AAC&U 2026 Conference on Learning and Student Success

During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education demonstrated remarkable resilience and an extraordinary capacity for adaptation and innovation, effectively dispelling the widespread perception that it is resistant to—or even incapable of—change.

Today, however, that resilience is being tested more severely than ever by unprecedented government overreach and political interference. Can the educational mission and democratic purposes of higher education withstand mounting threats to academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and federal funding?

Meeting this moment demands collective action to articulate and defend the value of higher education—for our students, our communities, our democracy, and our national prosperity—and to engage constructively with all stakeholders committed to improving higher education and strengthening its vital contribution to the common good.

At the 2026 Annual Meeting, administrators, faculty, and staff from all types of colleges and universities will come together with partners beyond higher education to confront urgent challenges, consider approaches to rebuilding public trust, and chart a path forward to safeguard the fundamental principles at the heart of higher education.