2025 Manitoba Advising Professionals Annual Conference
Friday, November 7, 2025
Manitoba Advising Professionals are pleased to present the 27th Annual Conference. This year the agenda will again include a variety of interesting, informative, and relevant sessions for advisors and other post-secondary personnel in a variety of settings.
Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport
1740 Ellice Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
Date: Friday, November 7, 2025
Time: 8:15 AM - 4:00 PM CST
2025 Conference
Keynote Speaker
Bradley West -- "Advising in the Eye of the Storm"
Registration
Cost
New members: $260 ($200 conference fee + $20 2025 membership + $40 2026 membership)
Current members: $240 ($200 conference fee +$40 2026 membership)
Registration can be completed at the following Eventbrite link:
Conference Agenda
8:15 - 8:45 AM | Check-in, light refreshments, and networking (Madison Ballroom A & B)
8:45 - 9:00 AM | MAP Welcome and Introductions (Madison Ballroom A & B)
9:00 - 10:15 AM | Keynote Address (Madison A & B): Advising in the Eye of the Storm
Keynote Speaker: Bradley West, CPHR. SHRM-SCP. CCP. PMC
In a time of rapid change and growing complexity, post-secondary advisors face unprecedented challenges. Students arrive with multifaceted needs—academic, emotional, financial, and social—while institutional resources remain stretched. This keynote reimagines advising not as gatekeeping, but as strategic influence. Control is an illusion; impact is our currency. By embracing adaptive practices, centering equity, and building inclusive pathways, advisors can become anchors of stability and agents of transformation. We'll explore how to lead with purpose and advise with clarity using a 4 Step Process - providing a flexible framework for impactful advising in turbulent times.
10:15 - 10:30 AM | Refreshment Break and Networking (Registration Area)
10:30 - 11:45 AM | Concurrent Sessions 1 (Choose 1A or 1B)
Concurrent Session 1A (Madison A & B): Supporting International Students
Facilitators: Rebecca Irving (University of Manitoba), Parmeet Ghatoaura (Red River College Polytechnic), and Yuko Sakurai (Red River College Polytechnic)
This session is designed to provide practical insights into the common adjustment and immigration challenges faced by international students and the importance of coordinated support across departments and services. Participants will gain an understanding of how academic, social, financial, and immigration-related challenges intersect and impact international students and will explore strategies to collaboratively support student success. The session will also highlight the evolving immigration policy context affecting international students, including recent updates to the international student program, and offer guidance on ensuring students receive accurate immigration support. Attendees will leave with actionable approaches to foster student engagement, academic achievement, and overall well-being.
Session 1B (Madison C): Universal Design for Learning
Facilitator: Melissa Deroche (Instructor, Red River College Polytech)
This session explores how the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can enhance academic advising to better support all students. After a guided introduction to CAST’s UDL Guidelines, you’ll collaborate with peers to identify common advising barriers and apply UDL’s three core principles: Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression. Through hands-on activities, you’ll brainstorm inclusive strategies and reflect on ways to make your advising more learner-centered. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with practical ideas and fresh insights on how to integrate UDL into your next advising interaction.
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM | Lunch, Annual General Meeting, & Annual Report (Ellice Room)
1:15 - 2:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions 2 (Choose 2A or 2B)
Session 2A (Madison A & B): Supporting Students with Disabilities
Facilitators: Lori Walkow (Manager, Student Accessibility, RRC) and Jill Patterson (Manager, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, RRC)
In this interactive session, participants will explore practical strategies for supporting students with disabilities in academic advising. Led by RRC Polytech Student Support Services staff, this workshop will focus on fostering inclusive and supportive advising practices for a diverse student population.
Session 2B (Madison C): Red River Métis Inclusion Coordinators
Facilitator: Jessica Burzuik (University of Manitoba)
The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), the National Government of the Red River Métis, currently employs three Red River Métis Inclusion Coordinators at three Post-Secondary Institutions in Manitoba. Each Red River Métis Inclusion Coordinator is hosted on each campus to provide Red River Métis-specific programming as well as to help Red River Métis students access funding, obtain MMF citizenship, and connect them with other programs and services on their respective campuses as well as within the MMF. These Inclusion Coordinators are often the first point of contact for Red River Métis students and family members that are wanting to pursue a post-secondary education. With roughly half the Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) student population in Manitoba being Red River Métis, these Inclusion Coordinators have been imperative in helping a large population of Indigenous folks navigate post-secondary and reconnect with their culture. This session will describe this program in detail.
2:30 - 2:45 PM | Refreshment Break (Registration Area)
2:45 - 4:00 PM | Concurrent Sessions 3 (Choose 3A or 3B)
Session 3A (Madison A & B): Social Justice in Post-Secondary Ed
Facilitator: Haran Vijayanathan
An interactive session through story sharing that explores ways on creating change in a system that was set up to foster learning for the elite and is in the process of changing to support everyone. The question that will be explored is: are we really doing a good job of it or are we still causing harm?
Session 3B (Madison C): Building Resilience in Our Students
Facilitator: Sheryl Prouse (Assiniboine College)
Post-pandemic, many students arrive in college without having fully developed the coping, self-management, and adaptive skills they need to thrive in higher education. This interactive 75-minute workshop will equip advisors with practical strategies to foster resilience in students while recognizing the cultural, social, and mental-health contexts of learners. Participants will:
- Explore the meaning of resilience in the higher education context, including barriers and protective factors.
- Engage in activities that highlight resilience-building approaches advisors can use in one-on-one or group settings.
- Reflect on their own advising practices and identify new ways to support students in bouncing back from setbacks.
- Leave with concrete tools they can immediately integrate into their advising work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the refund policy?
Up to Oct. 31— 100% refund of conference fee (minus Eventbrite processing fees)
After Oct. 31 — no refund
Refunds will not be issued for no-show registrants. Membership fees are non-refundable. If a member is unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, conference registration may be transferred to another MAP member.
What if the conference is cancelled?
In the event of cancellation of the conference due to bad weather or other circumstances beyond our control, MAP will make every effort to reschedule the event to an alternate date. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled event, MAP will, at its discretion, refund the conference fee amount paid minus any venue cancellation charges. No refund will be made where participants are able to claim on an insurance policy.
MAP will not be liable for any ancillary or related costs including, but not limited to, hotel and airline charges or cancellation fees due to weather or other conditions or circumstances.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
Parking is free at the Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport. Winnipeg Transit offers bus service.
Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
Please contact mbadvisorsinfo@gmail.com with any questions you may have.