Student success does not happen within a single office, department, or initiative—it happens when institutions work together with purpose and intention. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to explore how institutions can create more connected, student-centered experiences. He examines how demographic, technological, and cultural shifts are reshaping higher education and what leaders can do to foster belonging, improve outcomes, strengthen career readiness, and break down organizational silos. Through practical examples and success stories from institutions across the country, Felix demonstrates how collaboration across academic affairs, student affairs, technology, facilities, career services, advancement, and other key areas can drive meaningful results. He challenges audiences to rethink how their institutions are organized and where opportunities exist for greater alignment and impact. This keynote offers a practical roadmap for creating a more connected institution where students, faculty, and staff can thrive. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• How demographic, technological, and cultural trends are reshaping student success

• Practical strategies for creating stronger connections across institutional departments and functions and with industry partners

• Ways to foster belonging, improve outcomes, and better prepare students for life after graduation

This program can also include an interactive assessment of institutional connectedness and exercises to help teams identify opportunities for improvement and develop a roadmap for action. Read Less ^

Navigating college should not feel like an obstacle course for students—it should be a seamless, supportive pathway designed around their actual lives. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to show how institutions can comprehensively redesign the student experience. He explores how leaders can combine high-touch human interaction with high-tech solutions, including AI, to remove administrative friction while deepening relationships. Through practical examples, Felix demonstrates how to integrate the student voice to audit technology, curb digital sprawl, co-locate vital support services, and transform campus spaces. He challenges audiences to look at the entire student lifecycle through a holistic lens—from academic program design to physical and digital touchpoints—using clear metrics to measure and improve engagement. This keynote offers a practical roadmap for creating an intentional, friction-free journey where every student feels seen, supported, and guided toward graduation. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• How to strike the right balance between high-touch human care and high-tech tools like AI

• Practical methods for auditing technology to curb digital sprawl and co-locate fragmented student services

• Ways to integrate student input and real-time metrics to continuously optimize campus spaces and academic programs

This program can also be extended to include activities such as developing student personas, mapping current student journeys, brainstorming potential solutions, and roadmapping future changes to academic programs, technology, facilities, operations, and organizational structures. Read Less ^

In a landscape defined by rapid disruption, a rigid, five-year strategic plan is often obsolete before the ink dries. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to help leaders shift from prescriptive plans to agile execution. He examines the massive demographic, financial, and cultural trends reshaping higher education and introduces scenario planning, design thinking, and other tools to structure how you navigate uncertainty. Felix demonstrates how institutions can design dynamic strategic playbooks that provide fierce organizational focus and true market differentiation. He outlines how to conduct rigorous academic program reviews to align institutional strengths with the evolving needs of students and employers, while exploring new models for cross-institutional collaboration, consortia, and operational consolidations. This keynote offers a practical roadmap for building institutional resilience and equipping leadership teams to adapt swiftly to whatever the future holds. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• How macro-trends are driving uncertainty and why traditional, rigid strategic planning no longer works

• Strategies for using scenario planning and academic program reviews to align offerings with market demand

• Frameworks for developing agile playbooks and leveraging partnerships, consortia, and consolidations for long-term sustainability

This program can also include interactive exercises such as scenario planning, roadmapping, and pilot project design which can bring strategic planning to life and jumpstart future planning efforts so that participants leave not only with information and inspiration but momentum as well. Read Less ^

Higher education is plagued by operational fragmentation, where departments run smoothly in isolation but the student experience suffers and the costs are not sustainable. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to explore how institutions can move from protective silos to powerful synergies. He examines how to remove costly redundancies and bridge administrative gaps across divisions by rethinking campus infrastructure. Felix shares proven strategies for co-locating student services, building active cross-functional communities of practice, and leveraging clear operational metrics for continuous improvement. He demonstrates how redesigning academic programs and curbing digital sprawl can simultaneously lower institutional costs and elevate the quality of support. This keynote challenges audiences to break down structural walls and offers a tactical guide to building an integrated ecosystem where data, spaces, and people work in harmony. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• The operational cost of silos and how to identify and remove institutional redundancies

