Breaking Down Barriers: Partnering for Student Learning and Success by Leveraging Undergraduate Research

Friday, January 23, 2026

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM East Coast USA Time

Location: Judiciary Square - Level M3

Primary Presenter(s)

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Anne Boettcher (she/her/hers)

Assistant Dean of Research
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Prescott, Arizona, United States

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Co-Presenter(s)

Donna Chamely-Wiik

Senior Assocaite Dean, Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Fellowships
Florida Atlantic University, United States
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Susan Mendoza

Director, Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement
Grand Valley State University, United States
Juliane Strauss-Soukup

Associate Vice Provost of Research and Scholarship
Creighton University, United States
Bethany Usher

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Radford University, United States

In this session, panelists from a range of institution types will use engagement in undergraduate research as a framework to share how programs can develop and sustain internal and external partnerships that expand opportunities to support current and emerging student needs. Panelists will share structures that have allowed for the building of partnerships as well as the challenges to the establishment of and long-term success of those links. They will discuss how these partnerships have expanded networks that support student learning and success. Participants will be asked to consider the current practices on their campuses with the lens of the changing landscape of higher education. The session will conclude with audience discussion in a question-and-answer format.