The Partners for Student Success Conference (PSSC) is a unique and powerful professional development opportunity for those working in higher education across Arkansas. PSSC is the product of collaboration by four state organizations:
Arkansas College Testing Association (ACTA)
Arkansas College Health Association (ArCHA)
Arkansas Student Affairs Association (ArSAA)
PSSC is held annually during the fall academic semester at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The 6th annual PSSC will be held September 25-26, 2019.
Register Today!
Schedule
Tuesday, September 24
7:00 pm: Senior Student Affairs Officers Meeting and Dinner
(By Invitation Only)
Wednesday, September 25
7:30 am: Exhibitors Set Up
8:00 am-noon: Registration/Check-in
8:30 am-11:30 am: New Professionals Institute
9:00 am-11:30 am: Pre-Conference Session
11:30 am: ArSAA/PSSC First-Timers Meeting
Noon-2:15 pm: Conference Opening Session, Awards Luncheon, and Keynote Speaker
2:30 pm-5:20 pm: Learning Sessions
4:30 pm-5:00 pm: SSAO/Grad Student Networking
Dinner on Your Own
Thursday, September 26
8:00 am-8:50 am: Learning Sessions
9:00 am-10:45 am: Deep Dive Sessions
11:00 am-Noon: Conference Closing Session and Keynote Speaker
7:00 pm: Senior Student Affairs Officers Meeting and Dinner
(By Invitation Only)
Wednesday, September 25
7:30 am: Exhibitors Set Up
8:00 am-noon: Registration/Check-in
8:30 am-11:30 am: New Professionals Institute
9:00 am-11:30 am: Pre-Conference Session
11:30 am: ArSAA/PSSC First-Timers Meeting
Noon-2:15 pm: Conference Opening Session, Awards Luncheon, and Keynote Speaker
2:30 pm-5:20 pm: Learning Sessions
4:30 pm-5:00 pm: SSAO/Grad Student Networking
Dinner on Your Own
Thursday, September 26
8:00 am-8:50 am: Learning Sessions
9:00 am-10:45 am: Deep Dive Sessions
11:00 am-Noon: Conference Closing Session and Keynote Speaker
2019 PSSC Keynote Speakers
OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Tim Bono
Washington University
Dr. Tim Bono is a faculty member in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at
Washington University in St. Louis where his teaching and research focus on positive psychology
and college student development. His work has been featured in a number of national media
outlets including NBC News, CNN, Fast Company, and the Associated Press. Over the last decade, thousands of students have taken his popular courses on the Psychology of Young Adulthood and the Science of Happiness. He summarizes the research from those courses, along with how his students have put that information into practice in their own lives, in his recent book entitled,
"When Likes Aren't Enough: A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness."
Dr. Tim Bono
Washington University
Dr. Tim Bono is a faculty member in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at
Washington University in St. Louis where his teaching and research focus on positive psychology
and college student development. His work has been featured in a number of national media
outlets including NBC News, CNN, Fast Company, and the Associated Press. Over the last decade, thousands of students have taken his popular courses on the Psychology of Young Adulthood and the Science of Happiness. He summarizes the research from those courses, along with how his students have put that information into practice in their own lives, in his recent book entitled,
"When Likes Aren't Enough: A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness."
CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Mary B. Gunter
Chief of Staff
Arkansas Tech University
Dr. Mary B. Gunter took office as chief of staff in the Office of the President at Arkansas Tech
University on May 1, 2018. She holds membership on the ATU executive council, drives continuous pursuit of goals outlined in the university strategic plan and assists Arkansas Tech University
President Dr. Robin E. Bowen in building and strengthening partnerships designed to facilitate student success.
Dr. Gunter has been at the forefront of education growth and improvement for more than four decades. She invested 22 years of her life as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and educational co-op director. Dr. Gunter also served as director of the Arkansas Governor’s Partnership on Education for two years.
In 1998, she joined the faculty at Arkansas Tech University and began developing a graduate level curriculum in educational leadership. Her efforts yielded the creation of the ATU Center for Leadership and Learning, an institute dedicated to producing innovative problem solvers at all levels of K-12 school leadership.
Dr. Gunter took on new leadership roles of her own, adding the title of dean of the ATU Graduate College in 2009 and dean of the ATU College of Education in 2015.
Along the way, the evolution of the ATU Center for Leadership and Learning led to the development and implementation of the first doctoral degree in Arkansas Tech history. Dr. Gunter is the visionary behind the ATU Doctor of Education degree in school leadership, a program that produced Arkansas Tech’s first doctoral graduates in spring 2017.
Dr. Gunter has shared her expertise in the realm of leadership beyond the K-12 community. She was a member of the project development team and now serves as the director of Leadership Tech, a program designed to build leadership capacity and serve as professional development for faculty and staff at Arkansas Tech University. Leadership Tech Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 have completed the program. The third and fourth cohorts of the program are active.
In 2018, Dr. Gunter collaborated with the ATU Division of Student Affairs and the ATU College of Education to develop a new leadership minor, an 18-hour course of study that equips Arkansas Tech graduates with knowledge and experiences so they may be better prepared to become leaders in both their professional careers and communities.
A first generation high school and college graduate, Dr. Gunter earned bachelor's, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Dr. Mary B. Gunter
Chief of Staff
Arkansas Tech University
Dr. Mary B. Gunter took office as chief of staff in the Office of the President at Arkansas Tech
University on May 1, 2018. She holds membership on the ATU executive council, drives continuous pursuit of goals outlined in the university strategic plan and assists Arkansas Tech University
President Dr. Robin E. Bowen in building and strengthening partnerships designed to facilitate student success.
Dr. Gunter has been at the forefront of education growth and improvement for more than four decades. She invested 22 years of her life as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and educational co-op director. Dr. Gunter also served as director of the Arkansas Governor’s Partnership on Education for two years.
In 1998, she joined the faculty at Arkansas Tech University and began developing a graduate level curriculum in educational leadership. Her efforts yielded the creation of the ATU Center for Leadership and Learning, an institute dedicated to producing innovative problem solvers at all levels of K-12 school leadership.
Dr. Gunter took on new leadership roles of her own, adding the title of dean of the ATU Graduate College in 2009 and dean of the ATU College of Education in 2015.
Along the way, the evolution of the ATU Center for Leadership and Learning led to the development and implementation of the first doctoral degree in Arkansas Tech history. Dr. Gunter is the visionary behind the ATU Doctor of Education degree in school leadership, a program that produced Arkansas Tech’s first doctoral graduates in spring 2017.
Dr. Gunter has shared her expertise in the realm of leadership beyond the K-12 community. She was a member of the project development team and now serves as the director of Leadership Tech, a program designed to build leadership capacity and serve as professional development for faculty and staff at Arkansas Tech University. Leadership Tech Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 have completed the program. The third and fourth cohorts of the program are active.
In 2018, Dr. Gunter collaborated with the ATU Division of Student Affairs and the ATU College of Education to develop a new leadership minor, an 18-hour course of study that equips Arkansas Tech graduates with knowledge and experiences so they may be better prepared to become leaders in both their professional careers and communities.
A first generation high school and college graduate, Dr. Gunter earned bachelor's, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Hotel Accommodations
Hotel accommodations can be made at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Hot Springs at a group rate. Reservations can be made by clicking here.