Tuesday, February 3, 2026

  10:00 – 11:00 am

  Online

S2. Empowering Pathways: Oklahoma’s Integrated Roadmap to Student Success

Jenny Wood, Tisha Bradford, Angel Icenhour, Tracey Romano

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Academic Programs and Innovation (API) at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education invites participants to explore Oklahoma’s coordinated, student‑centered strategies that strengthen academic momentum from high school through adulthood.

This session highlights four key initiatives shaping the state’s educational landscape:

• Micro‑Credentials & UpskillOK – Providing flexible, industry‑aligned short‑term credentials that address workforce needs and expand reskilling opportunities.
• Show What You Know OK – Supporting transparent, student‑friendly tools for the Course Equivalency Project and statewide Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), making prior experience count toward meaningful progress.
• Concurrent Enrollment – Increasing access to college‑level coursework for high school students and expanding pathways that accelerate time to degree.
• Reach Higher – Oklahoma’s adult degree completion initiative designed to support returning learners with flexible options, personalized pathways, and targeted student support.

Designed for advisors, registrars, admissions professionals, faculty, and student‑support staff, this interactive session provides campus teams with practical tools, examples, and strategies to help learners navigate credentialing, transfer, degree completion, and lifelong learning. Join us to see how Oklahoma’s integrated roadmap empowers students to achieve success at every stage of their academic journey.

  2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

  Online

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

  10:00 – 11:00 am

  Online

S4. A Project Management Approach to Holistic Advising Support

Makenna Garrison, Alisha Robinson, Patty Pearsall, Kay Locke

University of Oklahoma Health Campus, College of Nursing 

A project management approach to holistic advising support involves intentionally applying the principles of project management to student support structures to provide a framework in which students can expect clear communication, concrete action steps, and integrated services.

This presentation explores strategies utilized to deliver large-scale advising services to students while implementing quality controls, measurable outcomes, and goals. Through leveraging technology, communication systems, and key strategies, an advising team can prioritize personalized communication while serving a mass audience. Embedded in the process is a commitment to project management initiatives to ensure accurate information and proactive planning. As students need timely communications and resources for their academic success, a project management approach bolstering the iterative work of advising can lead to support structures and systems for greater efficiency in operationalized processes. 

  2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

  Online

S5. Defying Gravity! The Lazy Genius Way to a High-Wire Advising Act

Sarah Chabinak

Oklahoma State University

Academic advising’s high demands often lead to decision fatigue and professional burnout. This presentation introduces advising professionals to the Lazy Genius Way, a practical framework for building sustainable efficiency by focusing on what truly matters. We will explore key principles advisors can apply to their practice, including Decide Once for systematizing common tasks and Batch It for optimizing administrative time. Furthermore, the session emphasizes Start Small for implementing change and the crucial principle of Be Kind to Yourself to foster long-term professional resilience. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to move from constantly reacting to proactively designing a truly effective and intentional advising practice. By adopting this approach, advisors can dedicate their energy to meaningful student interactions, turning chaotic work into a masterful, high-wire act.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

  10:00 – 11:00 am

  Online

S6. Calling All Pre-Health Advisors: Sharing Challenges and Practical Solutions

Caitlin Laughlin

Oklahoma State University

Being a pre-health advisor can feel isolating in its unique challenges on a college campus. For many, it can feel overwhelming even if we have a team who “gets it.” Pre-health advisors across the state face similar challenges, but we rarely get the chance to compare notes. This session brings us together for a conversation about what’s hard right now, what’s working, and where we can build more support for each other. We will gather strategies, tools, and takeaways into a shared resource everyone can access. Participants will walk away with practical tips from colleagues, ideas we can use right away, and a stronger sense of connection across institutions.

  2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

  Online

S7. Nurturing Your Advising Community

Kailee Kreger and Stephanie Terrazas

University of Oklahoma

Come learn about how our advising community cultivates advisors through activities that sprout growth, curiosity, and appreciation. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose to learn from different seedlings of moments where OU’s advising community has planted these experiences such as creating an Advisors’ Hobby Fair, ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ afternoons, and mini advisor expertise presentations. This will be followed by an opportunity for those present to engage in sharing their own experiences of how they have fostered growth, curiosity, and appreciation in their own communities.

Friday,
February 6, 2026

  10:00 – 11:00 am

  Online

S8. Building Oklahoma’s Career Workforce: A Statewide Model for Career Practitioner Training and Certification Through the NCDA Facilitating Career Development Microcredential

Travis Lightsey

Rose State College

Oklahoma faces a growing need for well-prepared career practitioners across higher education, workforce development, and community organizations. In response, Rose State College, partnering with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the National Career Development Association (NCDA), developed a statewide training model that delivers nationally recognized credentials through the NCDA Facilitating Career Development (FCD) Microcredential and the Career Development Training Institute.

This session will showcase how this multi-agency collaboration expands access to professional training, improves service consistency, and strengthens the pipeline of certified career professionals. Presenters will share lessons learned from designing and launching the microcredential, supporting participants across Oklahoma’s public institutions, and building stackable pathways aligned with workforce goals. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and tools to replicate this model in their own regions.

  2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

  Online

S9. TimelyCare: Expanding Access for all Oklahoma College Students’ Health & Well-Being

Timely Care, Lindsey Echols

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

TimelyCare is a free, virtual health and well-being platform that provides students with 24/7 access to mental health support, medical care, health coaching, and self-guided resources—no insurance required. This session explores how TimelyCare complements on-campus services, expands access to care beyond traditional business hours, and reduces common barriers students face when seeking support. Participants will learn how TimelyCare can be effectively integrated into campus communication and referral practices to promote student well-being, persistence, and success.