Higher Ed HR Lands in Philly
Higher Education HR Leaders to Gather in Philadelphia as Campuses Rethink Hiring
More than 900 higher education human-resources professionals are expected in Philadelphia next month as colleges and universities contend with job cuts, budget pressures and changing recruitment practices.
The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources’ annual conference is scheduled for Oct. 5-7 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The meeting comes after U.S. colleges and universities eliminated more than 9,000 positions in 2025, according to figures cited by conference representatives.
The event will focus on workforce issues affecting higher education institutions, including competition for employees, staff recruitment and the use of artificial intelligence in hiring.
Philadelphia-area colleges are competing for workers with other major employers in the region, a dynamic that can complicate recruitment as institutions seek to limit costs, according to Andy Boom, director of business development at recruitment firm JobElephant, who plans to attend the conference.
Talent-acquisition leaders are also preparing for wider adoption of agentic AI in recruitment. The conference materials cited a finding that 68% of such leaders expect the technology to become a central part of their hiring processes within the next year.