Saturday, April 25, 2026

Sunday, April 26, 2026

This session explores how plant-rich and mixed-protein approaches can function as a practical risk-management strategy for campus dining operations. Panelists will examine what “balanced protein” looks like in practice and how these approaches can help stabilize and reduce costs while continuing to meet student expectations for taste, satisfaction, and nutrition. Presenters will share per-gram protein cost comparisons, real-world menu examples, and insights into marketing and communications strategies that support student acceptance.

This session shares a real-world case study of how Campus Dining and IT project management partnered to co-lead a coordinated RFP process for three different dining technologies simultaneously: mobile credentials and patron management, point‑of‑sale, and menu management. Instead of running siloed procurements, the team treated the initiative as a unified technology program — aligning governance, stakeholders, evaluation methods, and vendor expectations from the start. Attendees will learn how to map their institutional technology environment before engaging vendors, design evaluation models that balance business needs with system requirements, and structure governance and vendor partnerships to reduce downstream friction. The session will explore practical tools including vendor question strategies, dual-track scoring approaches (business fit vs. system fit), stakeholder alignment models, and a sample RACI framework used to guide decision-making.

Creative partnerships with local farmers, businesses, and organizations have always been at the heart of dining operations at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), with the campus community as the driving force behind program evolution. In fact, a 2024 Dining Styles Survey - conducted by UNCW dining partner, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality – revealed strong student support for the inclusion of small, local, and diverse suppliers in campus dining. In this session, colleagues from UNCW will share how integrated campus dining initiatives drive deep local connectivity and measurable impact on the regional food system, while delivering unique experiences for university students - rooted in community, diversity, and meaningful engagement.

Rachel Skipworth, Associate Director of Auxiliary Services, Bookstore & Licensing at UNC Charlotte, will share a case study in collaboration with Barnes & Noble College that demonstrates how strategic cross-campus partnerships can drive engagement, elevate the campus store’s role, and generate measurable revenue. Grounded in real-campus experiences and proprietary data, this session explores how institutions are responding to students’ and family’s needs with high-impact initiatives, campus retail engagement, and course materials access. Attendees will leave with a practical, replicable playbook for using special events like orientation, cross-campus partnerships, and affordable access initiatives to increase engagement, improve student outcomes, and drive measurable store impact year-round.

As the role of college athletics evolves, strong partnerships between Auxiliary Services and Athletics have never been more important. This panel brings together leaders from both areas to discuss how collaboration enhances student experiences, optimizes operations, and strengthens campus culture. From shared facilities and dining support to event coordination and brand integration, attendees will learn how these partnerships can align institutional goals while generating value and community pride.

Moderator: Doug Lape, Associate Vice Chancellor for Business Services at UNC Charlotte

Panel:

• Jeffrey Blythe: Director of Business Services and Senior Associate Athletic Director at Georgia Southern.
• Carl Hairston: VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy at the ACC.
• Ana Alvarez: Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary Services at the University of Miami.
• Ragean Hill: Executive Associate Athletic Director at UNC Charlotte.

Monday, April 27, 2026

This session will begin by sharing ideas of how to create a culture of innovation throughout the Auxiliary Services team. The session will then share a series of mini-case studies highlighting how a diverse group of self-operated college stores have developed innovative programs to grow sales, increase services, reduce expenses, build new partnerships, and/or improve customer and campus satisfaction. Innovation comes in many forms and does not require big budgets or large spaces—you’ll leave this session inspired with plenty of ideas to “borrow.” Be ready to share some of your own innovative ideas with the group!

The Cumberland Foodhall represents a new model for campus dining—one that challenges traditional assumptions about where university dining belongs, how it is governed, and how it can scale to meet evolving student expectations. Developed through an unprecedented partnership among the university, a private student housing developer along Cumberland Avenue, and Aramark as the operating partner, this project integrates institutionally governed dining into a third-party residential environment while preserving university standards, brand integrity, and long-term strategic control.

