Wright State hosts regional conference to advance student success, retention and workforce readiness

The 2026 Heartland College Learning Center Association Conference will give Wright State a chance to spotlight how its Academic Success Centers take a holistic approach to student success.

Wright State University will convene learning center professionals from across the Midwest this week to share strategies for improving academic support, student retention and graduation rates, as higher education institutions focus on strengthening student success outcomes. 

The 2026 Heartland College Learning Center Association Conference, set for May 18–19 at Wright State, will draw approximately 100 educators and student support experts from 20 institutions in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

The conference will center on innovation in student support and how learning centers are developing new programs, stretching limited resources and building partnerships to help more students succeed. 

Alison Witte, Ph.D., director of the Academic Success Centers at Wright State, said the conference arrives at a critical time for learning support professionals, who are navigating learning loss, declining engagement, funding constraints and the rapid rise of AI. 

“This conference seeks to confront these challenges with an aim towards working collaboratively as a field to find creative and innovative solutions,” Witte said. “Attendees will hear about best practices in student engagement, learning support delivery and data management as ways to overcome challenges they may face.” 

Laura Luehrmann, Ph.D., vice provost for undergraduate education, said the conference reflects Wright State’s commitment to student success. 

“Supporting students means taking a holistic approach to student success, meeting not just their academic needs, but also their sense of belonging and confidence as learners,” Luehrmann said. “The work Dr. Witte and her team do in the Academic Success Centers embodies that commitment every day, and we’re honored to welcome the Heartland conference to a campus where student success isn’t just a priority — it has a building of its own.” 

The Heartland College Learning Center Association supports academic success professionals in Ohio, Kentucky and neighboring states. 

The conference’s theme, “Soaring to Success,” reflects the spirit of the Dayton region. Sessions will explore how learning centers are developing new programs to support students, reaching wider audiences, making effective use of limited resources and building partnerships across and beyond campus. 

Keynote speaker Ashley Mowreader, a higher education reporter and former Inside Higher Ed student success correspondent, will present on “Centering Student Needs in Innovation.”  

Wright State staff will lead four presentations.  

Witte, Jill Tussing, program director of the Writing Center, and Pat Sonner, Ph.D., director of First-Year Experiences, will present on an initiative that places peer coaches inside First-Year Seminar courses. The approach is distinctive enough that an article based on the presentation will be published in The Learning Assistance Review, the journal of the International College Learning Centers Association. 

Witte will also present with colleagues from Miami University and Ohio University on a low-cost professional development model in which learning center staff visit peer institutions to build practical knowledge they can bring home. 

Rachel Sturm, Ph.D., associate dean of the Raj Soin College of Business, and Rajiv Ramdat of Premier Health will present on helping students become more intentional about their development through coaching.  

Ramdat, who serves as health careers partnership coordinator based in the Center for Health Professions, will also present separately on building coaching programs grounded in research-based practices. 

The conference offers Wright State an opportunity to showcase its Student Success Center, which provides a welcoming, centralized space where students can connect with resources and receive individualized support. 

“We are quite fortunate to have not just dedicated space, but a dedicated building for student success and support,” Witte said. 

The building is home to the Academic Success Centers, bringing together tutoring, peer academic coaching, writing and math support, Supplemental Instruction, the Center for Health Professions and the Raiders First Student Center, a space for first-year, first-generation and University Honors Program students. The center also houses the Supplies for Success station, a free school supply resource for any Wright State student in need.  

Wright State’s Student Success Center provides a welcoming, centralized space where students can connect with resources and receive individualized support.

The Academic Success Centers operate under the tagline “Partners in Learning,” working alongside students, faculty and staff to build independent, confident learners.  

Witte said learning centers support learning by empowering learners to become more skilled, confident and self-directed. 

“Learning centers are one of the only places on campus where it’s OK to fail,” Witte said. “Because failure is part of the learning process, and in learning centers, we equip students with tools to become more independent and lifelong learners who see failure as just part of the process, rather than an evaluation of their abilities or a reason to give up.” 

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