FSW Hosts AFC Region IV Conference, Bringing Florida College Leaders Together

What happens when higher education leaders come together to share ideas, tackle challenges, and explore the future?

That question was at the heart of the recent Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) Region IV Conference, where educators and administrators from across region IV gathered to discuss everything from leadership and professional growth to artificial intelligence and student success.

For Dr. Ian Neuhard, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW), the value of events like AFC lies in the opportunity to learn from one another.

“Anytime you’ve got an opportunity to bring professionals together from a geographic region, institutions that are closely aligned in terms of their economies and what they’re trying to offer to students, it’s a great opportunity,” Neuhard said. “We as professionals don’t always have all the answers.”

As higher education continues to evolve, collaboration has become more important than ever. Neuhard encouraged professionals to take advantage of conferences, webinars, and networking opportunities that allow institutions to exchange ideas and share best practices.

“That’s where we are able to refill our cups,” he said. “The world and higher ed is changing at a very fast pace.”

That spirit of learning and innovation was echoed by Michael Mears, Coordinator of Leadership and Civic Engagement at Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW), who attended the conference to present on The Working Genius.

“These conferences are super useful for professionals like me because there are not a lot of opportunities where higher education professionals get to share ideas and how they approach the different problems that we face,” Mears said.

For Mears, the ability to connect with peers across the state creates opportunities to bring fresh perspectives back to campus.

“I love opportunities to interact and connect with other individuals from our industry,” he said. “I love bringing those ideas back and finding new ways to innovate and solve problems.”

Networking was also a key takeaway for June Weyrauch, Grants Coordinator at South Florida State College and President of her Institution’s SFSC Chapter President.

“I love supporting AFC and AFC events,” Weyrauch said. “You can sit down and literally talk to your colleagues from your sister colleges and talk about the same goods and the same bads that are happening at each location.”

She believes those conversations are one of the most valuable forms of professional development available.

“When you can go into these sessions and hear your peers talk about a topic that either interests you or a topic that you can learn from, nothing beats that,” she said.

One of the most discussed topics throughout the conference was artificial intelligence and its growing role in education. During a featured session, Anna Haney Withrow, director of the Institute of Innovative and Emerging Technologies, challenged attendees to think differently about AI’s potential.

“I think we’re starting to resolve some of the cognitive dissonance around AI,” Withrow said. “I believe we’ll see a renaissance of curiosity and creativity in our classrooms.”

Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for learning, Withrow sees it as an opportunity to emphasize the skills that make us uniquely human.

“Those uniquely human traits, in addition to focus and perseverance, will start to be what sets the highest-achieving students and institutions apart,” she said.

Withrow also encouraged educators to approach technology through the lens of their values.

“Center your values,” she advised. “Get really good at articulating the larger vision that drives your work and bring it into every decision you make relative to AI.”

At the same time, she emphasized the importance of listening to students as institutions navigate this new landscape.

“I think one thing we need to get much more serious about is listening to our Gen Z students,” Withrow said. “They are telling us something about their experience of the world so far through their complicated relationship with AI.”

Looking ahead, Withrow is excited about AI’s potential to create immersive learning opportunities through simulations, communication practice, and virtual reality experiences.

“AI is converging with immersive technology like VR, and I think the results will be incredible,” she said.

While the topics discussed at AFC Region 4 ranged from leadership development to emerging technologies, a common theme emerged throughout the conference: higher education is strongest when professionals come together to learn from one another.

Whether through collaboration, networking, or innovation, attendees left with new ideas, new connections, and renewed energy to serve their students and communities.

As Neuhard put it, the goal is simple: help higher education professionals leave “refilled, refreshed, recharged, and excited about getting back to their home institutions.”