Upcoming events
WAEOPP strives to offer events to strengthen the services provided to our various Educational Opportunity Programs. Including student development events, continued legislative advocacy, and professional development opportunities for its members. Check out what we have to offer!
Future Pathways Student Conference
Formerly known as the McNair/SSS Graduate School Retreat, we have rebranded the conference as the Future Pathways Student Development Conference. This conference aims to support students at any point in their educational development and meet grant objectives by covering topics such as financing your education, career exploration, and educational planning and discovery.
The Future Pathways conference will take place at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI. This year, we are hosting a track for college students (aimed at two-year and four-year SSS, SSS-D, SSS STEM, and McNair programs) and a track for pre-college students (Talent Search, Upward Bound, VUB, Upward Bound Math-Science, and GEAR UP). Please see below for conference dates and a tentative conference schedule.
The registration fees are as follows:
Early Bird Registration (6/15-7/31): $325 per student/staff member
Standard Registration (8/1-8/31): $375 per student/staff member
Late Registration (9/1-9/11): $425 per student/staff member
College Fair Vendor: $200 (Includes table/chairs and lunch for 2 representatives)
The registration fee covers the cost of speakers, meals (3), and general conference expenses.
Reduced group room rate at The Wilderness is $179 per night (state rate is not offered on the weekends), and can be booked here: Call 1-800-867-WILD and have the reservation agent book with the group rate at the Glacier Canyon Lodge (not the Wilderness Hotel) using "Leader #967651".
Final registration and attendee information must be submitted by Friday, September 11th, 2026.
52nd EOA Annual Professional Conference
Join us in St. Louis, Missouri for the Educational Opportunity Association (EOA) Annual Conference!
Base fee:
*Fourth of July Sale (Limited) – $700.00
*Members and Non-Members
*Non-refundable
**Registrations not paid within 15 minutes are automatically canceled by the system. If you need an invoice to pay by check, please contact: treasurer@eoa.org
Early Bird | MEMBER RATE – $750.00
Open from July 4, 2026 -September 18, 2026
Cost is $750/MEMBER & $850/NON-MEMBER
MUST BE LOGGED IN AS A PAID MEMBER TO GET THE MEMBER RATE
**Registrations not paid within 15 minutes are automatically canceled by the system. If you need an invoice to pay by check, please contact: treasurer@eoa.org
Early Bird | NON-MEMBER RATE – $850.00
Open from July 4, 2026 -September 18, 2026 Cost is $750/MEMBER & $850/NON-MEMBER
MUST BE LOGGED IN AS A PAID MEMBER TO GET THE MEMBER RATE*
**Registrations not paid within 15 minutes are automatically canceled by the system. If you need an invoice to pay by check, please contact: treasurer@eoa.org
LATE Registration | Member – $950.00
**Registrations not paid within 15 minutes are automatically canceled by the system. If you need an invoice to pay by check, please contact: treasurer@eoa.org
Regular | MEMBER RATE – $850.00
Open from Thu, Oct 9, 2025 - Sun, Nov 2, 2025
Cost is $850/MEMBER & $1050/NON-MEMBER
MUST BE LOGGED IN AS A PAID MEMBER TO GET THE MEMBER RATE*
**Registrations not paid within 15 minutes are automatically canceled by the system. If you need an invoice to pay by check, please contact: treasurer@eoa.org
Regular | NON-MEMBER RATE – $1,050.00
Open from Thu, Oct 9, 2025 - Sun, Nov 2, 2025 Cost is $850/MEMBER & $1050/NON-MEMBER
MUST BE LOGGED IN AS A PAID MEMBER TO GET THE MEMBER RATE*
WAEOPP Annual Conference
2026 Tentative Conference Agenda
Wednesday, April 15
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Board Lunch — Glacier D
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Registration — Glacier Hallway
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM: Welcome & Overview — Wilderness 25
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM: Keynote Address — Wilderness 25
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: WAEOPP 101 Group Activity (WAEOPP Bingo) — Wilderness 25
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Hotel Check‑In
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: TRIO Alumni Community Call — Wilderness 25
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dinner Buffet — Wilderness 36
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Funtivity — Wilderness 25
Thursday, April 16
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Board and Conference Chair — Lake Delton Boardroom
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Breakfast Buffet — Wilderness 25
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration — Glacier Hallway
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM:
EOA Updates — Wilderness 25
Advocacy Updates — Wilderness 25
10:00 AM – 10:50 AM: Breakout Sessions
Glacier A: Leading with Purpose: Strategic Engagement in TRIO — Garry
Glacier B: Data‑Driven Retention Strategies for Student Success — Tori
Glacier C: Innovative Programming Models That Work — Maya
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM: Roundtable Discussions
Programming & Engagement: What’s Working and Why — Glacier A
Recruitment & Retention: Building Sustainable Pipelines — Glacier B
Burnout & Balance: Supporting Staff Wellness — Glacier C
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch Buffet — Wilderness 36
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Breakout Session / Ducks Tour
Glacier A Breakout: Practical Tools for Everyday Leadership in TRIO — Danny
Ducks Tour — 1:30 PM Pick‑Up
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Break (View Raffle Baskets / Hotel Check‑In) — Wilderness 36
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Break
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Cash Bar & Appetizers — Wilderness 36
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM: TRIO Achievers’ Dinner (Plated Meal) — Wilderness 36
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM: Alumni Reception — Wilderness 36
Friday, April 17
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Breakfast Buffet — Sandstone 3
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: COE & WAEOPP Updates — Sandstone 3
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Closing Session & Raffle Basket Winners — Sandstone 3
Register for the conference here!