In this session, Jackson State University’s Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises Kamesha Hill will share insights about how her campus excels at creating community and helping students thrive. She’ll also highlight the role campus dining plays in the student experience, and how the university’s culture of belonging guided decision-making throughout the planning of the new dining hall.

This In Conversation With… session brings together Emory University, NC State University, and The Conservation Fund’s Farms Fund to highlight two leading Southern approaches to advancing plant-forward, locally sourced, and student-centered dining. Anchored in the goals of NACAS NextGen Dining and its Plant-Rich Program, the discussion illustrates how institutions can move beyond aspiration to implementation.

Let’s be honest - by now, most of us have heard a version of the “we implemented an access program” story. This is not that session. This is the story of how NC State didn’t just launch an access program, but they fundamentally changed how students, faculty, and the institution think about course materials, and in doing so turned Course Ready from a new initiative into an essential part of the campus experience in just two semesters.

In 2023, UNC Wilmington launched its first reusable container program to reduce single-use plastics in campus dining. Initial efforts relied on a DIY approach due to limited and costly market options. Despite two years of troubleshooting with the dining vendor, the program faced significant challenges: low student engagement, lack of accountability, and a 94% container loss rate by Spring 2024. The university was at a crossroads—continue investing in disposable plastics, cancel the initiative, or innovate. This session will provide a comprehensive roadmap for implementing a sustainable, cost-effective reuse program in large-scale dining operations. Attendees will learn how to overcome common challenges, engage stakeholders, and deliver measurable environmental and financial benefits while moving toward a zero-waste future.

The session will highlight how centralized, compliant purchasing reduces off-contract spend, minimizes brand risk, and supports stronger royalty and reporting outcomes. Participants will gain practical insight into how punchout technology simplifies service delivery, enhances transparency, and aligns internal marketing and operational goals with brand policy. Whether supporting facilities, academic departments, or campus-wide initiatives, this approach demonstrates how technology-driven solutions can improve efficiency while strengthening governance and brand stewardship across the institution.

Campus housing and dining are no longer amenities; they are crucial components of a student-wellness ecosystem. This session reframes “wellness” using a People-Place-Purpose lens and explores how small, distributed interventions can strengthen belonging, reduce loneliness, and support flourishing, drawing on national research and trends from ACUHO-I and NACUFS. Tulane University will serve as a case study, highlighting how housing, dining, student affairs, and design partners collaborate to create environments that promote well-being and success. Attendees will leave with tangible ways to apply wellness-forward thinking to facilities, staffing models, capital planning, and everyday operations.

This session will describe the processes and practices that Florida A&M University uses to monitor its contracts and support its partnerships with auxiliary service providers. From managing contractual terms and conditions to leveraging data to help improve student satisfaction, FAMU and its partner RevenueVision will provide real world examples of best practices in contract management.

Higher education is experiencing disruptions due to shifts in the political landscape, changes in expected contributions and changes in senior leadership. As major revenue generators, auxiliary services—particularly dining services—are facing increasing pressure to adapt. This session will bring together a distinguished panel from Florida State University, Florida International University and the University of South Florida to share real-world insights from experienced Auxiliary professional on their success and/or missteps when they begin, reset and/or maintain strategic partnerships within their organization and with vendors.

Social media is one tool departments often try to use to “connect” with Gen Z, but there is frequently a generational divide between housing leadership and their customer base, leaving social media usage as a perceived minefield. Over the past year, UNT’s social media presence has become more than advertisements and information dumping about upcoming processes. In this session, we will cover the evolution of social media from GOT “Moveout is Coming” posts to content routinely viewed more than 20K times. We will discuss the generational divide to successfully manage upper housing leadership expectations while meeting the needs of the younger content creators/consumers. Many tangible, easy to implement strategies will be shared including monitoring grid appearance, front page pictures leading to information, outdated content removal, and being “trend tourists.”

