INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 2012) – IUPUI will host the statewide Indiana College Access and Success Network conference on Friday, September 21, 2012 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m at the IUPUI Campus Center. The conference will provide an opportunity for discussion among Indiana’s high schools and colleges as well as the opportunity to work in collaboration to meet Indiana’s goals for higher education. The theme is “Summit on Concurrent Enrollment.”

Welcoming attendees to the conference will be Ken Sauer, Senior Associate Commissioner for Research and Academic Affairs, Indiana Commission on Higher Education; Nasser Paydar, IUPUI Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculties; Kathy E. Johnson, IUPUI Dean of University College and Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education; and Jared Tippets, Director, Student Access, Transition and Success Program at Purdue University.

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Adam Lowe, Executive Secretary of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). He will speak on “Emerging National Trends: The Role of Concurrent Enrollment in College Access and Success Initiatives.”

The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion led by Michael Beam, Director, Advance College Project, IU Bloomington; Becky Carter, Associate Director, Advance College Project, National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships; Ione Y. DeOllos, Chair, Statewide Transfer and Articulation Committee, Indiana Commission for Higher Education; Chris Foley, Director of Admissions, IUPUI; Amy Marsh, State Coordinator for AP, IB, and Dual Credit, Indiana Department of Education; and John Newby, Assistant Vice President for K-12, Ivy Tech Community College. Janet E. Boyle, Assistant Director, Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, University of Indianapolis, will give a presentation during the morning and afternoon conference sessions.

“We hope to gather a diverse audience of faculty and administrators from high schools and colleges to discuss issues that center primarily on how we might best support students as they transition from high school (and after having earned dual credit) to two- and four-year postsecondary institutions,” said Johnson.

The main topics that will be discussed include challenges and opportunities associated with the concurrent enrollment movement, curriculum alignment, student support services, and building an evidence base.

The day’s conference will conclude with remarks by Johnson, Tippets, and Marcus Kolb, Program Officer, Lumina Foundation for Education.