Warhawk Success Conference

2026 Warhawk Success Conference Agenda
The 2027 Conference Agenda is coming soon!

8:30-9:00am: Check-In, University Center Hamilton Room
9:00-10:00am: Welcome & Keynote
10:15-11:00am: Breakout Sessions
11:10-11:55am: Breakout Sessions
12:00-1:30pm: Lunch & Learn
1:45-2:30pm: Breakout Sessions
2:40-3:25pm: Breakout Sessions
3:30-3:45pm: Closing

2027 Keynote Information Coming Soon!

To see information about the 2026 keynote, please visit the Previous Conference Information dropdown. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Stein (steinj@uww.edu), Amanda Krier-Jenkins (kriera@uww.edu) or Paige Ringelstetter (ringelstpm24@uww.edu).

2027 Breakout Information Coming Soon!

To view breakout session information from last year, visit the Previous Conference Information dropdown. 

To register for this event will take place in January Questions? Please contact Jessica Stein (steinj@uww.edu) or Paige Ringelstetter (ringelstpm24@uww.edu).

Success Conference Planning Committee Members
Jessica Stein (co-chair), Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Paige Ringelstetter (co-chair), Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Allison Annala, Admissions
Natalie Arriaga, Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Marissa Blackmore, One Stop
Chris Bornhuetter, College of Arts & Communication
Jamie Busse, Financial Literacy
Nathan Callope, Andersen Library
Kim Clarksen, Student Activities & Involvement
Danny Gissing, TRIO
Terri Jones, TRIO & Educational Opportunity Programs
John Keller, Residential Life
Matt Mallin, One Stop
Amy Menzel, Department of Literature, Writing, & Film
Grace Peterson, Graduate Student
Marissa Rehor, Center for Students with Disabilities
Adam Rosencrans, Career Services
Sarah Seitz, Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Dana Wagner, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning, Scholarship, and Technology (CATLST)

Check out photos from the 2026 Warhawk Success Conference by clicking here! (Thank you to Craig Schreiner for capturing these photos!)

To access 2024, 2025, and 2026 conference presentations and materials, please click here. You will need to log into your UW-Whitewater Google Drive with your NetID and password in order to access these materials. If you have any questions, please contact Paige Ringelstetter. 

2026 Conference Speakers

Keynote: Bridging the Gap Between Connection and Cutting Edge - Lessons Learned from Toy Story for Student Success in the Age of AI
Dr. Jon Spike
Did you miss the keynote or want to watch it again? To access a recording of the keynote, click here. You will need to log into your UW-Whitewater Google Drive with your NetID and password in order to access this recording. If you have any questions, please contact Paige Ringelstetter. 

Jon Spike, PhD, is a former K-12 English teacher and technology integrator who is currently serving a one-year role as AI Special Assistant to the Provost. Prior to this reassignment, Jon worked as the Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Integration Services in the College of Education and Professional Studies. Jon earned his doctorate in Instructional technology from Northern Illinois University, where he researched collaborative learning experience design in virtual reality. 

Jon is also the CEO of GamestormEDU, where he designs and publishes educational board and card games for schools, families, and organizations. He has presented around the country at the International Society of Technology in Education Conference, the Future of Educational Technology Conference, and the North American Simulation and Gaming Society Conference. He has received the WEMTA Emerging Leader Award and the NASAGA Rising Star Award.

Session overview:
Much like Woody and the gang in Toy Story (and the forthcoming Toy Story 5), professionals in the age of generative AI are grappling with concerns over our core roles being replaced by newer innovations. In this session, we will explore moments in the student Warhawk journey - all the way from prospective student to alumni - and how we can ethically leverage (or not leverage) emerging technologies to enhance their experiences along the way. After all... we can't stop Warhawks from growing up, but we wouldn't miss it for the world.

Be Warhawk Bold: Support Student Wellness
Malayna Oswald, University Health & Counseling Services
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and preventing suicide is a shared campus responsibility. This session will explore mental health concerns among young adults, warning signs of mental health conditions and suicide, and the role each of us play in supporting student wellness. Additionally, it will introduce Recognize, Respond, Refer (RRR), the University of Wisconsin’s newest suicide prevention training for students, faculty, and staff.

