September 24-26, 2025 | Governors State University, University Park, Illinois
The Next Generation Leadership Conference 2025 is designed to develop and empower a social cohort of emerging leaders in higher education who will transform institutions through a justice-oriented approach to leadership. In today's rapidly evolving landscape, higher education leaders face unprecedented challenges across social, financial, political, and human resource dimensions. This conference provides a comprehensive professional development experience that equips emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks to effectively navigate these complex challenges and drive meaningful change.
"Navigating Change: Leading Higher Education Through Complex Times" reflects the reality that today's higher education leaders must simultaneously address multiple interconnected challenges:
The conference theme recognizes that these challenges cannot be addressed in isolation—effective leadership requires an integrated approach that considers how social, financial, political, and human factors intersect in institutional contexts.
Participants in the Next Generation Leadership Conference 2025 will:
The Next Generation Leadership Conference is designed for:
The three-day conference offers various presentation formats to maximize engagement and impact:
A special micro-credential preconference workshop will be available at the cost of $50. The first day focuses on establishing foundational concepts and frameworks. Sessions introduce participants to the most pressing challenges facing higher education leaders and establish a common language for discussing social justice, financial, political, and human resource issues. Evening activities build community among participants, ensuring you'll forge connections with peers from across the country.
The second day deepens the exploration of conference themes through intensive breakout sessions that provide practical strategies for addressing specific challenges. Sessions are organized in four parallel tracks, allowing participants to focus on areas most relevant to their professional contexts. The day culminates in a College Presidents Panel featuring leaders from various higher education background sharing their experiences navigating institutional challenges, providing invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing today's higher education leaders.
The final day focuses on synthesis and application. Sessions help participants integrate insights from the previous days into comprehensive leadership approaches. An interactive workshop guides participants in developing concrete action plans for their home institutions. The conference concludes with a commitment to ongoing networking and professional development, leaving you with a clear roadmap for continued growth and impact.
The Next Generation Leadership Conference is organized by GovState in collaboration with the university's leadership development programs. The conference planning committee includes representatives from institutions across the region, ensuring that the conference addresses challenges relevant to a wide range of higher education contexts.
Join us in University Park for this transformative professional development experience. Together, we will develop the leadership capacity needed to create more equitable, sustainable, and effective institutions of higher education. Invest in yourself and your institution.