CHICAGO — The Higher Learning Commission will hold its Annual Conference on March 21-24 in Chicago where educators from around the nation will gather to address both pervasive problems and exciting challenges at hand for higher education.

More than 3,500 people from U.S. colleges and universities, as well as leading government and education organizations, are expected at Higher Learning 2026.

This year’s signature event will have approximately 200 sessions touching on some of higher education’s most popular and fast-evolving pathways for change. AI and technology in the workplace, meeting needs for workforce training and jobs, and assuring quality for growing numbers of reduced-credit degrees and noncredit credentials are just a few of the issues.

In her opening address, HLC President Barbara Gellman-Danley will discuss the dynamic change that is taking place on the higher education landscape, as well as encourage all in attendance to prioritize possible ways forward that can benefit students, institutions, accreditors, and society as a whole.

Other presentations include:

• A look at today’s college learners and challenges they face. The keynote, “The New Student Reality: Understanding and Responding to Pressures Shaping Today’s Leaders,” will feature views from a panel of leading experts.
• A report on the latest state and federal policy changes for higher education by the American Council on Higher Education. Strategies for advancing higher education in turbulent times will be discussed.
• What’s working and what isn’t with short-term credentials. “The Evolution of Microcredentials and the Technologies that Support Them” will be discussed by Jake Hirsch-Allen, an expert on building partnerships for workforce development.

Learn more about the Conference’s line-up of featured speakers and presentations here.

Conference Highlights

HLC will lead approximately 80 sessions, with many focusing on new innovations.

Among highlights, HLC’s Credential Lab will discuss its newly launched Short-term Content Provider Endorsement program at a Sunday session. The Lab’s in-progress Innovation Center, including new findings from a pilot of colleges and universities interested in offering credentials, will be shared at Monday’s session.

HLC also will lead a session on “Creating a Reduced Credit Bachelor’s Program” with Yavapai College, an Arizona community college and one of the first in the nation to offer a three-year bachelor’s degree. Other HLC presentations of note include a panel discussion, “Demystifying Finance for Higher Education Leaders” and a look at the success of HLC’s Assessment Academy, which this year celebrates its 20^th anniversary.

“One of our aims as an accreditor is to encourage innovation, which is a linchpin for the future success of higher education,” said Gellman-Danley. “These initiatives and others being presented at the conference are examples, and models, for how we can innovate together.”

Institutional Stories, Lessons Learned

U.S. colleges and universities of all sizes and types, including community colleges, public and private institutions, tribal colleges, and for-profit and nonprofit entities, will be represented at the conference. The program includes nearly 100 institutional presentations organized around three major themes, offering a variety of perspectives and approaches for handling the many challenges confronting colleges and universities today:

• Building a Sustainable Future. Examples: “Due Diligence and Decisions: Navigating the Change of Control Process,” looks at how two Catholic Iowa institutions, St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University, are working to merge, while representatives of Tohono O’odham Community College will present an “An Indigenous Approach to Sustainability at Tohono O’odham.”
• Teaching, Learning and Student Success. Examples: “AI Playbook: Policy, Innovation and Global Digital Transformation” explores for-profit American Public University System’s year-one integration of AI in teaching, learning and operations and “Beyond Internships: Embedding a Work-based Learning Model Across All Programs” features the success story of Southwest Technical College in Wisconsin, winner of the 2025 Aspen Prize.
• Institutional Experiences with Accreditation. Examples: Selection of the best instructor for a teaching assignment will be discussed by Coconino County Community College at “Reimagining Faculty Qualifications: One College’s Approach” and “Navigating Change of Control: Lessons from a Three-Institution Affiliation” will focus on a rural higher education model created by Fort Hays State University in Kansas and two technical colleges.

Conference Resources

Find more information, including the full conference program, at hlcommission.org/conference.

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About the Higher Learning Commission

The Higher Learning Commission accredits approximately 1,000 colleges and universities in the United States. HLC is a private, nonprofit accrediting agency. It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Questions? Contact [email protected] or call 312.263.0456.