2026 NEean Fall Forum
Beyond Data: The Power of Assessment as Relational Presence
November 6, 2026
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
Opening Panel
Showing Up: How Assessment Leaders Practice Relational Presence When Everything Is Shifting
In a BANI-VUCA landscape (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible, yet also volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) institutional change tests our capacity to remain present with our colleagues. This panel brings together four leaders navigating different dimensions of change: integrating AI into teaching and learning, building collaboration across a multi-college consortium, advancing equity work at a small institution, and stewarding accreditation and assessment through mergers and restructuring. We'll draw on relational presence (Clucas Leaderman & Polychronopoulos, 2026, Chapter 3), a strategy grounded in interpersonal communication and self-awareness. The aim is to help colleagues feel seen, heard, and valued by attuning to the relational space between ourselves and those around us. We'll explore what it means to show up with authenticity, vulnerability, and wisdom when budgets and institutional structures change.
Panelists:
Lance Eaton, Ph.D., Senior Associate Director - AI in Teaching & Learning; Center for Advancing Teaching & Learning Through Research, Northeastern University
Mark Nicholas, Ph.D., Vice President; New England Commission of Higher Education
Sarah Pfatteicher, Ph.D., Executive Director; Five College Consortium
Joyya Smith, Ed.D., Vice President, Diversity, Access, and Inclusion; Suffolk University
Event Overview
Agenda (all times listed are Eastern Time) | Concurrent Sessions (a sample only of the concurrent sessions) |
8:15 - 9:00AM | Registration & Continental Breakfast | Better Than We Are: Collaboration in an Age of Disruption Presented by: Sarah Pfatteicher, Five College Consortium |
9:00- 9:10AM
| Welcome to the 2026 NEean Fall Forum Panel Introduction and Overview of Agenda | Small but Mighty: Rebuilding Accreditation and Strengthening Assessment Through Relational Presence and Practical Innovation
Presented by: Ellen Rearick and Lisa Thomas, both from Framingham State University |
9:10 - 10:10AM
| Opening Panel |
Faculty Forward: Building a Sustainable, Faculty-Driven Assessment Ecosystem
Presented by: Erin Seagrave and Laurie Gordy, Berkshire Community College |
10:15 - 10:25AM
|
Break
| From Silo to Support: Relational Strategies for Solo Assessment Leaders Presented by: Chavonne Stewart, Beulah Heights University |
10:30 - 11:15AM |
Concurrent Sessions
| Academic Program Review and AI: A New Approach Presented by: Lauren Webb, Sarah Beth Gable, and Leslie Kilgore; all from the Community College of RI |
11:25 - 12:10PM | Concurrent Sessions | Reviewing Public Purposes and the Missions of Higher Education Presented by: Dennis Frey and James Lincoln, Lasell University |
12:15 - 1:05PM
| Lunch & Member Meeting | Developing and Assessing a Leadership Ecosystem Presented by: Melanie Kasparian, University of Denver |
1:10 - 1:40PM | Poster Session Networking Time |
Preserving and Enhancing Human Judgment in AI-Informed Assessment: Four Case Studies
Presented by: Mamta Saxena, Ilka Kostka, Daniel Serig, and Xiamou Zhou; all from Northeastern University |
1:45 - 2:30PM | Concurrent Sessions | What Assessment Strategies do Students Think Support Equity or Inclusion? Presented by: Jennie Ferris, McGill University |
2:40 - 3:25PM
|
Concurrent Sessions
| Assessing Career Readiness Using NACE and BbEAC Presented by: Sally Chamberland and Kaitlyn Anderson, both from University of Connecticut |
Thank you to our 2026 Fall Forum Sponsor
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