2025 Digital Learning Summit

Hosted by the Center for Academic Innovation, the third annual, invitation-only Digital Learning Summit will be held at the University of Michigan on May 14 and 15, 2025.

Now more than ever, innovative units have the opportunity to future-proof their organizations and create an environment where teams and individuals can thrive. This year’s theme, “Navigating Change in Higher Education,” asks attendees to explore how they’ve used resources responsibly in the face of change, how they’ve been responding to external and internal change, and the impact that change has had on their institutions.

The summit will feature a variety of sessions, including keynotes, talks, panels, and workshops, where you can engage with institutional leaders and share your own experiences. Keynote speaker Dr. Martha E. Pollack will share insights on the importance of higher education institutions’ core values as a guiding principle during technological change. Focusing on AI’s impact and the larger context of mission-driven work, she’ll explore how AI raises challenges and opportunities for scholars to consider.

Summit sessions will cover a range of topics, including developing strategies for research institutions, navigating technological changes, digital accessibility, network building, career growth, and more.

An optional networking reception will take place the day before the summit, on Tuesday, May 13th, at 5:30 p.m.

About Our Keynote Speaker

Martha E. Pollack is president emerita of Cornell University, where she was also professor of computer science, information science, and linguistics. She previously held a number of other leadership roles in higher education, including provost at the University of Michigan. A computer scientist specializing in artificial intelligence, Pollack is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

About the Center for Academic Innovation

The University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is committed to a future in which education connects and empowers all learners to reach their full potential throughout their lives. We collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for students and learners everywhere. Our work spans curricular innovation, tools for student success and equity, educational research and analytics, and academic innovation policy.

About the Digital Learning Summit

The Digital Learning Summit brings together professionals in higher education focused on digital education and academic innovation. The summit’s goals focus on facilitating connections within teams, fostering community, and empowering emerging leaders in education innovation and digital education spaces. This year’s summit invites institutions to form a “pod” of 3-4 attendees, comprising individuals who create, manage, and lead. This structure fosters an intimate environment for peer-to-peer engagement and cross-institutional learning. Organize your pod in a way that makes sense for your team or organization.

This is a private event with attendance by invitation only. Please reach out to the hosting committee if you have questions about your invitation.

The 2025 DLS Planning Committee

Angeline Boyes, University of Michigan

Rebecca Quintana, University of Michigan

Patrice Torcivia Prusko, Harvard University

Jessica Morris, University of Pennsylvania

Catherine Zabriskie, Brown University

Priscilla Fiden, Stanford University

Mallika Vinekar, Vanderbilt University