December 19, 2025
Early Registration Deadline
January 26, 2026
Regular Registration Deadline
January 27, 2026
Hotel Block Deadline
2026 NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students
Student Success Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services New Professionals and Graduate Students Veterans Graduate Mid-Level New Professional Senior Level
February 17 - February 20, 2026 Norfolk, VA
The 2026 NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students is the association’s premiere event designed for student affairs practitioners supporting military-connected students. The symposium is your exclusive opportunity to share evidence-based practices from your campus or organization. Learn from leading researchers in the field and engage with other professionals committed to supporting military-connected students.
This three-day symposium features keynote sessions; research, policy, and best practices presentations; and workshop-style sessions to help campus professionals develop or enhance their programming and services for military-connected students. We invite you to connect with colleagues, participate in engaging sessions, and learn from dynamic plenary sessions.
Presented By
About
Military-connected students comprise a growing population in higher education and are those who enroll in postsecondary education with current or prior service with the military and their dependents. These students are also diverse in terms of demographic characteristics and service backgrounds, placing an important role on student affairs professionals and leaders to develop comprehensive, targeted, and meaningful support services to encompass the needs of these unique students. The Symposium provides professionals and other stakeholders opportunities to share and learn ways to effectively support military-connected students.
History
The NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students started as the Veterans Symposium for Higher Education in 2009 as a one-day program with five presentations and fifty participants. The symposium has grown to a two and half day program with multiple programs and individuals from all around the country.
The symposium was envisioned by Tom Jackson, the vice president for student affairs at the University of Louisville and a military veteran of the USCGR, ARNG, TXSG, and IGR and Frank Mianzo, chief of staff for the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Louisville. It was their desire to host an annual program that focused on issues related to student veterans while bringing together colleagues committee to serving student veterans. With generous assistance of Kathy Snead from the Servicemember Opportunity Colleges and Shirley Hardy, Laura Mercer, and Glenn Gittings from the University of Louisville, the symposium flourished.
Tom Jackson and Frank Mianzo worked with NASPA to ensure the symposium would continue. The Veterans Symposium, now the NASPA Symposium for Military-Connected Students, continues to provide an opportunity who serve military-connected students to come together and talk about program ideas, trends, and current research. NASPA is pleased to continue the rich history started at the University of Louisville.
Venue
Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel
Norfolk, Virginia
All conference activities will take place within the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel
Register Online for 2026 NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students
The Symposium provides opportunities for professionals and others to share and learn ways to effectively support military-connected students.
Themes and Learning Outcomes
Symposium on Military Connected Students Themes & Learning Outcomes
Strengthening Transitions to the Workforce
This theme explores how campuses and employers can work together to help military-connected students and their families successfully navigate career transitions. From translating military experience into civilian credentials to addressing the mobility and employment needs of spouses, participants will learn strategies that foster long-term workforce success.
Learning Outcome 1: Participants will identify effective campus-employer partnerships, mentoring programs, and career development initiatives that translate military competencies into employment-ready credentials.
Learning Outcome 2: Attendees will explore strategies that address the career mobility and employment challenges of military-affiliated spouses and families, including childcare and remote work support.
Building Institutional Capacity for Military-Affiliated Excellence
This theme focuses on creating sustainable, inclusive structures that allow institutions to better serve military-connected students and families. Participants will examine staffing models, faculty engagement, and cultural competence practices that strengthen campus-wide support without overwhelming existing resources.
Learning Outcome 1: Participants will assess scalable staffing models, resource allocation strategies, and cross-campus collaborations that sustain military-connected student services without overburdening staff.
Learning Outcome 2: Attendees will evaluate practices—including faculty allyship, inclusive language, and trauma-informed approaches—that embed military cultural competence across curricular and co-curricular experiences for students and families.
Advancing Professional Development and Research for Military-Affiliated Student Success
This theme highlights the future of the field by combining professional growth with evidence-based practice. Participants will explore pathways for advancing their own expertise while also shaping the research agenda that drives data-informed decision-making to improve outcomes for military-connected students and families.
Learning Outcome 1: Participants will explore professional development pathways—including certifications, graduate programs, and interdisciplinary communities of practice—that strengthen the field of military-connected student services.
