Programs
Connection, conversation, and professional support throughout the year.
AAHE programs give members practical ways to share ideas, compare models, ask questions, and build relationships with colleagues across colleges and universities.
Program overview
AAHE programming is built around peer exchange.
Members come to AAHE with questions from their campuses: how to support student arts groups, structure artist residencies, manage complex collaborations, build sustainable programs, and advocate for the arts within higher education.
The program structure is intentionally practical. Some opportunities are formal, like the Annual Meeting and Mentorship Program. Others are conversational, including breakout sessions and career-stage groups shaped by member needs.
Year-round programs
Stay connected between annual meetings.
These programs create space for conversation across roles, institutions, and career stages.
Breakout Sessions
Member-centered virtual conversations focused on current questions, shared challenges, and practical strategies in arts administration.
Career Groups
Peer groups organized by career stage, giving members a space to reflect, compare experiences, and support professional growth.
Mentorship Program
Structured pairings that connect members across institutions, roles, and areas of practice for guidance and professional exchange.
Annual Meeting
AAHE’s central gathering for shared learning.
Each year, AAHE members gather on a member campus for conversation, site visits, sessions, and shared learning. The meeting offers time to exchange resources, explore local arts ecosystems, and build relationships that continue throughout the year.
The Annual Meeting also helps members see how different institutions structure arts leadership, student engagement, public programs, and cross-campus collaboration.
For members
Programs work best when members bring real questions into the room.
AAHE’s strongest programs are shaped by the experience, generosity, and practical knowledge of its members.
Bring a topic, challenge, or example.
Members are encouraged to suggest breakout topics, share useful models, participate in career-stage conversations, and connect colleagues to resources from their own campuses.
Program pathways
Find the right place to start.
Different members use AAHE in different ways. These pathways can help new and returning members find a useful point of entry.
If you are new to AAHE
Start with membership, join a breakout session, and consider the Annual Meeting as a way to meet colleagues across the network.
If you want peer conversation
Look to Breakout Sessions and Career Groups for structured discussion with members facing similar questions.
If you want guidance or perspective
The Mentorship Program creates a focused way to connect with a colleague across institutions and areas of practice.