Where planning comes together.
SCUP’s events, conferences, and programs are where higher education leaders with the same goals, meeting the rapid pace of change and competition, come together. They’re where conversations intersect, where learning strategies are shared, and where connections are made.
Conferences
Annual Conference
The Annual Conference is SCUP’s flagship professional development event concentrated on integrated planning and navigating challenges facing the higher ed landscape today.
Bringing together institutional leaders and planning professionals from around the globe, this multi-day event features forward-thinking keynotes and dynamic learning grounded in real-world challenges, trends, and case studies for proven strategies. Attendees gain actionable insights, practical tools, and fresh perspectives from peers actively shaping their campuses, giving them the knowledge and resources to break down silos and drive sustainable institutional success.
Regional Conferences
SCUP Regional Conferences bring together higher education leaders, planners, and administrators to explore what integrated planning looks like in real time. These gatherings are where strategy meets implementation.
Rooted in regions yet connected to the broader higher ed trends, these conferences create space for candid conversation, practical idea exchange, and peer-driven insight. Participants share strategies for advancing student success, strengthening institutional effectiveness, and aligning planning across the campus ecosystem.
Mid-Atlantic 2026 Regional Conference
April 20–22, 2026
The Heldrich Hotel | New Brunswick, NJ
Pacific 2026 Regional Conference
May 27–29, 2026
Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ
North Central 2026 Regional Conference
September 29–30, 2026
The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH
Symposia
SCUP’s symposia are one-day gatherings aimed at connecting higher education leaders and planners to explore today’s trends and emerging challenges. Through peer learning and collaboration, attendees draw on real-world experiences, gain fresh perspectives, and walk away with actionable insights and tools to utilize at their own institutions.
None scheduled at this time
Workshops & Courses
Workshops
These immersive, short-format experiences are designed for deep skill building in a concentrated timeframe. Expect practical tools, structured frameworks, slides you’ll actually reuse, and workbooks that move from theory to application. Participants don’t just listen—they practice, reflect, and build real outputs they can bring back to campus.
Strategic Planning, Design, and Assessment with the Learning Space Rating System
March 17 – April 14, 2026
Online | 11:00–1:00 PM Eastern
Navigating the Future: AI-Enhanced Scenario Planning for Higher Education
April 14 and 16, 2026
Online | 1:00–4:00 PM Eastern
Budgeting with Purpose: Aligning Financial Resources to Support Goals
May 4, May 6 and May 8, 2026
Online | 1:00–3:00 PM Eastern
Courses
These multi-session learning journeys combine live instruction, applied tools, reflection, and between-session assignments designed to embed learning into your real-world context. Participants test ideas, apply frameworks on their own campus, and return ready to refine their approach.
Webinars
Often grounded in real institutional case studies, these sessions explore how a strategy was developed, what challenges emerged, and what leaders learned along the way. They are ideal for discovering new approaches, benchmarking your work, and staying informed about trends shaping higher education planning.
Trends that Impact Higher Education Planning Spring 2026
April 9, 2026
Online | 1:00–2:00 PM Eastern | Free
LEEDv5: An Introduction
Sponsored Series
April 30, 2026
Online
A 21st Century Learning Environment: Recycling a Victorian Hospital
May 5, 2026
Online
Peer Learning
Peer Learning experiences are facilitated working groups—not lectures, not curriculum-driven sessions. The learning comes from the room.
These gatherings bring together professionals in similar roles or facing similar institutional challenges. An experienced facilitator guides the conversation, but the real power lies in participants raising questions, testing ideas, and receiving candid feedback from peers who understand the landscape.
Working Groups, Community Conversations, and Community Meet-Ups
Assessment Practices: A Working Group for Higher Education Professionals
Working Group
April 6, 13, and 20, 2026
Online | 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern
Making Meaning of Trends: A Working Group on Emerging Issues in Higher Education
Working Group
April 29, May 6, and May 13, 2026
Online | 12:00-1:00 PM Eastern
Coaching
Advice and Assistance, Tailored to Your Institution
Every institution is unique. Every challenge is layered. And sometimes, you need more than a program—you need a trusted partner who’s been in the room where the hard decisions happen.
Integrated Planning Coaching connects you with a seasoned planning leader who brings boots-on-the-ground experience across higher education. Whether you’re navigating political dynamics, stalled momentum, accreditation pressure, or alignment gaps, our coaches help you make sense of complexity—and move forward with clarity.
This is peer-to-peer guidance. Practical. Strategic. Context-aware.