2026 BPS 5th Annual Enrollment Management Symposium
July 23 & 24, 2026 | Philadelphia, PA
Building the Future of Enrollment Together
July 23 & 24, 2026 | Philadelphia, PA
The BPS Symposium is a leadership-forward experience that creates space for advanced strategic dialogue, intentional skill-building, and meaningful connection across career stages, all focused on strengthening the future of enrollment. it.
Enrollment leadership isn’t inherited.
It’s built, strengthened, and passed forward.
The Best Practice Solutions Enrollment Management Symposium brings today’s decision-makers and tomorrow’s leaders together to share insight, build capability, and shape the future of enrollment and financial aid, together.
The Best Practice Solutions Enrollment Management Symposium is designed to bring together institutional leaders and practitioners to align strategy, operations, and execution across the enrollment lifecycle. The symposium creates a collaborative space to engage in meaningful dialogue, share best practices, and explore data-informed approaches to improving enrollment outcomes.
Through targeted sessions and peer exchange, the symposium helps participants translate institutional goals into actionable strategies, strengthen cross-functional alignment, and accelerate the adoption of effective practices that drive sustainable enrollment growth and student success.
What’s New in 2026?
This year’s symposium has been thoughtfully redesigned to meet professionals where they are in their careers, while strengthening how enrollment leadership works across institutions as a whole. Participants engage in one of two purpose-built learning experiences – The Veteran Leaders Track or the Rising Leaders Track – each designed to deliver depth, relevance, and meaningful takeaways.
The experience then brings both perspectives together in a collaborative roundtable designed to mirror how enrollment leadership actually happens; across roles, experience levels, and functional boundaries. This shared session connects strategy with execution, pairing experience with emerging insight to reinforce shared ownership of outcomes, leadership continuity, and the future of the enrollment profession.
Two Perspectives. One Purpose.
Veteran Leaders Track
Engage with peers in high-level strategic discussions shaping the future of enrollment and financial aid.
Rising Leaders Track
Gain the insights, frameworks, and skills needed to step into leadership conversations with confidence.
“If you have to choose between a national conference and coming to the symposium, come to the symposium. There are topics you’re not going to get anywhere else. You’re with like-minded folks having the same conversations you’re having at your institution, and you’re getting perspectives you don’t normally get at other venues.”
—Dr. Yosmeriz Roman
Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, University of Delaware
Scott Van Pelt, Keynote Speaker
Scott Van Pelt, along with Arthur Levine (President, Brandeis University), is co-author of "The Great Upheaval: Higher Education's Past, Present, and Uncertain Future" and its sequel, "From Upheaval to Action: What Works in Changing Higher Ed." Drawing on the trends explored in these books, Scott has presented on the factors shaping the future of higher education to state education systems, faculty associations, and colleges and universities across North America.
Professionally, Scott has held a diversity of roles across higher education in areas such as academic advising, admissions, instructional technology, and teaching and learning. Currently, he is the Director of Research and Faculty Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. In this role, Scott designs programs and initiatives to support faculty success at Penn GSE. He is also an experienced educator and facilitator and has taught courses, workshops, and other learning engagements for organizations such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn GSE, and the Fulbright Scholars Program.
2026 Sessions
This year’s sessions are grounded in the real challenges institutions are working through right now. Each session is designed to move beyond ideas and into how the work actually gets done, with space for discussion, shared experience, and practical application. This is just the starting point. As the symposium nears, we’ll continue to add sessions and details.
Preview of Sessions:
AI in Enrollment Management, Veterans Track
Institutional Alignment for Enrollment and Fiscal Health Assessment, Veteran Leaders Track
From Despised to Inspired: IPEDS Data, Veteran Leaders Track
Retention Success Case Study: "Catch & Release" is only for fishing, Veteran Leaders Track
Today's Enrollment Funnel: Prospect Cultivation to Onboarding, Rising Leaders Track
Managing the Enrollment Cycle: Timelines, Tools & Tactics, Rising Leaders Track
Recruitment & Financial Aid Essentials: The Core Levers You Influence, Rising Leaders Track
Systems, Data, and Operations: How the Work Gets Done, Rising Leaders Track
Data-Informed Decision-Making: Turning Information Into Action, Rising Leaders Track
Why Attend the BPS Enrollment Management Symposium?
The BPS Symposium creates space for advanced strategic dialogue, intentional skill-building, and meaningful connection across career stages — all focused on strengthening the future of enrollment. This is not a traditional conference with siloed sessions or one-size-fits-all content. It is a purpose-built leadership experience designed to meet professionals where they are — and help them grow forward.
Participants Leave With:
→ A deeper understanding of how enrollment systems work together
→ Practical leadership frameworks they can apply immediately
→ Cross-functional and cross-generational perspective
→ New professional connections grounded in shared purpose