Great news! We are continuing the Elevating Cougs conference; a committee composed of a diverse range of employees from all WSU campuses are already engaged in the planning for the 2024 Elevating Cougs development conference. The conference will again take place over two days, October 22 and 23, 2024. Conference registration will open on July 8, 2024.

The theme of this year’s conference is: Elevating Your Professional Success and Growth.” In response to feedback from last year’s conference, 2024 will offer one external keynote session, with the remainder of the conference being built upon both main sessions, 60 minutes in length, and micro-sessions, 30 minutes in length.

This year, the conference tracks will expand to include four tracks of development to choose from: Developing as a Coug, Leading as a Coug, WellCougs, and Workday Success Stories.

The conference will remain a fully online event, ensuring all participants enjoy the same event experience, while providing the best opportunity to attend as individual schedules allow. Additional conference details can be found on the 2024 Elevating Cougs website. You can also sign up for the Elevating Cougs Newsletter to ensure you are kept up to date on exciting news related to the conference. Our first newsletter will be distributed on May 30, 2024, with subsequent issues published the last Thursday of each month.

The Success and Recognition of our 2023 Elevating Cougs Event

The 2023 Elevating Cougs conference is the largest employee development event in WSU’s history, and the success of the conference continues to be recognized, both internally within WSU and externally.

CUPA_HR Spring Conference logo.

The content provided in both the main sessions and micro-sessions was relevant to employees throughout the organization, validated by continued access to the courses as well as continued positive feedback regarding the quality of the content. Many of these sessions have been integrated into various customized learning “journeys” in Percipio, allowing us to utilize these recorded resources to continue supporting targeted skill development specific to WSU processes and procedures.

External recognition of the success of the combined Modernization and Learning and Organizational Development efforts includes conference co-chairs, Paul Fleming-McCullagh and Laura Hamilton, being invited to present on the structure and planning for this conference at the Spring CUPA-HR national conference later this month. The conference has also been nominated for CUPA-HR’s Innovation Award, highlighting the innovative approach utilized to produce this all-employee development event.

Present at Elevating Cougs

Photo of a meeting room with people applauding and other people on a video call.

Are you passionate about a topic that positively impacts the work you perform, and have a desire to share best practices and your passion with others, or do you collaborate with someone who has a passion for a topic who you would like to see present? Consider submitting a nomination for a speaker at the 2024 Elevating Cougs conference are open.

Why present at Elevating Cougs?

  • Presenting at an internal conference provides opportunities for exposure to, and networking with other departments and areas throughout the organization, including potential collaborators and equally passionate individuals.
  • Presenting at a virtual conference can help to practice and enhance your public speaking skills, as well as your confidence and communication skills.
  • This is an opportunity to showcase best practices and successes that you have experienced in your current or past role or present on an area of expertise and knowledge to educate on innovative ideas or trends.
  • Presenting at an internal conference can demonstrate and establish your authority in the subject area, enhancing your reputation and credibility, as well as preparing you for future external opportunities to present.
  • The conference theme this year will highlight topics around career development and career-building opportunities. Engaging as a presenter can provide a unique opportunity to enhance personal promotion of your skills and knowledge.

Speaker proposals and nominations should be submitted no later than May 15, 2024. Speakers will be notified of the status of their proposal by early July and will be provided with support and resources ahead of the event. Questions on presenting at Elevating Cougs? Please reach out to hrstraining@wsu.edu.

Content Credit: Laura Hamilton, Learning and Organizational Development Manager