Student success is deeply connected to physical, emotional, and social well-being—yet many individuals remain disengaged due to fear, low confidence, and lack of connection. This interactive session introduces Punch Positive™, a non-contact boxing framework designed to improve resilience, engagement, and long-term adherence to healthy behaviors. Led by Registered Nurse and boxing coach Lita Mae “Badass” Button, this workshop draws on over a decade of experience supporting individuals with Parkinson’s disease, trauma, and chronic health conditions. Participants will explore how accessible, movement-based strategies can improve mental health, build self-efficacy, and foster community—key drivers of retention and success. Attendees will leave with practical tools to implement in student success and wellness programs, helping individuals reconnect to their strength, their confidence, and their capacity to persist.

Description & Learning Objectives:

Student success is not just an academic issue—it is deeply connected to physical, emotional, and social well-being. Across campuses and communities, individuals are facing rising levels of stress, anxiety, chronic health conditions, and disconnection. These factors significantly impact engagement, persistence, and retention, yet many existing wellness initiatives fail to reach those who feel intimidated, unsupported, or disconnected from traditional approaches. This interactive session introduces Punch Positive™, a non-contact, evidence-informed boxing framework designed to remove common barriers to participation while improving confidence, resilience, and connection. Led by Registered Nurse, boxing coach, and speaker Lita Mae “Badass” Button, this workshop draws on over a decade of experience working with individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, trauma, and chronic illness—populations that mirror many of the same challenges seen in student populations, including fear of failure, low self-efficacy, and social isolation. Participants will explore how simple, accessible movement-based strategies can serve as powerful tools for increasing engagement and supporting long-term behavior change. Through a combination of storytelling, practical application, and guided beginner-friendly movement, attendees will gain insight into how physical confidence directly impacts mental resilience and the ability to persist through challenges. This session moves beyond theory by providing actionable tools that can be integrated into student success programming, wellness initiatives, and retention strategies—without requiring specialized equipment, facilities, or advanced fitness experience. Participants will:

• Identify key physical, emotional, and social barriers that impact engagement, persistence, and retention in student populations.
• Explain the connection between movement, mental health, and self-efficacy, and how this relationship influences long-term behavior change and success.
• Apply simple, accessible movement-based strategies (including non-contact boxing techniques) to improve confidence, focus, and resilience among students.
• Integrate community-building and accountability practices to enhance belonging and reduce social isolation within programs and services.
• Develop practical, low-barrier implementation ideas that can be adapted across diverse campus settings, including those with limited resources.
• Recognize how inclusive, non-intimidating approaches to wellness can increase participation among underserved or disengaged populations.

Presenter(s) Bio & Institution:

Lita Mae Button, Punch Positive – 

Lita Mae “Badass” Button is a Registered Nurse (BScN), international speaker, and founder of Punch Positive, focused on improving mental health, resilience, and engagement through movement-based strategies. With over 26 years in fitness and a background in geriatric mental health and long-term care, she has supported individuals facing trauma, chronic illness, and social isolation. Lita specializes in helping underserved populations rebuild confidence, regulate stress, and reconnect to their bodies. A Canadian Golden Gloves Champion, she uses non-contact boxing to strengthen both physical and psychological resilience while promoting sustainable energetic behavior change.

In the high-stakes environment of student retention, professionals often focus so intently on student persistence that they neglect their own. Between increasing administrative demands and the emotional labor of supporting a diverse student body, burnout isn't just a risk—it’s a reality. However, institutional retention begins with staff sustainability. This half-day pre-conference provides retention professionals a dedicated space to pause, reflect, and operationalize research-based resilience strategies. Grounded in the proven framework of Pepperdine University’s Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Program, this session moves beyond the "self-care" buzzword to provide a clinical and practical toolkit for long-term holistic health and well-being.

Learning Objectives & Outcomes: A unique feature of this pre-conference is the deep dive into the proprietary RISE resilience curriculum. Participants will be taught the exact research-based modules that all Pepperdine University students experience as part of their developmental journey. By engaging with the same curriculum used to bolster student persistence, professionals will gain a shared language for resilience that can be mirrored in student interactions, experience the primary pedagogical tools used to decrease anxiety and increase grit on campus and finally, understand the "parallel process"—how staff mastery of these skills directly impacts the efficacy of student retention efforts. By the end of this half-day intensive, participants will be able to:

• Articulate the direct correlation between staff resilience and student retention outcomes within their home institutions.
• Apply the six core dimensions of the RISE resilience framework (Physical, Social, Spiritual, Cognitive, Life Skills, and Service) to identify personal areas of depletion and strength.
• Demonstrate the same resilience-informed techniques taught to Pepperdine students to facilitate more impactful mentoring and advising sessions.
•  Identify early physiological and psychological markers of compassion fatigue and deploy specific "reset" strategies to maintain professional efficacy.
• Construct measurable goals for personal well-being and departmental culture shifts.

