NABEP 2026 Breakout Sessions

Tuesday -10:00am

Modern Media Tactics for Gen Alpha Enrollment Success - Room 112

Presenters: Kristy Vivian from Next Grad and James Steen from HCU

Audience: Anyone

The next generation of higher education recruitment is already here. Gen Alpha brings an entirely new set of expectations, values, and communication habits. For institutions to thrive, marketing and enrollment leaders must understand what makes this generation kick, and how to meet them where they are.

This session breaks down the distinct generational profile of Gen Alpha, exploring their unique wants, needs, and engagement expectations. Attendees will not only discover ways to build an effective, modernized enrollment funnel, but will also learn the power of innovative advertising that integrates with digital campaigns.

We will discuss the power of out-of-home and walk through a real-world case study Houston Christian University.

From New Hire to Goal Hitter. What Actually Works in your First Recruitment Cycle - Room 114

Presenter: Makayla Vallian from HCU

Audience: 1st year recruiter

This session explores the journey of transitioning from a new professional into a confident and effective admissions counselor. This session will highlight the importance of trusting God, knowing your strengths, creating effective strategies, building relationships with students and families, and learning how to navigate your territory. It encourages new hires to look beyond numbers and focus on making a meaningful impact through serving students with purpose and excellence.

Faith & Funnel: Aligning Enrollment and Marketing for Kingdom Impact - Room 201

Presenter: Nathan Alexander from Clarke Higher Ed

Audience: Middle-level leaders - Directors

In today’s shifting higher education landscape, Christian institutions cannot afford to separate mission from marketing or enrollment from strategy. This session explores how faith-driven purpose and data-informed funnel management can work together to strengthen recruitment, retention, and long-term sustainability. We will examine how aligning messaging, financial strategy, and student lifecycle planning creates clarity, consistency, and Kingdom impact. Attendees will gain practical insights into integrating admissions and marketing teams around shared metrics, shared story, and shared mission. Rather than choosing between spiritual calling and strategic execution, this presentation demonstrates how faithful stewardship and effective enrollment strategy reinforce one another. When faith shapes the funnel, institutions not only grow — they grow with purpose.

Charting a Path Forward: Enrollment Resilience Beyond Covid and the Cliff - Room 202

Presenter: Molly Smith from NACCAP

Audience: Anyone

The first half of this decade challenged enrollment professionals at every level. COVID-19, policy shifts, rapid advances in AI, increased competition, and the approaching demographic cliff have fundamentally reshaped the enrollment landscape. Drawing on recent NACCAP research and national trends, this session reflects on lessons learned and explores practical strategies for navigating what comes next.

Participants will discover how to build on the adaptability, innovation, and resilience developed during times of disruption while preparing for demographic change as a long-term strategic reality. Whether your role is recruiting students, managing enrollment operations, or shaping institutional strategy, you'll leave with actionable insights to help your institution thrive in the years ahead.

From First Contact to Deposit: What Today’s Students Need From You - Room 204

Presenters: Pam Lee and Sylvia Ewell from 3M Enrollment

Audience: Anyone

Front-line interactions shape enrollment more than strategy documents. Using findings from the national NACCAP/CCCU research, this session connects student expectations to daily recruitment practice, communication practices, responsiveness, campus visits, follow-up, and relationship building. We will discuss where students disengage, what builds belonging early, and how staff behaviors influence confidence in both value and fit.

Takeaways

• Identify behaviors that build trust early in the funnel

• Improve communication and visit experiences that increase yield

• Recognize moments where students commonly disengage and how to respond

The Modern Enrollment Bottleneck: Navigating Stringent Email Rules, Bot Traffic, and the Future of Gen Z Outreach - Room 301

Presenters: Brad Moore and Scott Mallen from CS Enrollment and Michael Wright from MC

Audience: Marketing/Comms; Directors, VPs

Connecting with prospective students and their parents has never been more challenging. As major providers implement increasingly stringent email authentication rules, traditional blast emails are actively damaging university domain reputations and crippling delivery rates. Compounding this crisis is the massive rise in automated bot-clicks from institutional Gaggle student accounts and Apple iCloud domains, which heavily skew tracking data and trick CRMs

into importing unengaged ghost leads as active inquiries. To keep pace and protect annual enrollment goals, colleges must move beyond legacy outreach and strategically maximize a diversified multichannel framework.

This presentation explores the reality of the current student communication landscape and provides data-driven strategies to maximize response rates across three core channels: Email, Direct Mail, and Rich Communication Services (RCS). Attendees will learn how to properly

insulate their institutional domains, leverage high-impact personalized print, capitalize on parent engagement data, and deploy the next generation of mobile engagement.

