AAUA 2026 Conference Preview: Realizing the Higher Education Value Proposition

In this episode of Creating the Future of Higher Education, host and AAUA Board Member Dr. Tim Jansa welcomes Matt Roche (fellow AAUA Board Member and Conference Chair), Dr. Laura Bloomberg (President, Cleveland State University), and Mr. Eytan Wurman (Founder & CEO of CommonTime Pathways) for an insider preview of the AAUA National Conference in Cleveland, October 19–20, 2026. Together, they explore the theme “Realizing the Higher Education Value Proposition” and discuss how college and university leaders can respond to the enrollment and demographic cliffs, public skepticism about higher education, tight budgets, and an increasingly AI-enabled world while keeping institutions mission-centered and human-focused. Listeners will hear about a dynamic presidential panel, keynote speaker Dr. Tim Renick on data-informed student success and retention, innovative leadership development and succession planning models, and fresh enrollment strategies that elevate artistic intelligence and the arts as powerful drivers of institutional resilience. Aimed at higher education administrators, faculty leaders, and aspiring managers, this episode invites listeners to rethink the value proposition of higher education and gain practical ideas to strengthen organizations, support staff and students, and lead meaningful change on their campuses. Keywords: higher education leadership, AAUA conference 2026, higher education value proposition, Cleveland State University president, university administrators, college leadership development, enrollment and demographic cliff in higher education, student success and retention strategies, AI in higher education, artistic intelligence and enrollment, Common Time Pathways, presidential panel higher education, succession planning in higher ed, future of higher education, higher education podcast for administrators