Oct. 29, 2025 | Read time 2 min

University Innovation Alliance: Fall 2025 Convening

By: Maria O’Connell, UIA fellow and manager, Undergraduate Student Success Initiatives
Three people are having a conversation. Two are sitting at a large banquet table looking up at another person who is standing and holding a to-go coffee cup.
Karin Hanson, Maria O'Connell and Renata Opoczysnki at the UIA Convening. Photo credit: Mork Productions

The University Innovation Alliance (UIA) gathered its member institutions in Indianapolis, Oct. 14-16, for the Fall 2025 Convening focused on collaboration, shared learning, and strategic innovation. The event provided a rich opportunity for UIA member institutions to explore new approaches to advancing student success, exchange insights, and strengthen partnerships across the network.

View of a busy room with circle banquet tables in black table cloths covered in papers, pens, computers and notebooks. The individuals are talking and facing each other. The image feature twos two individuals speaking to one another at the center.
Karin Hanson and Genyne Royal having a discussion during the UIA Convening. Photo credit: Mork Productions

MSU attendees included Ebony Green, associate dean for University Advising; Karin Hanson, director for Career Services Network; Ariel Arnold, director for Partnering for Access, Success & Support; Samuel Drake, assistant director for Partnering  for Access, Success & Support; and UIA representatives Renata Opoczynski, assistant provost for Undergraduate Student Success & UIA Liaison; Genyne Royal, assistant vice president for Student Affairs & UIA Liaison; and Maria O’Connell, UIA fellow and manager of Undergraduate Student Success Strategic Initiatives.

Six people stand shoulder to shoulder while looking at the camera and smiling. They are standing in front of a UIA backdrop.
MSU attendees at UIA (from left to right): Ebony Green, Renata Opoczynski, Maria O’Connell, Ariel Arnold, Karin Hanson and Samuel Drake. 

The convening offered a valuable opportunity to reconnect with colleagues across the UIA, and welcome new member institutions, Temple University and the University of South Carolina. We reflected on lessons learned from previous projects, Academic Recovery and Learning Innovation, while getting ready for future projects that focus on improving mobility outcomes for students. 

Looking ahead, the UIA is turning its attention to helping to reimagine how students choose their path and how classroom experiences can better prepare them for meaningful careers. Strategic planning sessions empowered campus teams to develop actionable plans aligned with these priorities, laying the groundwork for future UIA-supported projects.

As we move into this next phase, the UIA remains committed to scaling innovation, and driving student success together.