Shift Happens: Building Sustainable Practices for a Changing World
March 5, 2026 | 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Coffman Memorial Union (CMU)
300 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Welcome to the 2026 Professional Development Conference and 39th Annual John Tate Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Ceremony. This event brings together faculty, administrators, professional advising staff, career counselors, and other members of the extended University community interested in academic advising.
Change is constant and with it comes the chance to grow. Shift Happens invites advisors and university professionals to reflect, connect, and reimagine sustainable practices that endure through change. Centered on resilience, sustainability, and innovation, this year’s gathering offers ideas and strategies to strengthen student support, professional collaboration, and our shared academic community.
Beyond the Helicopter: Today's Gopher Families
Presenter(s): Gavin Grivna, Director of Gopher Family Engagement
"Shift happens" when we view families as partners rather than obstacles. Join Gopher Family Engagement (GFE) to debunk "helicopter" myths using real UMN data. Learn how GFE’s resources create a sustainable support system that empowers students and reduces administrative load, allowing advisors to focus on degree planning.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals
Location: Mississippi Room
The Advising Trolley Problem: Life Lessons from How to be Perfect
Presenter(s): Kacey Gregerson, Assistant Director for Educational Services, CSE, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
Holy Forking Shirtballs. Let's bring moral philosophy into advising! Using the accessible pop philosophy book How to be Perfect as a guide (written by the creator of The Good Place, Michael Schur), this presentation will encourage attendees to step back and consider some common advising issues through an ethical lens.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 303
Alone at Work: Examining Career Loneliness and How Career Educators Can Address It
Presenter(s): Vic Massaglia, Director of Career Services, School of Public Health; Mike Stebleton, Professor of Higher Education, OLPD, CEHD; Ally Maus, OLPD Human Resource Development Student; Maddi DeBoth, OLPD Human Resource Development Student
AI and technology are reshaping professional interactions, making career loneliness a critical threat to workplace sustainability. This session uses case studies and the Integrative Life Planning (ILP) framework to address digital isolation. Participants will learn to identify indicators of loneliness and develop educator-led interventions that foster meaningful workplace connections.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 325
How Internship Courses Support Students Toward Their Career Goals
Presenter(s): Jane Sitter, International Career Consultant; Michaeline Nichols, Coordinator of Experiential Learning, CLA Career Services; Brian Green, Senior Career Consultant, Career and Internship Services
Numerous UMN undergraduate students participate in internships. Most are required or encouraged to take an internship course through their college. In this session, attendees will learn from three internship course instructor-coordinators from three different career units. Presenters will share more about student experience, curriculum design and administration of these courses.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 323
Tate Talks (CMU Third Floor)
Enjoy 20-minute talks featuring bold ideas, inspiring projects and the latest research from students, faculty, and staff. Drop in for one or move between multiple sessions to create your own experience.
Tate Talks | 11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
Choose one of the following Tate Talks to attend:
- Weird About Money. Financial Wellness at UMNTC
- Presenter(s): Ralph Daby, Assistant Director, One Stop Student Services
- Everyone gets a little “weird” when talking about money… Money conversations can feel awkward, but if we acknowledge these feelings we can move past the “weird” and into a space that is more open and comfortable. Financial Wellness programming in One Stop involves judgement-free spaces that allow students to engage in personal finance content and help build a better relationship with money. This Tate Talk will highlight One Stop’s Financial Wellness offerings and why advisers should have this resource in their referral repertoire.
- Intended Audience: Academic Advisors
Location: CMU Room 303
- The Intersection of Art and Our Work
- Presenter(s): Joy Scanlon, Campus Engagement Manager, Weisman Art Museum
- Art allows us to engage with creativity and innovation in unexpected ways. While it may not seem connected to our daily work, exploring artistic works can offer unique perspectives to building resilience.
- Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 326
Tate Tabling Exhibition (Great Hall)
True to our theme, we invite you to explore the following interactive tables, hosted by university offices and centers dedicated to academic support, student services and wellness. These tables provide actionable strategies and resources to strengthen sustainable practices, foster resilience and support our evolving student community.
Location: Great Hall
Note: Enter the exhibition using the north entrance of the Great Hall (the Annex will be closed for lunch set up).
Participating University Offices and Centers:
- Academic Advising Network
- Aurora Center
- Behavioral Consultation Team (The Care Team)
- Boynton Health Services
- Disability Resource Center
- Gender & Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life
- International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
- One Stop Student Services
- Tutoring & Academic Success Centers
- UMN Libraries
Weisman Art Museum & AAN Creator Space (CMU Room 326)
Foster your creativity with a hands-on art project! Make your own beaded suncatcher and learn how to engage with Weisman Art Museum (WAM). Stop by any time or join the 11:00 AM Tate Talk with Joy Scanlon, WAM’s Campus Engagement Manager.