Presenter(s) Bio & Institution:

Connie Horton, Pepperdine University –  Vice Chancellor & Executive Director, RISE Institute

Connie Horton is the vice chancellor and executive director of the RISE Institute at Pepperdine University, where she leads initiatives to expand resilience education and well-being efforts across the University and beyond. A licensed psychologist, Horton previously served as Pepperdine's vice president for student affairs (2017–2025), where she oversaw key areas of student wellness and leadership. Earlier career chapters included serving as a psychology faculty member and as the director of the University's Counseling Center. Horton's career has focused on student mental health and resilience, and she was instrumental in launching the RISE (Resilience-Informed Skills Education) program to help college students navigate life's challenges. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Pepperdine, a master's degree in counseling from California State University, Fullerton, and a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Stacey Lee Gobir, Pepperdine University – Director, RISE Program

Stacey Lee Gobir is the director of the Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Program at Pepperdine University and serves as a resilience educator and trainer for students, faculty, staff, and community members. With more than a decade of experience in higher education, Gobir has served in various roles across Pepperdine's Housing and Residence Life, the Office of Student Accessibility, and health and wellness. Her professional and personal passions have also led her to serve local villages and live on a medical mission in Fiji, volunteer with the Los Angeles Superior Court as a civil harassment mediator, and support veteran and nontraditional students at Stanford University. A proud Pepperdine double alumna, she earned her undergraduate degree from Seaver College and a master's in dispute resolution from the Caruso School of Law's Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution.

Memory is an integral part of the educational process. Although some aspects of memory are necessary for learning, learning and memory are two distinct constructs. Successful college students have three primary responsibilities in their educational process: 1) Learning at an appropriate level, 2) Managing what they have learned in their memory, and 3) Proving that they have learned (Morsches & Matthews, 2023). This workshop will focus on the second responsibility, that of managing memory. The workshop will have three components. The first will be a philosophical and psychological examination of the construct of memory. We will examine historical explanations of how memory works, hypotheses regarding where memories are stored, and examples of how memory contributes to our very identities. The second component will focus on memory strategies and techniques. This exercise is very practical, and participants will learn how their memory capacities can increase rapidly. The third component will address how memory then ties into the first and third responsibilities, learning and proving respectively. This will be a very interactive workshop, and participants will find a great deal of value for their students and themselves.

Learning Objectives: This session is designed to help instructors understand the nature of memory and its role in the educational process. Memory transacts in a suite of cognitive processes that are essential to education. The fact that so few students really understand how their memory works is troublesome. Although there are memory demands in learning, learning and memory are two distinct processes (hence the use here of educational process rather than learning process). When we tell students to “learn” something, we really mean: 1) Learn it at the appropriate level (Bloom), 2) Manage it in your memory until it is needed and then be prepared to retrieve it upon demand, and 3) Be prepared to prove you have learned it. In fact, we learn things and forget them regularly, but the fact remains that we have learned them. If we are not careful, we can establish a statute of limitations of sorts, reinforcing that student notion of “I only need it until the test.” Memory is central to the Three Responsibilities of a Student (Morsches & Matthews, 2022), but should never be confused with learning, unless of course the learning it is at the rote level. Memory is the storage and retrieval of information once that information has been learned. For the purposes of this workshop, we will begin by examining the construct of memory in its primary form, that of an essential component of our lived experiences. We will explore the relationship between our memory and our identity as the relationship has been explored for several millennia. More specifically, we will investigate the traditional beliefs regarding how memories are made, where they are stored, how we retrieve them, why we have trouble retrieving them, and finally, why (if we do) we forget them. After discussing historical beliefs about memory, we will review and practice multiple memory strategies, particularly those most beneficial for students, presenters, and speechmakers. Ironically, most of the tools are inspired by ancient practitioners. This is a very interactive portion of the workshop, and participants will see marked increases in their abilities to store and retrieve sets of information. Finally, we will discuss how memory works in an educational process. This includes helping students understand the difference between learning and memory and how to monitor and maintain their memory throughout the process. We will also focus on two memory issues, interference and decay, the two most common sources of errors for students. Participants will learn:

• About traditional views regarding the function and structure of memory
• Memory strategies that will benefit them and their students
• How to help their students understand the role and challenges of memory in the educational process

Presenter(s) Bio & Institution:

Michael, Morsches, Moraine Valley Community College – Michael is a trained teacher, and holds a Master's degree in Multicultural Education.  He has taught in public and private colleges and universities, and has served as an administrator in several institutions.  Michael has extensive experience in the Third World serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica and Yemen, and supervising Peace Corps volunteers in Tanzania.  He has worked with literacy, healthcare, girls' empowerment, and refugee initiatives in the Middle East and Africa. Michael’s primary interests lie in teacher education and cognition. Currently, Michael serves as the Dean of Learning Enrichment and College Readiness at Moraine Valley Community College in Chicago, Illinois. 

