026 cumu conference, houston, tx, november 8-11