Location: CMU Room 326
The Gen Z Shift: Building Sustainable Career Practices for a Changing World
Presenter(s): Maija Braaten, Assistant Director, Career Services, School of Public Health; Anya Mukraj, Former Career Services Intern
Gen Z is redefining norms and accelerating change across the world of work. This interactive session will address how generations are defined and provide insights into Gen Z’s career mindset. It will include scenario discussions to identify concrete ways to leverage the strengths of all generations in the workplace.
Intended Audience: Career Professionals and anyone who is interested in learning more about Gen Z and how to support their career development.
Location: Mississippi Room
Leverage the “Challenge”: How to Connect Advising Practices to Students' Career Readiness
Presenter(s): Amanda Niskode-Dossett, Senior Academic & Career Coach, CAPE; Amy Hacket, Director of Advising Initiatives and Coordinator of Special Scholarships
Advisors guide students to use resources and learn from setbacks. Students sometimes resist being resourceful because they don’t understand how these skills benefit their future career. Grounded in the Advising Framework Learning Outcomes, this session provides strategies advisors can use to connect student reflection, resourcefulness and resilience to career readiness.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 303
Lessons from the Past, Practices for the Present: How the Evolution of College Sports Informs Modern Athletics Academic Advising
Presenter(s): Kyle Quagliana, Associate Director, Lindahl Academic Center
This presentation examines the historical evolution of intercollegiate athletics and its implications for contemporary academic advising. Participants will learn about today’s NIL and transfer-driven athletics environment. Through targeted case studies, participants will explore how historical context can inform modern advising practices and better equip advisors to support modern student-athletes.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 325
Every Voice Counts, Every Step Changes: What Small Steps do International Students Need from You?
Presenter(s): Anita (Rufei) Feng, Student Engagement Coordinator, ISSS; Amora (Uyanga) Batbayar, ISSS Senior Supervising Global Gopher Experience Leader, ISSS; Doris (Kai-Sin) Li, ISSS Global Gopher Experience Leader, ISSS
International students are navigating unprecedented uncertainty. In this student-led session, two international student leaders share their stories on what helps international students feel safe, connected and supported. Through facilitated roundtable dialogue, participants will learn simple, powerful practices that staff can use to strengthen belonging and wellbeing for international students.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors, Staff who work with international students
Location: CMU Room 323
Ready, Set, Prompt: Building Your First AI Prompting Toolkit
Presenter(s): Alisa Dean, Senior Academic Advisor, CLA; Claire Schmidt, Student Advisor & Student Support Coordinator, College of Pharmacy
This session is a beginner-friendly introduction to AI prompting for student services professionals. Learn what AI is, a simple prompting framework and how to avoid common pitfalls. This session includes live demos, a five-minute mini-hackathon, real higher-ed use cases and strategies for iterating, improving and “failing forward” with prompts.
Note: Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop. If you plan to attend this session and do not yet have access to Google Gemini, please use the link provided to request access in advance: https://z.umn.edu/geminioptin
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: Mississippi Room
Invisible Barriers: Cultural and Religious Beliefs on Financing the College Experience
Presenter(s): Thúy Đoàn, Senior Learning Abroad Advisor; Pashoua Vang, Associate Institutional Relations Director, Learning Abroad Center; Fadumo Haji-Aweis, Academic Advisor, President's Emerging Scholars, CLA; Cathy Schuster, Study Abroad Coordinator, Office of Student Finance
This session aims to illuminate the cultural, religious and circumstantial factors impacting Muslim and Southeast Asian students’ funding decisions. Through highlighting examples from study abroad, this session provides new insights into broader higher education funding challenges. Understanding these complexities around financial decisions can lead to more nuanced and inclusive advising.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors, financial aid counselors, education abroad professionals, program leaders
Location: CMU Room 303
Global Identity as a Tool for Personal and Professional Growth
Presenter(s): Nicholas Racz, Honors Advisor, UHP
This presentation will help advisors and other staff members better understand the personal and professional benefits of studying abroad and how FOST 3332/3331H Global Identity fosters student growth. Attendees will reflect on their own intercultural experiences, values, identity, power and privilege, and personal history.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 324
Career Advocate Training: Building a Career Ecosystem at UMN
Presenter(s): Annie Vangsnes, Program Manager, Career Services; Denise Felder, Associate Director of CEHD Career Services
Students come to you for advice about their career because they trust you! To support your work, Career Services Administration has created the Career Advocate program to empower everyone across campus to feel confident holding basic career conversations with students. Attending this session will usher you into the program, offering you additional resources and support.
Intended Audience: Academic Advisors, Career Professionals, Faculty Advisors
Location: CMU Room 325