Grant Matthews, Lane Community College – Grant is the Associate Vice President for Career Technical Education and Workforce Development at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. In this role, he oversees the School of Professional Technical Careers which includes allied health education, business, technology, trades, the Lane Aviation Academy, high school connection initiatives, integrated education and training initiatives, small business development support, cooperative education, internships, and Carl D. Perkins funding. Grant has also held the position of Dean for Health Profession, Health, and Physical Education, Career Pathways, Adult Basic Education, and Academic Learning Skills at LCC. Prior to LCC, he served as an Assistant Dean at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois and various roles at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, including Diversity and Equity Officer. Grant is an experienced educator and education leader with a deep passion for students and the potential they bring for their own future. His passion for student success translates to dedication in his work and research. He holds an MPA in Higher Education Leadership from Portland State University and doctoral coursework in Community College Leadership at Oregon State University.

University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Student Success & Retention (SSR) team has developed a cross divisional partnership model that operationalizes the Putting Students First framework to strengthen student connection, persistence, and completion. This session highlights how SSR integrates the university’s four dimensions of student success—academic achievement, career preparedness, engagement, and holistic wellbeing—into a unified, campuswide retention strategy. Through a cross-campus collaboration panel and interactive workshop, participants will explore the full ecosystem of student success: designing data informed early alert systems that students trust, removing administrative barriers through evidence-based policy advocacy, and building intentional outreach campaigns that balance CRM automation with meaningful human connection. The session will also demonstrate methods for authentically co-designing solutions with students to ensure interventions reflect real needs and lived experiences. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, including sample outreach language, campaign concepts, student voice engagement strategies, and a customizable resolution workflow adaptable to their institutional context.

Learning Objectives:

Identify & Advocate

Recognize common administrative and policy barriers to student success and outline evidence-based strategies for advocating policy reform through collaborative, campuswide stakeholder engagement.

Build

Construct intentional, lifecycle-based outreach campaigns aligned with institutional definition of student success using CRM and marketing automation tools, balancing efficiency with personalized human touchpoints.

Integrate Student Voice

Apply methods for authentically co-designing retention initiatives with students to ensure programs reflect real student needs, experiences, and motivations.

Operationalize

Create a resolution workflow that connects early alerts, leading indicators, and coordinated response protocols into a cohesive operational system adaptable to their institutional context.

Presenter(s) Bio & Institution:

Tanya Stack, University of North Carolina Wilmington – Tanya serves as a Technology Assistant on the Student Success and Retention team at UNCW, supporting the university’s chatbot and student communication platform. Her work contributes to student engagement and outreach initiatives designed to strengthen communication and retention efforts across the institution. Tanya holds a B.A. in Government and Foreign Affairs, an M.A. in International Transactions, and an A.A.S. in Cyber Crime Technology. Her work is guided by an interest in using technology to help students feel more connected and supported throughout their academic journey.

Karen Cassidy, University of North Carolina Wilmington –  Karen Cassidy focuses on advancing student success through early, intentional outreach and by addressing barriers that impact persistence and degree completion. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida and a master’s in educational leadership from the University of North Florida. Her work is grounded in supporting students as they transition from K-12 into higher education, with an emphasis on timely intervention and meaningful connection. Karen believes institutions should function as proactive support systems, where students are consistently engaged, supported, and guided back on track when challenges arise.

Tamara Cooper, University of North Carolina Wilmington –  Tamara Cooper is a Retention Specialist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She holds degrees in Graphic Design and Mathematics, including an MS Mathematics. Tamara focuses on using data analysis and research to develop actionable insights that support student success and persistence. Prior to her work in higher education, she built a diverse career in the technology sector, serving as a QA analyst, technical content developer, program manager, and product analyst. She is passionate about leveraging data-informed strategies to help students achieve their educational goals.

DiAnna Washington, University of North Carolina Wilmington –  Dr. Washington (DiAnna- Dianna) is an equity-driven higher education leader with extensive experience designing and scaling student success systems that elevate access, persistence, and academic achievement for diverse learners. With a career spanning campus, regional, and statewide leadership roles, she has built high-impact initiatives that strengthen advising, retention, college readiness, and holistic student support. She brings a collaborative data-informed approach to institutional transformation,  cultivating cross-divisional partnerships and leading high-performing teams to advance student belonging, academic excellence, and equitable outcomes. Dr. Washington’s leadership reflects a deep commitment to culturally responsive practices, collaborative governance, and data-driven decision-making. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education from Indiana University.