9th Annual Mentoring and Advising Summit
The virtual summit took place Friday, March 6, 2026, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Revisit the 2026 Summit through recordings of event presentations, available at 2026 Summit Session Recordings.
About the 2026 Mentoring and Advising Summit
At the University of Pittsburgh, advising and mentoring are integral to our educational mission as we advocate for collaborative and holistic advising interactions. Through the ninth annual Mentoring and Advising Summit, we will continue to cultivate a strong culture of student success as we convene mentors, advisors, coaches, faculty, and administrators from around the globe to discuss new trends and best practices in mentoring and advising.
During this virtual summit, participants will engage with and learn about specific tools, techniques, theories, and concepts to support undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs as we provide systems of academic support to help all learners understand what is possible at our institutions of higher education.
2026 Summit Sponsors
Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU)
NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising
Summit Agenda Overview
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9-10:15 a.m. | Opening Keynote: Dr. Jenny Bloom, Appreciative Advising for Today's Student |
| 10:20-11:20 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions I |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. | Plenary Panel: Beyond the Classroom - Faculty Mentoring in a Shared Advising Ecosystem |
| 12:45-1:30 p.m. | Lunch and Asynchronous Lightning Talk Sessions |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions II |
| 2:40-3:40 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions III |
| 3:50-5 p.m. | Closing Keynote: Melissa Walker, Skills, Story, and Strategy: Advising Students Toward Career Readiness in a Changing Economy |
Session Spotlights
Morning Keynote: Appreciative Advising for Today's Student (9-10:15 a.m. ET)
Welcome and Introduction: Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Joseph J. McCarthy, University of Pittsburgh
Keynote: Jenny Bloom, Professor, Florida Atlantic University, and founder of FAU's Office of Appreciative Education
Dr. Jenny Bloom, is a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology and the founder of the Office of Appreciative Education at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
In 2017, Dr. Bloom received NACADA’s Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising. She has co-authored six books and numerous articles, and has presented at over 500 institutions and conferences.
Jenny's keynote session will provide an engaging overview of Appreciative Advising, a theory-to-practice framework for building trusting relationships with students, coworkers, and others. The presentation is based on the book, The Appreciative Advising Revolution, which the presenter co-authored with Dr. Bryant Hutson and Dr. Ye He.
The six phases of Appreciative Advising—Disarm, Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver, and Don’t Settle—will be defined, and specific behaviors and questions for each phase will be shared that you can immediately begin to use.
Plenary Panel: Beyond the Classroom - Faculty Mentoring in a Shared Advising Ecosystem (11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. ET)
Welcome and Introduction: Steve Dandaneau, Executive Director, Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU)
Moderator: Belkys Torres, Associate Vice Provost for Curricular Innovation, University of Pittsburgh
Panelists: Kelly Myers, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Success, College of Arts and Sciences at Boise State University; Bridget Trogden, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Academic Student Services at American University, Amie Grills, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at Boston University, and David Sanchez, Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh
As institutions rethink how best to support students in increasingly complex academic landscapes, this plenary panel will explore how a shared advising model can strengthen holistic student support, with particular attention to the critical role faculty play in guiding students through experiential learning opportunities such as internships, research, graduate school preparation, and career exploration.
Panelists will share strategies for building effective partnerships, aligning undergraduate and graduate advising experiences, and scaling mentoring practices across diverse units.
Attendees will gain insights into leading institutional change, fostering cross-campus collaboration, and creating integrated advising ecosystems that promote student success at every stage of the academic journey.
Closing Keynote: Skills, Story, and Strategy: Advising Students Toward Career Readiness in a Changing Economy (3:50-5 p.m.)
Welcome and Introduction: April Belback, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Advising, University of Pittsburgh
Keynote: Melissa Walker, Statewide Director of Workforce Solutions, State of Colorado
Students are entering a job market that rewards adaptable skills, relevant experience, and the ability to clearly communicate strengths. This keynote offers practical advising strategies to help students identify, build, and articulate transferable skills – translating coursework, work-based learning, campus roles, and lived experience into language employers recognize.
Melissa Walker, PhD, serves as the Statewide Director of Workforce Solutions for the State of Colorado. In this capacity, she directs organizational development and workforce strategy across state agencies.
With more than two decades of expertise in strategic workforce initiatives, Dr. Walker excels in developing inclusive cultures and pioneering innovative solutions for a variety of dynamic organizations.
Dr. Walker identifies as autistic, a facet of her identity that informs her deep commitment to neurodiversity and inclusion in the professional landscape.
Timely Topics at the Summit
- How might we cultivate #studentsuccess networks and boost student outcomes?
- What are the possibilities to leverage #technology tools as critical elements in our intervention strategies?
- In what ways could we deepen awareness of #collaboration across our systems of academic support?
- How might we scale #holistic mentoring and advising approaches or theories across our campuses?
- In what ways do we develop #leadership capacity in our students, faculty, or staff to provide opportunities or build skills?
- What are the possibilities for building a sense of #belonging for all students on our campuses?
Who Should Participate?
Any faculty member, staff member, administrator, graduate student, postdoc, or researcher who advises, mentors, or coaches undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdocs.
Why Should You Participate?
- It is accessible! Thanks to our sponsors, the Summit is a world-class conference at no cost to attendees and can be engaged virtually anywhere in the world.
- Main stage sessions! Our speakers are leaders in the field who will give you up-to-date information on research-backed topics, trends, and successful strategies.
- Make new connections! You can network with colleagues who mentor, advise, and coach students and postdocs and share your innovative solutions and strategies.
Important Dates
Call for Proposals Opens: November 10, 2025
Proposal Submission Deadline: January 5, 2026
Accelevents (Summit Virtual Platform) — Virtual Trainings:
- February 13, 2026 at noon
- February 20, 2026 at noon
Registration Opens: January 15, 2026