2026 NASPA AVP Symposium

Assistant and associate vice presidents for student affairs and other senior-level "number twos" (and the equivalent) who report to the vice president for student affairs have among the most complex and challenging roles in the modern student affairs division. The NASPA AVP Symposium will gather AVPs from a wide variety of institutional types for three intense days of learning and networking designed to support AVPs' success in these difficult, yet critically important, roles. Symposium attendees can expect sessions with high-level content developed by and delivered for an AVP audience that call on AVP participants to contribute to the peer learning community by deeply engaging with the Symposium content and fellow participants. 

The symposium will begin on Saturday, January 24, 2026 and will conclude at on Monday, January 26, 2026. Additionally, several pre- and post-symposium workshops will be offered for an additional fee. 

Prior to the “official” start of the symposium, attendees will have the chance to participate in pre-symposium workshops. Registration is required for these optional offerings. To add a pre-symposium workshop to your existing registration, please send an email to registration@naspa.org or call 202-265-7500.

All presenters must be registered for the Symposium. Presenters and co-presenters who are AVPs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted must register for the symposium in order to present. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who do not wish to attend the full symposium will be granted a complimentary presenter pass in order to attend only the session they are presenting. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who wish to attend the full symposium will receive a 25% discount of their registration fee. If you are not an AVP (or the equivalent), please contact Ke'Ana Bradley at kbradley@naspa.org for guidance regarding completing your registration.

Registration Scholarship and Discount

• If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may qualify for a NASPA Foundation Membership Scholarship or NASPA Foundation Professional Development Access Scholarship, which can be used to cover registration for this event. Apply by December! If possible, you are encouraged to go ahead and register for the event by the early registration date. If you are awarded a scholarship, your registration will be refunded in full.
• If you are an AVP (or the equivalent) who is also attending the immediately preceding NASPA Institute for New AVPs, you are entitled to a 25% discount for your symposium registration fee. Please use the coupon code provided in your institute registration when completing your symposium registration.

For a comprehensive listing of NASPA registration policies, please visit this page.

If you would like to sponsor the 2026 NASPA AVP Symposium, please contact Senior Director of Corporate Development Fred Comparato at 614-204-5994 or at fcomparato@naspa.org.

Call for Proposals

The 2026 NASPA AVP Symposium planning committee invites AVPs/“number twos” and vice presidents for student affairs (and the equivalent of both) to submit program proposals that resonate with the symposium's theme. Please visit the call for proposals submission system for more information about the theme, desired submissions, and proposal requirements. The call for program proposals system will open in mid-June and close on September 13, 2025.

All presenters must be registered for the Symposium. Presenters and co-presenters who are AVPs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted must register for the symposium in order to present. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who do not wish to attend the full symposium will be granted a complimentary presenter pass in order to attend only the session they are presenting. Presenters and co-presenters who are VPSAs (or the equivalent) whose proposals are accepted who wish to attend the full symposium will receive a 25% discount of their registration fee.

Call for Program Proposal Reviewers

The symposium planning committee invites all sitting AVPs and VPSAs (and their equivalents) to help shape the 2026 NASPA AVP Symposium by serving as a program proposal reviewer. Apply today to contribute to this important process designed to ensure that the Symposium’s content is of the highest quality possible. Reviewer applications are due by August 14, 2025. The program review period will begin on August 19 and conclude on September 7th. The call for program proposal reviewers system will open mid-June 2025.