Alabama Higher Education Partnership

SLUAC 2026 kicked off the year by inspiring students to "Dream Boldly" and share their stories of universities turning their Dreams to Reality. We are grateful for the support of state and community leaders who took time to visit with students and to our university leaders who invested in this year's program. We are proud to have welcomed the largest crowd of attendees and even more proud of the strong collaborative work throughout the year. A preview of the photos from the conference is available below, or you can view and download the full gallery at: https://www.higheredpartners.org/sluac-picturegallery.

It’s been 1 week since SLUAC and these photos have us reflecting on what an incredible time we had learning with all of you. Full photo gallery is now available for download on our website. Link in stories!!

DREAM BOLDLY ✨ what an incredible start to a year full of strong advocacy for our universities. Thank you to each and every one of our attendees for sharing your ideas, energy, and stories.
More photos and a full recap will be available soon, so stay tuned!

We’re all smiles for SLUAC Day 2! Swipe ➡️ to walk through our day.

📸 Evan Lanier

Working groups brought networking opportunities for students to collaborate and share with peers from across the state.

Thanks to advisors, faculty and staff for jumping in to mentor students

University Presidents’ Council Chair (and STARS Alum), President Don Killingsworth, encourages students to pursue leadership and stay engaged.

Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer, shares about challenges facing healthcare in Alabama and the ways universities are contributing to solutions.

Trish Crain from Alabama Daily News mentored students about effective communication and shared insights on seeking out strong information sources to inform policy and advocacy decisions.

Dr. Dee Bennett leads participants in building their leadership network, block by block.

Dr. Matt Ragland shares the impact graduate schools have on Alabama.

If you asked us to describe the first day of SLUAC in 1 word, all we could say is WOW. In just a few short hours, we were inspired by student presentations, encouraged by state leaders, and started to build strategies for year long collaboration. See you tomorrow to take it all to the next level for advocacy in action!

📸 Evan Lanier

STARS Conference begins tomorrow!! We’ll see you at 2:30 p.m. to kick off the meeting. Get ready for a powerful week of learning, networking, and strategizing.
CONFERENCE ATTENDEES: All the details are in your inbox - search for “[email protected]” Subject Line: “SLUAC 2026 - Know Before You Go.”

Registration for the 2026 STARS Leaders and University Advocates Conference (SLUAC) is open now! More info on our website at www.higheredpartners.org/sluac.

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Alabama's public universities educate future teachers, research innovative educational methods, and provide world class continuing education and professional development to educators.