{"id":165830,"date":"2026-05-18T09:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=165830"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:43:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:43:49","slug":"wright-state-hosts-regional-conference-to-advance-student-success-retention-and-workforce-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/05\/18\/wright-state-hosts-regional-conference-to-advance-student-success-retention-and-workforce-readiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright State hosts regional conference to advance student success, retention and workforce readiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>2026 Heartland College Learning Center Association Conference, set for\u00a0May 18\u201319\u00a0at Wright State,\u00a0will draw approximately 100\u00a0educators and student support\u00a0experts from 20 institutions in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan,\u00a0Pennsylvania\u00a0and West Virginia.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference\u00a0will center on innovation in student support and how learning centers are developing\u00a0new programs, stretching limited\u00a0resources\u00a0and building partnerships to help more students succeed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alison Witte, Ph.D., director of the Academic Success Centers<\/a> at Wright State,\u00a0said the conference arrives at a critical time for learning support professionals, who are navigating learning loss, declining engagement,\u00a0funding\u00a0constraints\u00a0and the rapid rise of AI.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis conference seeks to confront these challenges with an aim towards working collaboratively as a field to find creative and innovative solutions,\u201d\u00a0Witte\u00a0said. \u201cAttendees will hear about best practices in student engagement, learning support delivery and data management as ways to overcome challenges they may face.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Laura Luehrmann,\u00a0Ph.D., vice\u00a0provost for\u00a0undergraduate\u00a0education, said the conference reflects Wright State\u2019s commitment to student success.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSupporting students means\u00a0taking a\u00a0holistic\u00a0approach to student success,\u00a0meeting\u00a0not just\u00a0their academic needs, but also their sense of belonging and confidence as learners,\u201d Luehrmann said.\u00a0\u201cThe work Dr. Witte and her team do in the Academic Success Centers\u00a0embodies that commitment every day, and we\u2019re honored to welcome the Heartland conference to a campus where student success isn\u2019t just a priority \u2014 it has a building of its own.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Heartland College Learning Center Association\u00a0supports\u00a0academic success professionals in Ohio,\u00a0Kentucky\u00a0and neighboring states.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference\u2019s theme, \u201cSoaring to Success,\u201d 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keynote speaker Ashley Mowreader, a higher education reporter and former Inside Higher Ed student success correspondent, will present on \u201cCentering Student Needs in Innovation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wright State staff will lead four presentations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rachel Sturm, Ph.D., associate dean of the Raj Soin College of Business, and Rajiv Ramdat of Premier Health will present on helping\u00a0students become more intentional about their development\u00a0through\u00a0coaching.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ramdat, who serves as health careers partnership coordinator based in the\u00a0Center for Health Professions, will also present separately on building coaching programs grounded in research-based practices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference offers\u00a0Wright State\u00a0an opportunity to\u00a0showcase\u00a0its\u00a0Student Success Center<\/a>,\u00a0which\u00a0provides\u00a0a welcoming, centralized space where students can connect with resources and receive individualized support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are quite fortunate to have not just dedicated space, but a dedicated building for student success and support,\u201d\u00a0Witte\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wright State’s Student Success Center provides a welcoming, centralized space where students can connect with resources and receive individualized support.<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0Academic Success Centers\u00a0operate\u00a0under the tagline \u201cPartners in Learning,\u201d working alongside students,\u00a0faculty\u00a0and staff to build independent, confident learners.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Witte said learning centers\u00a0support learning\u00a0by empowering learners\u00a0to become more skilled,\u00a0confident\u00a0and self-directed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLearning centers are one of the only places on campus where it\u2019s OK to fail,\u201d Witte said. \u201cBecause 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.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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