NISTS to hold in-person and virtual conferences

December 7, 2021

The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) will host its annual conference as a pair of events in February. An in-person conference is set for Feb. 2-4 in St. Louis, with a virtual option Feb. 23-24.

The theme for the events is "From Moment to Movement: Shaping the Future of Transfer." Registration is open on the NISTS Conference webpage.

"Improving transfer outcomes was already a hot topic, but the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with continued calls for social justice, have cast even more light on the profound impact seemingly small moments can have on transfer students' trajectories," Emily Kittrell, associate director of NISTS, said. "We're seizing this unprecedented opportunity to cast a unified vision for eliminating all potential friction points in the transfer pathway."

NISTS's annual conference events will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the organization. UNG President Bonita Jacobs founded the institute in response to a lack of professional development opportunities and research literature focused specifically on transfer students. The institute is based on UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

The 2022 in-person conference marks the first time in recent years the conference will be outside of Atlanta. That shift, combined with the virtual option, aims to extend access.

"We must do everything we can to ensure that transfer students are a priority and that they have equitable access to the resources and support they need to achieve their goals," Kittrell said. "It's critical this conversation reach as many higher education professionals as possible."

Participants in the in-person conference will have access to any virtual conference activities.

NISTS will present the following awards at the conference:

  • Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion-Catalyst
  • Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion-Rising Star
  • Research Grant
  • Transfer Student Ambassadors

Each year, about 20% of UNG's new students are transfers. The prevalence of transfer students at UNG mirrors national trends as 2.1 million undergraduate students transferred between July 2020 and June 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The 2023 NISTS Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, and the 2024 event will return to St. Louis.