They Came for Inspiration and Left With a Roadmap
With the theme of “Insights Inspire Progress,” we engaged virtually with over 600 attendees from more than 500 higher education institutions at the Watermark Engage 2022 conference, held June 15 – 16, 2022.
Our signature annual event kicked off with welcoming comments from Watermark CEO Erin Shy, and Chief Product and Technology Officer Darren Bauer Kahan and Vice President of Products Brian Robinson relayed details about Watermark's exciting product roadmap, the philosophies powering it, and their vision for the future.
Distinguished speakers included the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) CEO, Dr. Bridget Burns, and Watermark's Chief Customer Officer, Sharon Milliman. Burns presented the keynote, “Insights Inspire Innovation: Transforming Higher Education Around Student Success.” She discussed how to identify areas of focus, ask tough questions, and take the first steps toward student-centered transformation. In the session, “An Appetite for Change: Key Findings from The Chronicle of Higher Education's Innovation Report,” Michael Anft, contributing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, shared insights from a spring 2022 survey of higher education leaders, which Watermark underwrote. Anft noted that college leaders can't be institutional stewards as they once were but instead must be innovators and change-makers. He helped attendees understand where to look for ideas for change and how to manage change effectively.
Meanwhile, Watermark subject matter experts enjoyed getting down to the nitty-gritty with clients at Peer2Peer Roundtables, which offered forums for enthusiastic users who brought their burning questions and topics to discuss. There were sessions specifically for users of Curriculum Strategy, Course Evaluations & Surveys, Student Learning & Licensure. Other Peer2Peer sessions included practical discussions for handling annual reviews, promotion, and tenure, how to handle the process when implementing new software, and assessment cycle tips and tricks. Social media posts captured key conference highlights, adding to the community engagement.
As for the lineup of more than 50 outstanding product and client sessions, breakout rooms, and dynamic roundtables, stay tuned for more in the recaps in the coming weeks!
Your Top 5 Takeaways
Here are attendees’ Top Five Favorites from our event survey. (There were actually more than five!)
- Keynote by Bridget Burns, who gave us a roadmap for student-centered transformation at our institutions.
- Peer2Peer Roundtables and connecting with the same product users
- Hearing success stories and challenges from fellow users
- Being the first to know what’s ahead for Watermark products, features, and integrations
- Meeting the enthusiastic Watermark team and the sense of community (even virtually!)
Comments from attendees included: "Engage is always a terrific conference. This year did not disappoint," "The sessions moved briskly with substantial content," "Getting to mingle is so important for me," and "Learning new product features, meeting colleagues, and networking were my favorite parts." Thanks to all who shared with us!
Almost everyone shared the final sentiment, including Watermarkers: “I’m leaving Engage feeling inspired!"
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