October 14-16 • Kansas City, Missouri 

BREAKTHROUGHS START HERE

ASPIRE24 is the industry conference that brings together higher education professionals on a mission to advance student success. Through thought leadership, solutions exploration, and peer-to-peer discussions, ASPIRE empowers you to implement smart scheduling and planning practices for student progress, academic operations, and financial health.

EXPERIENCE ASPIRE

 

Inspiring keynotes from industry experts

Product roadmap updates and hands-on training

Dedicated programming and content tracks for a tailored experience

One-on-one customer solutions consultations

Peer-to-peer networking

Unwind with brews and tunes

CHOOSE YOUR TRACK

 

Mix and match sessions to build your pathway to progress. From mastering the basics to deep dives with insights, our ASPIRE features three program tracks to provide something for everyone via hands-on training, collaborative roundtables, and peer-led discussions. 

 

 

 

Focus on the core scheduling practices that will enhance efficiency and schedule quality at your institution. This track includes data concepts for analyzing and improving schedules. Aligned with Essential Scheduling and Data-Informed Scheduling solutions, sessions cover training, workshops, client demos, data analysis, and transitioning from Astra Schedule 8 to Ad Astra’s modern platform with data integrations. 

 

 

Dive into advanced scheduling practices aimed at boosting student progress. This track shares best practices for implementing student-centered initiatives and scaling Pathways through schedules. Aligned with Student-Centered Scheduling and Integrated Planning solutions, sessions feature training, data analysis, client demos, and strategic workshops. 

 

 

This track offers content to support emerging strategic initiatives in higher education. This track enables evaluation and discussion of new initiatives across institutions. Sessions include data analysis, workshops, client demos, and presentations to help improve institutional and student outcomes. 

WHAT'S THE WORD ON ASPIRE?

 

"This is my FAVORITE conference to attend. So inspiring and such a great reminder that students always come first. When in the weeds of higher ed...I feel like that gets lost sometimes."

Ashley Hayes, Cleveland University-KC

 

"Love the vision — the focus on improvement of student outcomes and philanthropy."

Terri Vogel, Northwest Missouri State University

 

"Great information, great vibe, packing hygiene kits, Maizey, lunchtime walks, evening activities, and GREAT information."

Mari Clements, Glenville State University

 

 

CHARLES ANSELL

VP OF RESEARCH, POLICY & ADVOCACY, COMPLETE COLLEGE AMERICA

Charles Ansell has committed his career to advancing educational justice and equity. At Complete College America, he uses research to support legislation and initiatives aimed at eliminating disparities in college completion across socioeconomic, racial, and generational lines. As the former Chief Operating Officer of the Community College System of New Hampshire, he managed research, strategy, finance, and technology, developing policies that increased college graduation rates and career success. Previously, at the City Colleges of Chicago, he led the implementation of a pathways program that streamlined students' class enrollments based on their academic goals, enhancing academic readiness in key subjects. Charles holds an M.S. in Business Information Technology from DePaul University and a B.A. from Carleton College, and he actively participates in various education and workforce boards.

KELLI CAMPBELL-GOODNOW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VALOR PARTNERS FOUNDATION

Kelli Campbell-Goodnow, Executive Director of the Valor Partners Foundation, channels her personal tragedy into honoring veterans. After losing her husband, Major Shawn Campbell, in a 2016 military helicopter collision, she moved to Kansas City for family support and stability. Leveraging her experience in nonprofit work, she now leads Valor Partners, collaborating with educational institutions to offer scholarships to dependents of deceased or disabled veterans. A Texas A&M alumna, Kelli earned an Executive MBA from Rockhurst University in May 2024.

 

TOM SHAVER

FOUNDER & CEO, AD ASTRA

Tom Shaver is the founder and CEO at Ad Astra, which launched in 1996. Since founding, Tom has been responsible for the strategic direction of much of the development of Ad Astra’s software and reporting systems that are used on over 1,000 College and University campuses.

In 2004, Tom authored a successful U. S. business process patent application for Ad Astra’s inventions in the scheduling software market. Tom also led Ad Astra’s efforts in developing the Higher Education Scheduling Index®, a peer database that allows institutions to benchmark their performance in allocating faculty and academic space against peers and longitudinally.

Tom is the leading industry expert on strategic scheduling of academic resources to improve student Degree Velocity®, retention, completions, and financial sustainability of academic programs. Prior to his work at Ad Astra, Shaver was a partner at The Shaver Partnership, his family's architectural and consulting firm.

 

CHARLIE STROBLE

VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT EXPERIENCE, AD ASTRA

Charlie has been a design and product leader for over 15 years. Throughout his career, Charlie has personally performed and managed many of the roles involved in a modern software product organization. His wide range of experiences cover product management, software development, marketing, and user experience design. In 2017, Charlie joined Ad Astra to establish a User Experience practice and eventually transitioned to lead the Product Experience team. His primary focus is on product vision, discovery, design, and delivery of Ad Astra’s third generation product platform. 

 

READY TO JOIN US?