RRR is a one-hour, self-paced Canvas training that participants can take on their own following the session. RRR empowers our Warhawk community to:

Recognize warning signs of distress
Respond with empathy and care
Refer to on- and off-campus resources
Most students who are experiencing distress do not initially reach out to mental health professionals. Often, it is faculty, staff, and peers who notice the first signs that a student may need support. By increasing our awareness and readiness to respond, we strengthen our commitment to building a campus where every Warhawk is supported. Join us to help create a community where every Warhawk feels seen, supported, and never alone. You don’t have to be an expert to help; you just need to be there. Every Warhawk plays a role in prevention. Will you be part of the change?

Connecting the Dots: Integrating Career Competencies into Everyday Student Interactions
Pilar Joseph, Career Services
Grace Peterson, Career Services
Kim Apel, Career Services
Students often believe they are “career ready,” while employers report a different reality. This session explores that disconnect and how UW–Whitewater staff can address it by intentionally naming and highlighting the competencies students build through coursework, student employment, and campus involvement. We will introduce the NACE Career Readiness Competencies, connect them to UWW’s student success framework, and share strategic goals and practical examples for integrating career competencies into everyday student interactions to make these skills visible and meaningful.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Opportunities at UWW
Dominique Walsh, College of Letters & Sciences
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) at UWW is done through a portfolio process. CPL is designed to allow adult learners who are coming back to school to reflect on their learning outside of the classroom and earn college credits. They do this by creating portfolios built around learning objectives for a particular course. Students who complete CPL report feelings of confidence after reflecting on how their knowledge and skills can support their academic progress in the classroom.

Practical Strategies for Supporting Students in the Age of Generative AI
Jon Spike, AI Special Assistant to the Provost
Look, keynotes are great and all, but what can I start doing tomorrow in my own work with our students? In this session, we'll explore strategies that can both benefit learners directly and help professionals who engage directly with advancing students' experiences across the whole spectrum of the Warhawk journey. If possible, bring a laptop or tablet to this session to get maximum opportunities to experiment!

Basic Needs Impact Student Success
Kristin Fillhouer, Division of Student Affairs
Robin Fox, Division of Academic Affairs
Tonya Schmidt, Dean of Students Office
Come learn current trends, resources, and a framework for an institutional approach to meeting the basic needs of our students. Attendees will go through student experiences in order to gain a better sense of how basic needs impact retention.

Borrowing Success: Library-Provided Technology & Student Needs
Patricia Fragola, Library Services
This presentation will share the results from a campuswide survey of UWW students (primarily freshmen and sophomores) conducted by the library to understand student technology access and library laptop use. Analysis will focus on patterns in borrowing behavior, technology comfort and access, as well as the impact of that access on academic work. The presentation will highlight major findings, discuss implications for library and other campus services, and outline future directions for technology support and technology lending models.

Charting the Course: Planning the Future of Student Courses
Steven Fischer, College of Education & Professional Studies
Brian Pilsner, College of Education & Professional Studies
Nicole Weber, College of Education & Professional Studies
Group advising is a great way to ensure that a targeted population of students receive consistent messaging about their program, context of their required coursework, and a solid plan of degree completion. In this session, the College of Education & Professional studies will share how they have used program planning workshops with one of their largest majors to ensure accurate degree completion planning and advising support while students work through their degree and transition between full-time and faculty advisors.

When Support Looks Like Accountability: Helping Students Learn Through Mistakes
Maria Glorioso, University Housing
Accountability can be one of the most powerful ways to support student growth, when it’s done with care. This session explores how to hold students accountable while keeping them engaged and learning. Participants will learn a simple, coaching-based approach to feedback and see how it applies to both supervising student employees and teaching in the classroom. Walk away with practical tools to turn mistakes into meaningful learning moments.

