Sponsored Thought Leadership Sessions provide attendees with an opportunity to explore emerging trends, innovative ideas, and timely insights from industry experts and leading organizations. These education-focused sessions are designed to spark new thinking, share research and best practices, and encourage meaningful discussion on topics shaping the future of college admission and student success.

Today's student success requires more than managing data; it demands a connected, student-centered approach that supports the full journey from self-discovery to postsecondary success. In this session, we explore how integrated solutions like Naviance and CCLR are helping schools move beyond administrative tasks to drive meaningful impact. 

As counselor caseloads grow and responsibilities expand, technology plays a critical role in streamlining workflows and reducing time spent on paperwork, freeing counselors to focus on what matters most: building relationships and guiding students toward their futures. Through real-world perspectives from practitioners, attendees will learn how schools are using these tools to create more personalized, efficient, and impactful counseling experiences. 

The session will also highlight how data-driven insights and structured planning supports can expand access to postsecondary pathways, ensuring all students, regardless of background, have the tools, guidance, and confidence to pursue college, career, and life goals. 

 Join us to discover how technology can simultaneously improve efficiency, deepen student engagement, and advance equity, transforming the student journey into one that is more intentional, inclusive, and outcomes-driven. 

Presenters:   

• Karen Bush, Director of College & Career Counseling/Hamilton Southeastern Schools 
• Lacey Caviness, Senior Education Impact Consultant/PowerSchool 

Students are no longer making enrollment decisions just in the spring — they're deciding year-round, and your yield strategy needs to keep pace. This interactive session draws on insights from Eduventures Admitted Student Research to explore how and when today's students commit and what that means for your outreach strategy. 

Learn how fall-deciders differ from spring-deciders, how to segment and tailor your communication strategy accordingly, and how Georgia State University applied these insights — including creating persona-based portals for admitted students — to build a more intentional, year-round strategy that strengthened engagement and yield. 

Attendees will leave with a strong understanding of how and when various student segments make their college decisions, as well as specific segmentation strategies they can apply to strengthen their communication and outreach plans year-round to achieve their enrollment goals. Come ready to share: this session includes interactive discussions drawing on attendees' own institutional experiences. 

Presenters: 

• Scott Burke, Senior Associate VP, Undergraduate Admissions and Communications/Georgia State University 
• Emily Ross, Eduventures Senior Analyst, Encoura 

This session is presented by Encoura

Across the country, the average student-to-counselor ratio nears 400:1. At the same time, the college admissions landscape is constantly evolving, leaving both students and counselors scrambling to navigate applications, financial aid, and college readiness.

Join YouTube’s Global Head of Youth & Learning Partnerships, leaders from Arizona State University, and New York Times bestselling author and college readiness creator, Harlan Cohen, for a conversation about supporting students and counselors as they enter their higher education journey. Through diverse perspectives from university leadership, faculty, and a current student, discover how video learning and accessible credit pathways are breaking down barriers to higher education.

Presenters:

• Katie Kurtz, Managing Director and Global Head of Youth and Learning, YouTube
• Sean Hobson, Chief Design Officer and Assistant Vice President, Arizona State University
• Emily Zarka, Adjunct English Professor, Creator, Writer, and PBS Host
• Harlan Cohen, NYT Bestselling Author, Journalist, and College Readiness Creator
• Erin Searle, Director of Student Success, Arizona State University
• Katie Spreitzer, Sustainability and Public Policy Dual Master’s Student

This session is presented by YouTube for Education

What makes prospective students respond? And just as importantly, what causes them to disengage? 

Drawing on messaging data from 411 colleges and universities and more than 53 million student communications, this session will explore the communication patterns that drive engagement throughout the enrollment journey. 

Participants will gain practical insights into when students are most likely to respond, common outreach practices that may hinder engagement, and opportunities to strengthen communication strategies. Attendees will leave with actionable benchmarks, practices from the highest-performing teams in the data, and a framework for optimizing student outreach efforts throughout the recruitment cycle. 

This session is presented by Mongoose