Connecting the Dots:
Aligning Major and Transfer Readiness
The 2027 Transfer Student Success Partnership Conference brings together academic leaders, faculty, advisors, and academic success coaches from DirectConnect to UCF® partner institutions, the Florida College System, the State University System, and Central Florida public school systems.
This year’s theme, Connecting the Dots: Aligning Major and Transfer Readiness, focuses on the connections between academic preparation, aligned pathways, and collaborative support that help transfer students enter their intended majors ready to succeed.
Now in its fourth year, the conference provides an opportunity to share practices, strengthen curriculum alignment, enhance degree pathways, and advance transfer student success.
Conference Tracks
Leadership, Policy, and Institutional Strategy
Sessions in this track will focus on efforts, campaigns, initiatives, or activities that reduce barriers to transfer student success and increase a student’s opportunities for successful transition. Presentations can focus on those activities that result in major readiness, transfer readiness, student retention, course momentum, improved graduation rates, time-to-degree, or improved social/academic integration
AI, Technology, and Data
Sessions in this track will focus on examples or best practices of how to leverage technology, artificial intelligence, data, and researched successful strategies to inform academic support, curricular, or pedagogical approaches to address transfer shock.
Faculty Impact on Transfer Student Success
Sessions in this track include topics that discuss articulation, program alignment, intra- and inter- institutional efforts to align curriculum for foundational courses. Presentations may include horizontal, vertical, or integrated alignment of courses, course coordination efforts, faculty-based course interventions, course redesign, and curriculum mapping.
Coaching, Advising, and Degree Pathways
Sessions in this track focus on the impact of successful advising and coaching strategies. Presentations may include effective use of degree pathways, co-curricular support, best practices, and innovative approaches to advising and coaching, transfer readiness, and major readiness.
Valencia College
West Campus
Special Events Center
1800 S Kirkman Rd, Bldg 8Orlando, FL 32811
Conference Partners
Planning Committee Members
Farah Abass
Academic Program Coordinator I
University of Central Florida
Kevin Arms
Academic Dean, Communications
Lake-Sumter State College
Allan Danuff
Associate Vice President, Arts and Sciences
College of Central Florida
Amy Darty
Senior Instructor, College of Arts & Humanities
University of Central Florida
Lisa Dunn
Administrative Assistant III
University of Central Florida
Kimberly Hardy
Assistant Vice Provost, UCF Connect
University of Central Florida
LaKisha Holmes
Associate Vice President, College of Arts and Sciences
Daytona State College
Martin Malpica
Director of Marketing and Communications
University of Central Florida
Lauren Miller
Executive Director, UCF Connect
University of Central Florida
Tommy Minton
Academic Dean, Mathematics
Seminole State College
Harrison Oonge
Executive Director, UCF Connect
University of Central Florida
Angela Richardson
Coordinator of Advising, Palm Bay Campus
Eastern Florida State College
Jonathan Stevens
Transfer Coach, TRiO
Indian River State College
LaVonda Walker
Assistant Vice President, Curriculum and Transfer Initiatives
Valencia College