2023 NASPA AVP Symposium

Assistant and associate vice presidents for student affairs and other senior-level "number twos" (and the equivalent) who report to the vice president for student affairs have among the most complex and challenging roles in the modern student affairs division. The NASPA AVP Symposium will gather AVPs from a wide variety of institutional types for three intense days of learning and networking designed to support AVPs' success in these difficult, yet critically important, roles. Symposium attendees can expect sessions with high-level content developed by and delivered for an AVP audience that call on AVP participants to contribute to the peer learning community by deeply engaging with the Symposium content and fellow participants. 

The theme for the 2024 symposium is “Inspired Leadership: Preparing Now for the Future of the AVP Role.” We expect that programs and sessions will connect with the following topics and content areas:

• Ever-changing nature of the AVP role

• Inspiring tomorrow’s leaders while sharing predictions for the future of higher education

• Forward- thinking effective practices in the areas of technology, work-flows, staffing, and other aspects of the AVP role

• Leadership that effectively attracts, develops, and retains a talented workforce

• Investigating and crafting evolving roles for staff at multiple levels, including professionals and paraprofessionals

• Innovative staffing models in the context of challenging hiring environments

• Nimbleness and adaptability in the AVP role while confronting seemingly insurmountable obstacles

• Rapidly evolving and sometimes complicating legal landscape

• Sharing testimonials, inspiration, and professional journeys to inspire resilience and excellence in the AVP role

• Advancing equity at our institutions

• Leading with one’s whole self

• Influencing institutional culture to create effective learning and working environments

• Enhancing health, well-being, and the quality of life for students, staff, and faculty

• Advancing student success via effective intra- and/or extra-divisional collaborations

• Flourishing in the AVP role: strategies for addressing the challenges and complexities of the position

• Finding your place and voice as the assistant/associate vice president

• Inspiring while leading functional areas with which one has limited or no expertise

• Leading strategic planning, organizational change, and resource/budget management efforts

• Maintaining connections with students in a manner that leverages their energy to advance AVP effectiveness and excellence

The symposium will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 27, 2024 and will conclude at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, January 29, 2024. Additionally, several pre-symposium workshops will be offered for an additional fee. The schedule presented below is subject to changes.

All presenters must be registered for the Symposium. Presenters and co-presenters who are AVPs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted must register for the symposium in order to present. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who do not wish to attend the full symposium will be granted a complimentary presenter pass in order to attend only the session they are presenting. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who wish to attend the full symposium will receive a 25% discount of their registration fee. If you are not an AVP (or the equivalent), please contact James Stascavage at jstascavag[email protected] for guidance regarding completing your registration.

If you are an AVP (or the equivalent) who is also attending the immediately preceding NASPA Institute for New AVPs, you are entitled to a 25% discount for your symposium registration fee. Please use the coupon code you received when you registered for the institute  when completing your symposium registration.

Registration as a member is based on individual membership status at the time of the event. If your current membership will expire prior to the event, you will have the option to renew at the time of registration to receive the member rate.

If you are not a current member and are employed by a college or university that is an institutional member, you can join as a professional affiliate member for $80. If your institution is NOT a member, you can join as an associate affiliate member for $250. Both membership types provide access to the individual member rate for the event. Please visit the membership section of the NASPA website to learn more about membership types and benefits. We hope you’ll consider joining today!

For a comprehensive listing of NASPA registration policies, please visit this page.

The call for program proposals is closed.

The 2024 NASPA AVP Symposium planning committee invites AVPs/“number twos” and vice presidents for student affairs (and the equivalent of both) to submit program proposals that resonate with the symposium theme of “Inspired Leadership: Preparing Now for the Future of the AVP Role.” Please visit the call for proposals submission system for more information about the theme, desired submissions, and proposal requirements. The call for program proposals system will close on September 7, 2023.

All presenters must be registered for the Symposium. Presenters and co-presenters who are AVPs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted must register for the symposium in order to present. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who do not wish to attend the full symposium will be granted a complimentary presenter pass in order to attend only the session they are presenting. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who wish to attend the full symposium will receive a 25% discount of their registration fee.

If you would like to sponsor the 2023 NASPA Institute for New AVPs, please contact Senior Director of Corporate Development Fred Comparato at 614-204-5994 or at [email protected].