WAEOPP SLICE Summit
You are invited to join us for the fourth annual WAEOPP Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement Summit (SLICE Summit) on Saturday, February 21, 2026.The SLICE Summit will take place at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, WI and will include workshops on community leadership, an introduction to careers in public service by a panel of leaders from Wisconsin, a hands-on project, and a tour of the capitol building. This event is focused on developing your students to become leaders in their communities!
The cost is $25/person registration fee which helps to cover the cost of lunch, t-shirt and room reservations. Invoices for the total number of staff and students registered from your program, along with other important information, will be sent on February 9th, 2026.
RSVP your program using this link!
WAEOPP CHAT Line
Join our community call & support series on December 12th from 9–10 a.m. These casual, drop-in sessions provide a dedicated space to connect, recharge, and exchange ideas with colleagues statewide. Attend as many sessions as you like—no agenda required! To receive the Zoom link for any of these calls, please sign up here.
2025 WAEOPP Annual Conference
Join us for the WAEOPP 2025 Annual Conference, a dynamic three-day event designed to connect college access and success professionals, share best practices, and celebrate our collective impact. Engage in insightful sessions, network with colleagues, and enjoy special events like a Guided Capitol Tour, TRIO Professionals & Alumni Reception, and the TRIO Achiever Banquet.
Link to Register and learn more: https://eoa.wildapricot.org/event-6007548
WAEOPP Student Leadership & Advocacy Summit
Unite our TRIO students for a day of empowerment at the WAEOPP Student Leadership & Advocacy Summit! This event brings together TRIO students from across the state.
Key Highlights:
🔹 Amplify Their Voices – Advocate for TRIO and share your story
🔹 Connect & Build Community – Network with peers statewide
🔹 Spark Leadership Potential – Develop skills to become future leaders
To learn more and to register, visit, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NCvN-MX6rK3VSuICICtBnlveJoPiS-yutojAzzvYnkY/viewform?edit_requested=true#responses
Registration Deadline: March 28th
Fall 2024 WAEOPP McNair/SSS Graduate School Retreat
The retreat features multiple opportunities for students to network and learn about graduate school no matter where they are at in their graduate school exploration and application journey.
Please mark your calendars to save the date and join us in this exciting opportunity for students! The McNair/SSS Graduate School Retreat is an in-person conference, with partial virtual content for virtual attendees that focuses on the graduate school exploration and application experience including graduate school fairs, past keynotes of Dr. Don Asher and Carl McNair, and much more!
More information on conference registration and hotel accommodations will be coming soon! For any questions on the conference please contact mcnairsssretreat@eoa.org.
No Props Provided-Presented by Paradigm Shift
Register HERE!
EOA has partnered with Paradigm Shift to provide professional development opportunities to members! This event will be presented by Paradigm Shift.
Train the Trainer: No Props Provided
-Great facilitation can happen regardless of props or technology. This activity-centric topic is all about how to lead activities without any props needed. Your staff will learn brand-new activities from connection to team-building and beyond. At the end of this training, your staff will have a plethora of new content to use in their workshops- no props required.
WAEOPP Wellness
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83017006501?pwd=QiticGZFUVVkTlUzQ1lVSEI2YitWZz09#success
WAEOPP Annual Spring Conference
Opening Doors of TRIO: Embracing Accessibility & Maximizing Inclusion at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
WI Student Leadership & Advocacy Summit
You are invited to join us for the second WAEOPP Wisconsin Leadership and Advocacy Summit on Saturday, April 6th, 2024. The summit will take place at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and will include workshops on advocacy and leadership, an introduction to careers in public service, a hands-on advocacy project, and a tour of the state capitol. This event is focused on developing your students to become advocates for themselves and leaders in their communities!
Register here
WAEOPP Financial Wellness
Join the WAEOPP Development Team for the second session of WAEOPP Wellness! This event is part of a series addressing the 8 areas of wellness. Didn’t attend the first session? No problem. This session is on Financial Wellness and features a speaker from WESTconsin Credit Union: Wednesday, March 20th, 1:00-1:50 pm. No need to register.
Please print the Wellness Wheel Activity: https://studentwellness.uci.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Assessing-Your-Life-Balance.pdf and bring it to the session.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83017006501?pwd=QiticGZFUVVkTlUzQ1lVSEI2YitWZz09
Council for Opportunity in Education’s annual Policy Seminar
This year, the Council for Opportunity in Education’s annual Policy Seminar, Sunday, March 17 through Wednesday, March 20, 2024, includes three events: the Leadership Summit, the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, and the Legislative Conference. For individuals participating in the Policy Seminar, COE strongly encourages online registration. Download the paper registration form here.
WAEOPP General Assembly Meeting & Installation of 2024 Officers
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center | 400 Renaissance Dr. W. Detroit, MI
49th Annual EOA Professional Conference
49th Annual EOA Professional Conference
Call for proposals open until August 15, 2023.
View the Tentative Conference Schedule
Book your room at the conference hotel.
Fall 2023 WAEOPP McNair & SSS Graduate School Retreat
The WAEOPP McNair & SSS Graduate School Retreat will be held in-person at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells on Friday, September 29 and Saturday September 30. The conference offers students the opportunity to explore the graduate admissions process, how to apply and get in, how to go to graduate school for free, and how to prepare for transitioning to graduate school. The retreat also includes an in-person graduate school fair! This conference offers multiple tracks and breakout sessions throughout the two days!
This 2-day intensive seminar is designed to jump start students as they prepare for the graduate school application process and prepare for their transition to graduate school. The conference will be in-person, with virtual access to larger workshop sessions and keynotes.