Rural Student Success Unconference


The next Rural Student Success unConference will be held in 2025. We look forward to connecting then!

  

Frequently Asked Questions

For this gathering, we borrow the concept of the unConference from the technology and business worlds and will focus not on formal research presentations but on conversations with researchers, practitioners, policy makers, students, and the community. This will be the University’s  fourth national convening on the status of rural access into and through higher education and support for students once they arrive on campus—one we believe will inspire new considerations on policies and practices for the future of rural student success.

Attendees can expect a welcoming and engaging environment where you will hear from keynote speakers with aligned, facilitated breakout discussion sessions centered on various subtopics on rural student success. Attendees will be able to select the breakout sessions that are of most interest to them.

If you'd like to view past keynotes, please click the hyperlinks in the past program schedule below.

The 2025 unConference schedule will be posted at a later date.

The 2025 unConference speakers will be posted at a later date.

2025 dates coming soon!

Anyone who is interested in rural student success is welcome to attend the unConference including faculty, staff, and students, researchers, policy makers, parents, supporters, and others!

Registration is currently closed.

We are only accepting online credit card payments. 

UGA employees can pay via two methods: (1) you can pay via personal credit card and be reimbursed by your department or (2) your department can pay the registration fee directly through an intra-university payment. If you would like to have your department process payment this way, please have your business manager email us at rural@uga.edu to coordinate payment details.

Registration is currently closed.

The 2025 unConference location will be posted at a later date.

All other unConference questions can be emailed to rural@uga.edu

 

 

Past unConference Schedules and Videos

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023

4:00 - 5:00 PM - The Night Before the unConference Event: Get to know each other as University of Georgia's Rural Student Ambassadors host Rural Student Jeopardy!

 

Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

12:00 - 12:15 PM - Welcome by Dr. Marisa Pagnattaro

12:15 - 1:30 PM - Keynote - Rural Cartographies: Creating Roadmaps for Rural Youth

  • Featured speaker: Dr. Amy Price Azano (Ph.D.): Virginia Tech

1:30 - 2:30 PM - Breakout Session #1: Choose between three categories of breakout sessions: collaborative, higher learning, and netweaving.

2:45 - 4:00 PM - Keynote - On the Road: Understanding Rural Student Success Inside and Outside of the Classroom

  • Featured speaker: Dr. Stevie L. Lawrence II (Ph.D.): SREB (Southern Regional Education Board)

4:00 - 5:00 PM - Breakout Session #2: Choose between three categories of breakout sessions: collaborative, higher learning, and netweaving.

 

Friday, February 24th, 2023

12:00 - 12:15 PM - Welcome

12:15 - 1:15 PM - Student Voices and Rural Stories Panel: Hear from three current University of Georgia students as they share their experiences as rural students in higher education.

  • Featured panelists: Abbie Earnest, William Redding, and Molly Sims

1:00 - 2:30 PM - Collaboration Hour: Missed an opportunity to collaborate in yesterday's breakout sessions? Here's your chance to chat with unConference attendees across the country.

2:45 - 4:00PM - Keynote - The Road Ahead

  • Featured speaker: Dr. Stephanie Sowl (Ph.D.): ECMC Foundation (Educational Credit Management Corporation) 

4:00 - 4:45 PM - Roundtable Panel:The Roundtable Panel consists of researchers, staff, and students and will explore what's ahead for rural student success research and innovation.

  • Featured panelists: Griffin Boykin, Nicole McConnell, Ty McNamee, Morgan Pope, and Stephanie Tirado

4:45 - 5:00 PM  - Closing by Dr. Naomi J. Norman

*Click the red hyperlinks below to view keynotes and panel from 2022.

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 

9:00 AM - Welcome by President Jere W. Morehead

9:10 - 10:40 AM - Keynote: Rural Student Identity: A Panel Discussion

  • Featured speakers: Dr. Darris Means - University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Sonja Ardoin - Appalachian State,  Jenay Willis - University of Pittsburgh, Ty McNamee - Teachers College of Columbia

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room  

11:45 AM-1:00 PM - Lunch Break  

1:00 PM - Reconvene 

1:10 - 2:25 PM - Keynote: Rural Education and Workforce: The Case for Making Rural a Policy Priority

  • Featured speaker: Dr. Stephen Pruitt - Southern Regional Education Board

2:30 - 3:30 PM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room

3:45 - 4:45 PM - Student Voices & Rural Stories panel 

 

Friday, March 4th, 2022 

9:00 - Reconvene 

9:15 - 10:30 AM - Keynote: At Home, In the Classroom: Inclusive Pedagogy for Rural Students

  • Featured speaker: Dr. Andrew Crain - University of Georgia

10:35 - 11:35 AM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room  

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM- Closing 

*Click the red hyperlinks below to view keynotes and panels from 2021.

Friday, March 19th, 2021

10:00 AM - Welcome

10:15 - 11:30 AM - Keynote: Rural Student Success & Wellbeing: Where have we been? 

Featured speaker: Dr. Nicholas Hillman - University of Wisconsin, Madison

1:00 - 2:30 PM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room on Pathways To & Through Higher Education

2:45 - 3:30 PM - Student Voices & Rural Stories panel

 

Saturday, March 20th, 2021

9:00 AM - Reconvene

9:10 - 10:25 AM - Keynote: Rural Student Success & Wellbeing: Where are we now? 

Featured speaker: Dr. Darris Means - University of Pittsburgh

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room on Pathways To & Through Higher Education

1:00 PM - Reconvene

1:10 - 2:25 PM - Keynote: Rural Student Success & Wellbeing: Where do we go next? 

Featured speaker: Dr. Maria Luna-Torres - AgriLife Extension, Texas - A&M

2:30 - 3:45 PM - Pick-Your-Discussion Room on Pathways To & Through Higher Education

3:45 - 4:30 PM - Rural Futures: An ideas exchange panel moderated by Beckie Supiano of The Chronicle of Higher Education