By Barbara Gellman-Danley, HLC President 

The Higher Learning Commission Board and staff are looking forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming conference, Higher Learning 2026. This is the time of year we have the highest amount of in-person interaction with our member institutions as a whole, and it is very affirming about the importance of our relationship as a partner to propel the future of higher education. 

Last month, the HLC Board met for its winter meeting in Phoenix. This gave us the opportunity to tour the space that will be the site of our 2027 conference. We walked the halls of the Phoenix Convention Center where the sessions will be held. Attendees will be able to navigate spacious meeting spaces, restaurants and close access to hotels. Higher Learning 2027 will be held on two floors of the convention center, making it very easy to navigate both small and large presentations. The plenary room should fit everyone, without a need for overflow rooms, a benefit not available in the current Chicago location. We are extremely grateful for the long-term relationship with Chicago, but our attendance has outgrown the space. Phoenix will be a great location for next year, with a likely benefit in the weather as well! 

While in Phoenix for the Board meeting, we used the last day to visit Arizona State University in Tempe. Our morning began with an exhilarating presentation by President Michael Crow about the New American University and the emergence of the changing waves of higher education over the past few hundred years. It provided a great opportunity to explore how higher education and accreditation can adapt over time to the complexity and diversity of our society. 

Our next stop included experiencing advanced applications of AI through Virtual Reality experiences. The Dreamscape partnership with businesses and communities at Arizona State is fascinating. HLC participants traveled back in history to view ancient art, explore chemistry and other enriching experiences. The evolution of technology to enrich learners’ experiences is evolving all over the world, and we were grateful to see it first-hand. The immersion through advanced AI provides an amazing opportunity to succeed through engagement and teamwork.  

Many great things are happening across the country as colleges and universities meet the moment through advanced technology options, mixed with the critical importance of human interaction. You will find several sessions addressing examples at our upcoming conference. 

I am pleased to share HLC’s Trends 2026. It has been a challenging year, and yet there are a multitude of great success stories from our members. The list is long of the impressive new programs, research and facilities at your campuses. Everyone at HLC looks forward to hearing more about each in a few days. See you soon, in Chicago!