 AGENDA AT-A-GLANCE

For our full schedule of concurrent sessions, please download our event app, Aventri. If you need help logging in, please get in touch with Haley Roberts at hroberts@aais.com

 

 

DAY 1 • OCTOBER 14

7:00am

Registration & Breakfast 

8:00am

First-Time Attendee Session

8:30am

Welcome Keynote Address & 2024 Product Update

Tom Shaver, Ad Astra

Charlie Stroble, Ad Astra

 

10:10am

Concurrent Sessions

*Concurrent Sessions are listed below

 

12:00pm

Lunch & Walk

Walk - don't stop - and smell the roses.  Join us for a walk to Jacob L. Loose Park where you'll have a picnic lunch and learn the history behind Kansas City's most iconic park & rose garden.

 

1:00pm

Concurrent Sessions

*Concurrent Sessions are listed below

 
3:00pm

Building Bridges to Success: Strategies for Enhancing Educational Equity and College Completion

Charles Ansell, VP of Research, Policy, and Advocacy, Complete College America

4:00pm

Birds of a Feather & Networking Happy Hour

6:00pm

Meet, Greet & Out to Eats

Join members of Ad Astra's Client Advisory Board and other conference attendees for dinner in the Plaza area.

 

7:30pm

Rooftop Ballroom Karaoke

 

DAY 2 • OCTOBER 15

7:00am

Breakfast

8:40am

Opening Doors: Empowering Military Families Through Education

Kelli Campbell-Goodnow, Executive Director, Heart of America Patriot Foundation

9:30am

Concurrent Sessions

*Concurrent Sessions are listed below

 

12:00pm

Lunch 

1:00pm

Concurrent Sessions

*Concurrent Sessions are listed below

 

4:00pm

Powering Progress Post-Aspire 
5:00pm

Networking Social Event

Join us at The Puttery to network at an immersive indoor mini-golf experience!

 

The Puttery

612 W 47th St, Suite 140, Kansas City, MO 64112

 

DAY 3 • OCTOBER 16

7:00am

Breakfast

8:00am

ASPIRE24 Wrap-Up

8:30am

Concurrent Sessions

*Concurrent Sessions are listed below

 

12:00am

Departure

 

Concurrent Sessions
(Session dates and times, tbd.)

Smart Scheduling

 

  • Power Up with the Reports App
  • Managing Spaces, Resources, and Groups in Events
  • Create and Manage Events and Avoid Room Conflict

  • Creating Customizable Event Scheduling Workflows

  • Data-Informed Scheduling with Course Demand Analytics

  • Super User Admin Guide to Managing your Settings in Ad Astra

  • Admin's Survival Guide for Managing Settings for Events
  • A Brave New World: A Guide to the AS8 Migration
  • Navigate the Minefield of Test Instances with a Valued IT Partner
  • Achieving Scheduling Buy In from Faculty and Staff at Butler Community College
  • Managing Change While Strategically Optimizing Operations: A San Jose State University Success Story
  • Leveraging a Cross-Functional Team to Power Progress
  • A Framework for Measuring Quality
  • Advising and the Integration of Degree Maps
  • Integrating Degree Maps, Advising, and Smart Scheduling
  • The Journey to Essential Scheduling at Central Piedmont Community College
  • Grow Revenue with Event Registrations and Invoicing
  • The Future of Schedule Optimization
  • Meeting the Challenge of Annual Schedule Building
  • From Lift-Off to Landing: Transitioning to Essential Scheduling with Strategic Space Management

  • Management Roundtable: Gathering Feedback to Shape the Future of Ad Astra software

  • Building Interoperable Ecosystems with Integrations and APIs

  • Powering Student Success through Enhanced Scheduling Workflow

  • Best Practices for Marketing Your Events

 

Scheduling for Student Progress

 

  • Scheduling for Student Progress: The Future of Smart Scheduling

  • Scheduling for Student Progress: Enrollment Health and Completion Paths

  • Student-Centered Reporting with a Focus on DFW, Momentum Year, and Degree Velocity
  • Planning for Faculty Capacity Today and in the Future
  • Focused Efficiencies Create Success at Mohawk Valley Community College
  • Integrating Degree Maps, Advising, and Smart Scheduling
  • Improving Progress Through Program and Course Financial Sustainability
  • Powering Progress with Annual Scheduling (Part I)
  • Powering Progress with Annual Scheduling (Part II)
  • Scheduling for Student Progress: Using Ad Astra Solutions to Unlock Growth Potential at Georgia Northwestern Technical College

 

Integrating Evidence-Based Practices

 

  • Integrating Evidence-Based Practices: Where to Start with Shortened Terms for Smart Scheduling
  • Operationalizing Pathways in the Course Schedule
  • Academic Program Vitality: Leveraging Metrics for Strategic Program Management
  • From Purpose to Support: AI's Role in Student Success
  • Smart Scheduling for Transfer Student Success
  • Shortened Terms: Building Scheduling Momentum

 

 

 

 

"Ad Astra is bringing to bear new data on precisely the right issues that will help us be smarter about confronting barriers and utilizing technology in scaling solutions to college completion."

Charles Ansell

Vice President for Research, Policy and Advocacy, Complete College America