2026 NEean Dialogues in the Disciplines
May 19, 2026 from 10:0AM to 3:00PM Eastern
via Zoom
Navigating Policy Change in an Age of Uncertainty
Higher education in New England — and across the nation — is navigating an era of profound disruption. Federal policy shifts, budget insecurities, and evolving accreditation standards are reshaping the landscape for institutions, educators, and students alike. The Spring 2026 NEean Dialogues event brings together faculty, administrators, and assessment professionals to examine how these pressures are affecting assessment practice — and how assessment can serve as a powerful tool for institutional clarity, advocacy, and renewal.
Through panel presentations, workshops, and small group discussions, participants will explore how to respond with purpose and rigor to the most pressing challenges facing higher education today, including:
Policy, Accreditation & Assessment The proposed dismantling of the Department of Education, shifts in federal oversight, and NECHE's revised standards are creating new demands on assessment systems. We will examine what these changes mean for how institutions document quality and align assessment practice with evolving accreditation, DEIA and DEIB, and AI policy.
Funding, Equity & Student Success Budget insecurities are affecting staffing, research capacity, and long-term planning across institutions. Expanded Pell Grant eligibility without full funding, cuts to TRIO and GEAR UP, and the precarious status of international and immigrant students raise urgent questions about how assessment can support equitable access and outcomes.
Renewing Public Purpose Assessment professionals are uniquely positioned to help institutions articulate the relationship between public purpose and personal goals, general education and career preparation, and student success and deep student learning — and to make visible the civic missions of higher education.
We invite you to join colleagues for a day of honest conversation, shared learning, and renewed commitment to the values — and the practice — that define our work.
Event Schedule (subject to change):
10:00 - 10:10AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:10 - 11:30AM: Opening Session/Follow-Up Q&A
11:30 - 11:45AM: Break
11:45 - 1:00PM: Concurrent Sessions
1:00 - 1:30PM: Lunch Break
1:30 - 2:45PM: Concurrent Sessions
2:45 - 3:00PM: Closing
Cost:
$65 registration rate for current NEean members
$100 registration rate for non-members
