2026 Academic and Career Advising Workshop

Pathways with Purpose: Academic & Career Advising Alignment

December 14-15, 2026
UW-Stevens Point

The Universities of Wisconsin, in partnership with Complete College America (CCA) and NASPA, will convene a two-day workshop focused on strengthening the alignment of academic advising and career advising, and the integration of career exploration and readiness efforts across the student experience. This collaborative event is designed to help UW universities examine their current advising ecosystem, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop actionable strategies that support students in exploring majors and career pathways, making informed decisions, and preparing for success in achieving their educational and career goals.

Objectives:

Participants will:

• Assess current structures and practices to identify opportunities for stronger alignment between academic advising, career advising, and career development and readiness efforts across the student experience.
• Explore promising practices and evidence-based strategies through peer learning and engagement with UW universities and national experts.
• Develop a campus-specific action plan and leverage further consultation to support implementation and sustainable progress.

Format: Designed as a highly interactive working session, campus teams will spend two days examining the student journey and exploring how academic and career advising intersect from admission through graduation. Teams will identify key touchpoints, transitions, and gaps in their current approaches and develop an action plan to strengthen coordination. Participants will engage in structured team activities, cross-institutional discussions, and consultations with a team of practitioners with expertise in academic and career advising, organizational change leadership, and evidence-based practices. The session is informed by CCA’s Pathways with Purpose approach and insights from its College, On Purpose 2.0 framework.

Teams: UW universities are encouraged to send cross-functional teams that include academic advising and career services administrators, faculty, and staff. The workshop is designed to provide time for teams to analyze their current state, learn from peers, and work collaboratively on institution priorities.

Post Event Support: Support doesn’t end when the session does. Following the event, each institution will have access to up to five hours of individualized consultation with a content expert to support progress on their action plan, address implementation challenges, and engage additional campus stakeholders as needed.

*Please note that this is a tentative agenda and subject to change. Information about the content experts/facilitators and the breakout sessions will be added at a later date.