Slowing the Revolving Door - Room 303

Presenter: Bryan Ayers from Charleston Southern University

Audience: Mid-level Manages, Directors, Deans and VPs

Leading in enrollment is no small responsibility, and how we lead matters deeply. Due to factors outside of our control, Traditional Undergraduate Admissions is continually wrestling with the revolving door. Every couple of years we’re seeing new counselors come while we say, “See you later!” to those moving on.

In this breakout session, we’ll explore what it means to slow the revolving door through effective strategies to encourage, equip, retain our people.

Tuesday - 1:00pm

The Truth About Building Houston Christian University’s Brand - Room 301

Presenters: Ryan Morabito from 5 Degrees and James Steen from HCU

Audience: Marketing/Comms; Directors, VPs

This behind-the-scenes look at building Houston Christian University’s brand over the past decade will explore how a V.P. for Enrollment & Marketing helped the University navigate a name change and break enrollment records for consecutive years. The presentation will focus on several marketing truths, including the importance of campus collaboration, partnerships with the president and cabinet, and practical steps for replacing silos with bridges. The presentation will also include insight into how Houston Christian measures its marketing impact and the importance of remaining agile.

In this session, Steen and higher education marketing expert Ryan Morabito will share the ten marketing truths that guided Houston Christian University’s upward trajectory. Developed to help bridge the gap of understanding around marketing that exists on many college campuses, these truths acknowledge and address the unrealistic expectations, false beliefs, and unnecessary barriers that often exist on college campuses when it comes to branding and marketing.

Participants will be equipped with a diagnostic tool to help them and their teams identify the greatest opportunities and gaps in their higher education institution’s marketing approach.

Additionally, Steen and Morabito will provide a framework for reducing campus silos and, instead, building bridges of partnership throughout the college of university. They will introduce steps for developing marketing tools that help higher education marketing leaders gauge the impact of their work and share it effectively with key stakeholders on campus and in their community.

Framing Your Value: How to Articulate Your Affordability - Room 112

Presenters: Dr. Kyle Brantley from Clarke Higher Ed

Audience: Anyone

In an era of rising tuition costs and increasing price sensitivity, effectively communicating affordability has never been more important. But affordability alone isn’t enough. Institutions must also clearly articulate their value: why is your institution worth the investment? This session will explore practical strategies for positioning your institution in a cost-conscious market, including improving financial aid visibility online, strategic NPC placement, and training admissions counselors to navigate cost conversations. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for reframing affordability messaging and helping prospective students and families better understand the value of their investment.

Advancing Enrollment: Leveraging Credit Transparency in Higher Education - Room 114

Presenter: Woody Roberson from Degree Site

Audience: Transfer and Dual Enrollment counselors; anyone

Colleges and universities must serve transfer students faster, more transparently, and sooner in the admissions process. Prospective students are expecting the same speed of response they would receive from ordering something from Amazon - on-demand/24/7. We will present the increasing need to be responsive to students with college credit to better serve them, to help them make more informed decisions, while not overloading admissions and registrar teams. Colleges are missing a huge opportunity to recruit an underserved population of transfers and dormant degree-seekers (College Credit and no Degree).

Going After the One: Personalized Recruitment in High-Volume Territories - Room 201

Presenter: Darchayla Lewis from HCU

Audience: Any recruiter

This session will explore practical ways to personalize the recruitment experience while managing a high-volume territory. Participants will discuss strategies for prioritizing outreach, building stronger relationships with prospective students, and identifying common pitfalls that can cause counselors to overlook or lose students throughout the enrollment process. Together, we'll examine how small shifts in perspective and intentionality can lead to stronger student relationships and better enrollment outcomes.

How Customized Enrollment Marketing Wins Students You Can’t Afford to Lose - Room 303

Presenter: Keith Mock from Liaison

Audience: Marketing/Comms; middle-level managers; Directors, VPs

Build it and they will come” no longer works for colleges and universities. As enrollment pressures mount, institutions need strategic recruitment marketing that speaks directly to individuals - not just general brand awareness. Many colleges believe they’ve embraced personalization, yet most efforts remain limited to mail-merge tactics. True customization means developing communication communications that reflect each prospect’s academic interests, career goals, and individual circumstances. In this session, participants will explore: Findings from Liaison’s annual inquiry response project, the strategic distinction between brand marketing and recruitment enrollmentmarketing, the spectrum from personalization to customization, and what students expect, evidence based practices for orchestrated engagement via recruitment marketing.

Road Warriors: Practical Strategies for Staying Healthy, Connected, and Effective During Recruitment Travel - Room 202

Presenter: Dr. Jude Austin, PhD., LPC-S, LMFT-S

Audience: Anyone

Recruitment travel can be rewarding, but long days on the road, constant interaction, enrollment pressures, and time away from home can take a toll. This practical session equips admissions counselors and recruiters with simple strategies for managing stress, maintaining healthy routines, staying connected to important relationships, setting boundaries, and preventing burnout during demanding travel seasons. Participants will leave with actionable tools they can implement immediately.

