he Arkansas Student Affairs Association (ArSAA), in partnership with NASPA Region IV-West, is pleased to announce that the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (UAFS) will host the 2026 NASPA Region IV-West Summer Critical Conversations Drive-In Conference on Student Persistence, Retention, & Strategic Enrollment Management. The conference will take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, on the UAFS campus.

This one-day professional development event will focus on the critical topics of student persistence, retention, and strategic enrollment management. Participants will explore how student affairs broadly, as well as specific programs, interventions, services, and events, contribute to student persistence and institutional retention outcomes. The conference will also highlight promising practices in collaboration among student affairs, student success, and strategic enrollment management professionals.

Registration should be open next week (by Friday, March 20), and registration will be $45 for NASPA and ArSAA members and $60 for non-NASPA or ArSAA members. This registration fee will cover continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, and the full program of educational offerings that day.

Dr. Lee Krehbiel, Special Assistant to the Chancellor at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, will be providing the opening keynote speech that day focused on relevant trends in student persistence, retention, and strategic enrollment management in higher education.

Additional details, including registration information, will be shared in the coming months at https://arkansasstudentaffairs.org/event-6547742.