Mid-Atlantic 2026 Regional Conference

Navigating Transformation to Drive Growth: Integrated Planning for Resilient and Relevant Higher Education

Join your community as we delve into the critical challenges facing higher education today, including declining enrollment, rising costs, and the evolving demands of the job market. We will explore how institutions can remix education and work, foster innovative partnerships between academia and industry, and develop sustainable funding and operational models.

Through a focus on integrated planning, change management, and the measurable impact of investments, we will examine strategies for building resilience and ensuring the continued relevance of higher education in a rapidly changing world.

Drawing inspiration from Rutgers University’s recent restructuring of its health sciences, its unique 259-year history of adaptation and growth as a colonial college, a land-grant school, and a major public research university, this conference offers a platform to share insights on navigating complex institutional challenges and fostering a shared vision for the future.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Gain visibility and be part of this event! Learn about event sponsorship.
Contact KenDra McIntosh for more information or complete the sponsorship order form.
kendra.mcintosh@scup.org | 734.669.3283

Mid-Atlantic Regional Sponsors

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Program

Hotel Information

The Heldrich

10 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Room Reservations

Please click here to make your hotel reservation. Guests can also call the hotel, ask for reservations, and request the SCUP 2026 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Room Block, OR Group 637820

Phone Booking: Reservations Line (866) 609-4700

Room Rate

$299.00 USD
Currently, all room rates are subject to an 18.625% sales tax.

Check In/Out

Check-in: 4:00 pm
Check-out: 11:00 am

Reservation Deadline

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Travel Information

Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Approximately 23.2 miles from The Heldrich

From Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR):

Driving Directions

By Train: The most efficient public transit option is to take the AirTrain from your terminal to the Newark Airport Rail Station, then catch a NJ Transit Northeast Corridor train south to the New Brunswick station. The train ride to New Brunswick is about 30-40 minutes. The hotel is a short walk from the station.

By Ride Service: Rideshare services like Uber are available, with an average travel time of approximately 30 minutes.

Parking

Hotel does not own or operate parking facilities. Street Parking may be available nearby. Self-Parking is available for $25 per day in the Morris Street Garage on New Street, owned and operated by The New Brunswick Parking Authority.

Valet Parking is also offered by “Open Door Valet” from the front door of The Heldrich for $30 per night or $20 for the first 3 hours, $5 for additional time (maximum $25 per day). A $1 surcharge applies to card payments.

Call for Proposals

The call for proposals closes October 15 at 11:59 Eastern Time.

Higher education is at a crossroads, grappling with significant challenges such as demographic shifts leading to declining enrollment, escalating costs, student debt, and a re-evaluation of the value and relevance of a degree. This symposium invites proposals that explore innovative approaches to these pressing issues, particularly through the lens of integrated planning.

We seek submissions that address how institutions can:

• Utilize creative integrated planning processes to address critical areas such as facilities management, strategic planning, enrollment challenges, and deferred maintenance strategies.
• Leverage storytelling for innovation, inclusion, and building momentum for change, both internally and in public perception.
• Remix education and work, exploring programmatic and spatial interactions between industry, employers, the research world, and academia.
• Implement effective change management strategies to build operational and financial resilience against policy shifts and unexpected challenges.
• Develop sustainable funding models that support curriculum, the built environment, and digital resources, including delivery modes that suit students with full-time jobs.
• Measure the impact of planning, other investments, and programs to inform future decisions.
• Explore inter-institutional collaborations, multi-campus system dynamics, alliances, and potential mergers as models for adaptation and viability.

Call for Proposal Details

As you think about putting your proposal together, we would like you to consider some important points:

Does your proposal include integrated planning practices?

Integrated planning is a sustainable approach to planning that builds relationships, aligns the organization, and emphasizes preparedness for change.

Does your proposal bring together different perspectives and experiences?

By design, integrated planning is an inclusive practice that brings together perspectives and experiences from across an institution’s community to create solutions. This can only be accomplished when all voices are heard, recognized, and valued.
Consider these questions:

• Whose perspective is missing?
• Whose voice is not being heard?

We strongly encourage you to make sure your presentation team includes different voices, and that these voices are given meaningful time to share their perspectives.

Who should submit?

Integrated planning brings together voices from every corner of campus:

Stakeholders: students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, external partners
Areas of practice: academic and strategic planning, student affairs, finance, campus planning, IT, communications, development, institutional effectiveness

The secret to a great proposal.

Great proposals focus on one of two things: solutions or foresight.

Solutions: help attendees solve a pressing problem.
Foresight: explore innovative new ideas, analyze trends, and prepare attendees for the future.

Don’t forget to include:
Takeaways: give attendees next actions, tips, tools, processes, etc., that can be applied immediately
Engagement: engage attendees with your content and with each other in meaningful ways.

Concurrent Session Quick Facts

• Sessions are 60-minute.
• Submissions must be made using SCUP’s online submission tool.
• Read other frequently asked questions.

Download the Call for Proposals Outline

QUESTIONS? Email speaker.information@scup.org.

The call for proposals closes October 15 at 11:59 Eastern Time.