Growing Enrollment in a Changing Landscape: Strategies That Deliver Results - Room 204

Presenter: Dan Lando with 3 Enrollment

Audience: Marketing/Comms; middle-level managers; Directors, VPs

Enrollment challenges look different at every institution — but the path to growth starts with the right strategy. In this session, Don Lando, Director of Partnership Development at 3Enrollment Marketing (3E), will share how 3E partners with colleges and universities around the world to help them reach their enrollment goals. From prospect identification and lead generation to marketing strategy and enrollment operations, you'll get an inside look at the services 3E provides and how they translate into measurable growth.

Lando will also walk through real client success stories, highlighting the strategies behind their results and the lessons that apply across institutions of all sizes and missions

Wednesday - 9:00am

From Best Practice to Next Practice: Becoming an Enrollment Innovator - Room 112

Presenter: James Steen, VP for Enrollment Management & Marketing at HCU

Audience: Anyone

In an era where best practices are no longer enough, Christian institutions must compete with larger universities for a shrinking pool of high school graduates. This session explores how institutions can thrive despite limited resources by:

• Maximizing enrollment funnel efficiency through data-driven metrics

• Developing targeted and distinctive brand messaging

• Implementing direct admission policies to remove barriers

• Creating proactive and competitive merit award structures

• Converting resource constraints into strategic advantages

Learn how to transform traditional enrollment practices into pioneering approaches that help institutions not just compete, but excel in today's challenging recruitment landscape.

AUDIENCE: This session would be open to all; but is probably more applicable to mid-level managers, directors and/or VPs.

Value Opens the Door; Culture Builds the Home - Room 114

Presenters: Ja’Lynn Manson and Kaelyn Charles, HCU

Audience: middle-level managers; recruiters with 2+ years of experience

We will explore how Christ-centered values – respect, trust, loyalty, and vulnerability call us to see beyond titles and performance to their hearts, stores, and needs of our employees; recognizing them as whole individuals shaped by their families and life experiences.

As Assistant Directors at HCU, Kaelyn and Ja’Lynn will share how integrating faith with a family-minded leadership approach transforms shared values into daily practices. Attendees will gain insight into cultivating trust, strengthening belonging, and building a campus culture where individuals feel genuinely known, supported, and at home.

Parent Perspectives on the College Search - Room 201

Presenter: Dave Burke from Legacy Higher Edu

Audience: Anyone

Parents have the highest influence in the college search process for the vast majority of students. Legacy Higher Ed surveys parents of Christian college applicants all over the country bi-annually and learns about their values, perceptions, experiences and reflections through the college search and application season. This feedback can be an invaluable resource as you consider recruitment, marketing, messaging and engagement strategies that focus on prospective student families. We will dive into some of the common themes that should be driving responsive action on your teams.

The Questions Every Higher Ed Leader Should Ask About Marketing and AI - Room 301

Presenter: Bart Caylor from Caylor Solutions

Audience: Marketing/Comms; middle-level managers; Directors, VPs

Few places waste dollars more quickly than ineffective marketing! Not asking the right questions most often leads to making the wrong decisions. Join Bart Caylor as he helps you ask better questions, avoid costly mistakes and lead with courage.

• Rethinking your institutional marketing strategy

• Honestly assessing results and ROI

• Carefully confirming targets and mission-fit

• Ask better questions to help your team lead with excellence

Become a C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N of Travel Season - Room 303

Presenter: Josh Champ from UMHB

Audience: Recruiters

Feeling burned out with travel? Don’t even know what travel season is? Whether you are a seasoned traveler, or have never traveled before, this session will provide tips and tricks about how to keep our mind, body, and spirit healthy on the road. You will leave with a seven week workout plan, nutritional tips, and time management hacks to help you conquer this travel season.

The Final Push: Last-Minute Enrollment Strategies That Move Students to "Yes" - Room 202

Presenter: Molly Smith from NACCAP

Audience: Anyone

The final weeks before classes begin can have a significant impact on your enrollment outcomes. In this practical webinar, you'll learn proven strategies institutions are using to engage undecided students, reduce enrollment barriers, prevent summer melt, and maximize every opportunity before the start of the term.

Designed for enrollment professionals at every level, this session will provide actionable ideas, real-world examples, and practical tools you can implement immediately to finish the enrollment cycle strong.

Clean Data, Clear Answers: Practical Slate Troubleshooting for Everyday Slate Users - Room 204

Presenter: Kelsey Davis from McMurry University

Audience: Any Slate User

Roundtables

Deans, Directors, Executive & VPs - Room 301

Non-Recruiters (Campus Visits, Events, Marketing, Comms & CRM) - Room 201

Transfer Recruitment - Room 202

Mid-Level Leaders - Room 204

Experienced Recruiters (One Year & Up Experience) - Room 114

New Recruiters (Under One Year Experience) - Room 112