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

The “Taking Care of the Care Takers: Exploring Support Strategies​” series presents a holistic approach to building resilient, high-performing teams within organizations by exploring the operational, leadership, and cultural dimensions of team care, offering actionable strategies for both managers and senior leaders. The first session lays the groundwork for effective team care by emphasizing the need for a clear framework that defines roles, responsibilities, and workflows. Communication and ongoing development are highlighted as essential for fostering collaboration and supporting team members’ well-being. The second session shifts focus to the senior leadership perspective. Here, leaders are tasked with articulating a compelling vision for team care and ensuring it is communicated throughout the organization. The session underscores the importance of allocating resources and developing policies that promote a supportive environment. The third session brings practical insights and real-world examples, demonstrating how a well-organized team care framework leads to increased productivity, satisfaction, morale, engagement, and retention.

The student experience on campus is shaped by countless everyday moments — dining, bookstore, transportation, and the services students rely on most. Feedback gives campus leaders the visibility to respond quickly, strengthen operations, and drive meaningful improvements in satisfaction. Yet many organizations hesitate to ask for feedback out of fear of what they might hear - a mindset that can unintentionally erode trust and allow small issues to escalate into bigger perception problems later. This panel brings together higher education professionals to share practical strategies, successes, and lessons learned about embracing feedback (even the uncomfortable kind) and using it as a catalyst to transform the student and staff experience on campus.

Campus dining teams are being asked to deliver food that students love, that operations can support, and that aligns with campus values. This session introduces the F.R.E.S.H. framework—a practical lens for menu decisions that are Flavorful, Relevant, Economical, Sustainable, and Healthful. Through real campus examples, we’ll show how to design Flavorful dishes that win repeat visits; keep menus Relevant to student preferences with smart naming, trendy dishes, and feedback systems; make Economical choices through repeatable recipes and affordable whole-food ingredients; advance Sustainable goals by shifting everyday defaults rather than overhauling systems; and support Healthful patterns students embrace.

This session explores how a unified merchandising strategy can drive revenue, engagement, and visibility across multiple athletic programs. Attendees will learn how strategic product pre-planning—guided by sales trends and forecasting—ensures the right merchandise is available at the right time, while minimizing inventory risk in historically soft sales environments. The session also highlights the importance of cross-campus collaboration, showing how partnerships with marketing teams and key stakeholders amplify event impact and increase campus traffic. Finally, it examines how athletic merchandising, including unplanned and pop-up opportunities, can serve as a powerful tool for alumni engagement when aligned with alumni relations teams. Through real-world examples, this session demonstrates how thoughtful planning and collaboration can maximize both financial and institutional impact.

Across the South, institutions are navigating the twin pressures of rapid enrollment growth and aging residential infrastructure. The solution, however, is not simply “get bigger.” This panel explores how data driven planning approaches are helping universities design auxiliary portfolios that support student success, strengthen campus culture, and remain financially viable over the long term. Featuring leaders from high growth and evolving institutions, including the University of North Texas, this session will highlight real world examples of how housing, auxiliary, and planning teams have leveraged market assessments, asset management planning, and resilient master planning to guide strategic decisions. Panelists will discuss how they aligned physical assets with first year success goals, recruitment strategies, and long range enrollment scenarios, whether growth accelerates, stabilizes, or shifts.

Auxiliary Services portfolios are increasingly complex, often encompassing multiple business units, mixed internal and vendor-operated services, and competing operational priorities. While individual units may demonstrate excellence, siloed operations can limit integrated effectiveness and prevent the development of a cohesive organizational culture. This interactive session equips auxiliary leaders with a practical, values-driven framework to move from siloed excellence to cohesive, integrated auxiliary operations. Centered on shared vision and values, the session demonstrates how multiple mechanisms—including leadership speaker series, cross-unit learning, team-building, and community engagement—can be intentionally aligned to reinforce common purpose and organizational effectiveness. Rather than focusing on a single program, this session highlights how integrated reinforcement across initiatives strengthens collaboration, leadership clarity, and staff engagement.

Wednesday, April 29, 2026