• Tactical approaches to co-locating services, curbing digital sprawl, and building cross-departmental communities of practice

• How to use data-driven metrics to redesign operations and academic programs around modern student needs

This program can also include interactive activities to map and audit programs, technology, and reporting structures; identify potential solutions, and roadmap operational and organization changes. Read Less ^

Most university organizational charts were designed for a different era, creating rigid barriers that prevent institutions from adapting to modern realities. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to explore how to design a flexible, responsive, and future-ready organizational structure. He examines how leaders can purposefully align their institutional structure, services, staffing, and technology systems to match how work actually gets done – at a cost that can actually be sustained. Felix outlines how to build an org design that aligns with institutional strategy, enables focus and differentiation, and fosters internal collaboration and innovative industry partnerships. He shares practical examples of how cultivating communities of practice can break down legacy hierarchies and build a campus culture that views change as a competitive advantage. This keynote offers an actionable framework for rewriting the rules of campus organization to unleash human talent and improve outcomes. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• How legacy organizational charts hinder innovation and how to redesign them for agility

• Methods for aligning staffing, services, and systems to deliver on strategic goals and market differentiators

• Strategies for fostering internal collaboration, external industry partnerships, and a campus culture that adapts to change

This program can also include an interactive assessment of current structures and the way they shape staffing, technology systems, and campus spaces as well as identify the principles and priorities to guide a redesign at the institutional, school, or department level. Read Less ^

The academic library can no longer focus solely on stewarding collections and providing quiet space. It must be the intellectual and social heart, the primary collaborative hub of the modern campus. Elliot Felix draws on insights from his book The Connected College and his work with more than 100 colleges and universities to map out the evolution of the next generation library. He examines how institutions can successfully shift the balance between physical collections and dynamic study spaces, reimagining facilities to be more varied, flexible, and deeply tech-enabled. Felix demonstrates how libraries can become premier engines for retention by deliberately partnering with student success units, integrating tutoring, writing centers, advising, career services, and experiential learning under one roof. He challenges audiences to rethink traditional service models and staff structures to ensure next-generation services can be delivered sustainably and impactfully. This keynote offers a visionary yet highly practical playbook for maximizing the spatial, operational, and strategic value of the campus library. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• How to balance physical collections with flexible, tech-enabled spaces that accommodate diverse learning styles

• Models for integrating student success partners—like advising, tutoring, and career services—directly into the library ecosystem

• Ways to restructure library service models and staffing frameworks to ensure long-term operational sustainability

This program can also include an interactive assessment of spaces, service and staffing models, and technology systems to support learning and research into the future as well as activities to brainstorm and prioritize potential interventions. Read Less ^

College students who learn and use AI are 2.2x more likely to recommend their institution than those who don't. Now is the time to lead this transformation and design an AI-enabled student journey that sets your institution apart. Drawing on research and real-world examples from across higher education, this keynote explores how forward-thinking institutions leverage AI to streamline administrative processes, elevate student support, enhance academic programs, and enrich campus life. While adoption is accelerating rapidly, the use of AI varies by discipline, course, and assignment. Student demand often far outpaces institutional readiness and policy clarity. Closing this gap requires moving beyond isolated pilots to build systemic, scalable innovation. This session offers a practical roadmap to help campus leaders understand the landscape, identify their "lead users," create and clarify policies, and scale transformative AI practices across the entire student lifecycle. Read More >

Audiences will learn:

• Analyze emerging research and real-world examples to understand the landscape and leverage AI across the student journey

• Use “Lead User” innovation methods and intentional scaling strategies to empower early adopters and accelerate campus-wide change

• Move beyond haphazard bans and requirements by using concrete frameworks that give faculty and students transparent AI policies

This keynote can be expanded into an interactive, hands-on workshop where campus leaders map their current AI ecosystem, identify internal lead users, and develop a customized roadmap to pilot and scale student-centered AI initiatives across their institution. Read Less ^