October 11-14 • Kansas City, MO
LEVEL UP YOUR SCHEDULING GAME
ASPIRE is the conference that brings together higher education professionals on a mission to advance student success through Smart Scheduling™. As the longest-running conference dedicated to academic scheduling, ASPIRE is where institutions come to learn from industry experts, connect with peers, and get certified on next-generation scheduling solutions.
In its 30th year, ASPIRE returns home to Kansas City with a focus on helping institutions level up their scheduling strategies. Come ready to explore how data-driven insights, proven approaches, and modern systems can transform scheduling into a powerful driver of student progress and completion.
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
Six product certification options
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 two 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.
Event schedulers unite! This track gives attendees with the tools and expertise to efficiently book events, manage calendars, and streamline workflows. Schedulers will learn to optimize spaces, resources, and user permissions, while mastering event registration, invoicing, and fee collection to enhance their event management processes using Ad Astra’s solutions.
WHAT'S THE WORD ON ASPIRE?
"Attending ASPIRE is a great benefit of being an Ad Astra client because you get to learn pro tips on how to use the software in a better or different way than what you've always used, making things easier and more streamlined in the long run."
Amy Carlson
Senior Associate Registrar, University of Missouri-Kansas City
“I attended ASPIRE because my registrar told me that it was a fantastic, fun, collegial experience. It turns out that's exactly what I found — great information, new strategies, and fascinating people to exchange ideas with.”
Stephen Wells
Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Community College of Allegheny College
“One of my favorite things about ASPIRE is being able to network with other colleges to learn how they use the products and what things they've done to accomplish different goals set at their institutions.”
Zach Cannady
Academic Scheduling & Assessment Coordinator, Butler Community College
TOM SHAVER
FOUNDER & CEO, AD ASTRA
Tom Shaver is the founder and CEO of 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, completion, 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.
Ready to join us?
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Program Strategy & Performance
Pre-Conference Workshop
Sunday October 11 | 1-4pm
A hands-on, strategy-driven workshop for academic leaders ready to move
from fragmented metrics to confident program decisions.
In this interactive three-hour session, senior academic leaders will work through a practical, integrated approach to evaluating program performance across an academic year. Participants will explore how enrollment health, faculty capacity, pathway design, scheduling, financial sustainability, and student progress intersect—and how misalignment across any one of these areas can quietly undermine outcomes.
Rather than focusing on theory or dashboards in isolation, this workshop puts real decisions at the center. Through guided activities, scenarios, and facilitated discussion, attendees will build a program performance action snapshot they can take back to campus and apply immediately—informing planning conversations, prioritization, and cross-functional alignment.
Happy hour to follow for attendees!
Designed for provosts’ offices, senior academic leaders, and system-level staff responsible for program viability, student success, and institutional sustainability. Registration for pre-conference included in ASPIRE registration.
"Academic scheduling remains one of the best levers for helping students to persist and complete college.”
Dr. Yolanda Watson-Spiva
President, Complete College America
Education is a journey. We set the course. Ad Astra is the trusted partner of colleges and universities committed to graduating more students faster. Through data-informed planning and course scheduling, we empower institutions to remove barriers to completion while also ensuring financial sustainability.
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