Learning Outcome 2: Attendees will assess gaps in the literature and identify future research priorities, methodologies, and ethical considerations that inform institutional decision-making and enhance support for military-connected students and families.
Sponsors
The 2026 NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students is your opportunity to advance military-connected efforts in higher education, and showcase your organization as a catalyst for military-affiliated student success at a time when it has never been more important.
The application for 2026 is now live! Click here to explore exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, and click the button below to submit your application.
Questions? Connect with Juan Pelaez-Barboza, Assistant Director of Corporate Fulfillment & Advertising, at 202-903-0657 or [email protected] with any inquiries regarding exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities.
Call for Programs
The Call for Programs is Open!
The 2026 symposium focuses on best practices, innovative strategies, and current challenges in supporting student veterans' and military-connected students' success.
Submission Criteria Proposals will be evaluated by several program reviewers using the Conference Themes and Learning Outcomes.
The submission deadline is October 29. Presenters will be notified of their program status by early December. All presenters and co-presenters will be expected to cover registration and other related fees associated with attending the symposium. All presenters will be expected to provide an electronic copy of their presentation prior to the event, which will be shared with participants for viewing afterward.
Call for Reviewers
Call for Reviewers is Now Open!
The 2026 NASPA Symposium on Military-Connected Students Planning Committee invites military-connected higher education professionals to help shape the symposium by serving as a program proposal reviewer. Apply today to contribute to this important process designed to ensure that the symposium's content is of the highest quality possible. Reviewer applications are due by October 29, 2025. The program review period will begin on November 3 and conclude on November 7. Each reviewer will be assigned between 5-10 programs to review. Reviewers will thoroughly read the proposal, and offer rankings and written (anonymous) feedback.
Schedule
2026 Schedule at a Glance (subject to change)
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
- 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Check-in Open
- 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pre-conference Workshop 1
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
-
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Check-in Open
- 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Sponsor and Exhibitor Tables Open
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Pre-conference Workshop 2
- 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.Symposium Kick-off - Opening Keynote Plenary
- 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.Breakout Sessions 1
- 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.Breakout Sessions 2
- 5:45 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.Opening Reception, Awards & Poster Sessions
- 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.Dinner & Dialogues 1
Thursday, February 19, 2026
-
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Check-in Open
- 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Sponsor and Exhibitor Tables Open
- 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Breakfast and Veteran Knowledge Community Military-Connected Town Hall
- 9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Day 2 Keynote Plenary
- 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.Breakout Sessions 3
- 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.Symposium Break (Lunch on Your Own)
- 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.Breakout Sessions 4
- 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.Breakout Sessions 5
- 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Breakout Session 6
- 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Dinner & Dialogues 2
Friday, February 20, 2026
-
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Registration Check-in Open
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Sponsor and Exhibitor Tables Open
- 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.Breakfast Buffet
- 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.Closing Plenary
- 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Breakout Session 7
- 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.Breakout Session 8 or student panel
Registration
Registration is NOW OPEN!
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!
If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may qualify for a NASPA Foundation Membership Scholarship or NASPA Foundation Professional Development Access Scholarship, which can be used for this event.
For a comprehensive listing of NASPA registration policies, please visit this page.
REGISTRATION FEES |
||
| Early Registration before 12/19/2025 |
Regular Registration 12/20/2025 - 1/26/2026 |
Late Registration after 1/26/2025 |
| NASPA Member | ||
| $505 | $585 | $665 |
| Non Member | ||
| $705 | $785 | $865 |
| NASPA Student Member | ||
| $235 | $285 |
$365 |
| Pre-Symposium Workshop (each) | ||
| $110 | $110 | $110 |
Registration Policies
The cancellation/refund deadline, less a $50.00 administrative fee, is January 15, 2025. This program may be canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. In this case, fees will be refunded; however, NASPA will not be responsible for additional costs, charges, or expenses, including cancellation/change charges assessed by airlines, hotels, and/or travel agencies. NASPA is not responsible for weather or travel-related problems and will not reimburse registration fees for these issues.Refunds will not be processed for any reason after January 15, 2025.
Questions?
| NASPA Events Event Registration Support Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 265-7500 |