How to Support the TRIO (and TRIO Eligible) Population
Danny Gissing
TRIO Programs started out of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and has continue to serve students across the nation for the last 60 years. UWW and UWW at Rock has been serving first generation students, income eligible, and students with disabilities with TRIO programs since the 1980's. Come learn some strategies on how to best support this stellar population of students.

It Takes a Campus: Connecting Student Success Resources at UW-Whitewater
Marissa Greuel Hainstock, Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Student success is a shared responsibility, yet navigating the wide range of support resources at UW-Whitewater can be challenging. This panel presentation brings together representatives from key student success departments to provide an overview of the services available to support students academically, personally, and holistically.

Designed for faculty and staff who are new to the University or for those who want to strengthen their knowledge of campus resources, this session will create a collaborative forum for learning and discussion. Panelists will highlight their department’s mission, common student concerns they address, and best practices for referrals and collaboration. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions directly of campus experts and gain practical insights they can immediately apply in their roles. By increasing awareness, clarifying referral pathways, and fostering cross-campus connections, this session aims to enhance participants’ confidence in supporting students and contributing to a coordinated, campus-wide approach to student success.

Shame On You: Understanding & Navigating Shame
Aaron Nethery, Dean of Students Office
This session explores Brené Brown’s research on shame to help staff better understand how shame affects learning, behavior, and connection. Participants will learn how to recognize shame responses, differentiate shame from guilt, and apply shame-resilient practices in their roles. By increasing our own awareness, we can more effectively support students in navigating difficult emotions and fostering resilience, belonging, and healthy accountability.

UW-Whitewater's Learning Community Program: A Collaborative Journey Towards Transformation
Jenny Krzyszkowski, First Year Experience
Christina Schwab, First Year Experience
This session will highlight an overview of the history of learning communities at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a focus on student data related to LC enrollment, retention, and persistence. Presenters will also share the recent journey of reviving the learning communities program. Discussion will include the phases that the FYE office took to reignite the historically successful high-impact practice on campus. Presenters will also share recent collaborations in the growth of learning communities and plans for future improvements to best serve students. The following is a snapshot of the history covered in the session: 2006-2020 – Introduction and peak of Learning Communities at UW-Whitewater 2020-2022 – Shift to First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs) 2022-2023 – Learning Community reintroduction phase 2023-present – Current 17 Learning Communities.

Building Resilience: Trauma Informed Practices for Student Success
Gabby Dralle, Office of the Chancellor
Emma Draper, Office of the Chancellor
This session explores how trauma-informed practices strengthen student success across the university. Trauma can affect engagement, persistence, and well-being, and student-facing professionals play a critical role in creating supportive environments. Participants will learn common risk factors, warning signs, and practical strategies to promote safety, connection, and resilience in their everyday work with students.

First-Year Forum
Amy Menzel, Department of Literature, Writing and Film
Danny Gissing, Student Support Services
Jenny Krzyszkowski, First Year Experience
Marissa Rehor, Center for Students with Disabilities
Dorothy Stepp, Academic Advising & Exploration Center
Every incoming class brings with them a unique set of circumstances that factor into their approaches to academia. This, in turn, affects our approaches as educators. Join us to gain (and maybe offer) insight into this year’s first-year student cohort. We’ll talk about changes, challenges, and effective strategies for supporting this year’s incoming class.

Vignettes of Success
Matt Mallin, One Stop
Kelsey Herrick, One Stop
Join us for a summary of success coaching after 1 year on campus! Stories of positive connections with students, demonstration of successful outcomes, and exploration of difficulties. This session will also provide a brief overview of Success Coaching Certificate process.

Warhawk to Warhawk: Strengthening Career Readiness through Alumni Mentorship
Emily Matteson, Alumni Relations
The Alumni Mentor Program connects students with alumni who offer guidance, encouragement, and practical insight as students prepare for life after graduation. Through these relationships, students strengthen their professional skills, explore career paths, and build confidence as they move toward their future goals.

This session will highlight how the program supports the career readiness while also contributing to engagement, learning, and persistence. Attendees will learn about the program structure, key practices that make mentoring effective, and the impact alumni mentors have on helping students transition from campus to career.