Call for Proposals

2025 NCSD NATIONAL CONFERENCE

November 6 – 8, 2025
Bronx COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Bronx, NJ

The NCSD National Conference is the premier professional development experience for those involved and/or interested in student development in the community college environment.

The NCSD Annual Conference highlights promising student development research and practices at community and technical colleges. This year’s conference theme: From Access to Achievement: Leveraging Innovation for Impact in Student Development, reflects a national movement in higher education toward increased efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. Proposals have a student development/student affairs focus, and topics may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Personal development
• Social justice and inclusion
• Structured pathways

• Facilitate a presentation session approximately 60 minutes in length with approximately 25 – 40 attendees from various higher education institutions.
• The presentation should allow for approximately 50 minutes of formal presentation and 10 minutes of discussion/Q&A.
• The presentation should promote engaging and interactive learning.
• Presenters are responsible to coordinate technology needs prior to the conference, and bring all necessary materials for the presentation (handouts, activities, etc.)
• Presentations will be organized into the themes below to assist conference participants in making their selection, based on their individual goals and interests. NCSD will assign workshops to the themes accordingly.

• Faculty and Staff Partnerships to Enhance the Student Journey
  • Collaborative models where student affairs and academic affairs co-create learning experiences.
  • Professional development strategies to promote shared responsibility for student success.
• Leveraging AI and Emerging Technology to Personalize the Student Experience
  • Examples of using ChatGPT, AI-powered advising bots, and learning analytics to support students at scale.
  • Addressing equity, ethics, and human-centered design in technology adoption.
• Embedding Wellness and Belonging in the Student Journey
  • Programs that integrate mental health, belonging, and resilience into advising and student development.
  • Approaches for supporting student well-being from onboarding to graduation.
• High-Impact Practices Reimagined: From Enrollment to Graduation
  • Spotlight redesigns of HIPs (first-year seminars, learning communities, undergraduate research, etc.)
  • Focus on scaling access and measuring impact on retention and achievement.
• Designing Seamless Student Journeys: Advising, Coaching, and Holistic Support
  • Models for integrated advising and coaching that eliminate silos. 
  • Supporting first-generation and transfer students.
  • Using technology to strengthen personal connections.
• Integrating Career Readiness Across the Student Journey.
  • Strategies for embedding career exploration and skill-building in advising, curriculum, and co-curricular programs.
  • Collaborations between student affairs, faculty, and employers to align learning outcomes with workforce needs.