CampusConnect 2026 In Review

Nelnet Campus Commerce (Nelnet) brought clients together in Annapolis, Maryland, June 1–3 for CampusConnect, its annual user meeting. Fifty clients representing 27 institutions across the US participated in collaborative sessions focused on making student financial experiences easier to navigate while helping institutions reduce risk, friction, and complexity. Sessions covered AI-driven personalization, account presentation, guest payments, and flexible payment plan options — as well as fraud risk, compliance, and global student mobility, with partner perspectives from Convera and CampusGuard.

The conference opened with a keynote from NCC President Jackie Strohbehn and Evan Claudeanos, managing director of product strategy and engineering, who revealed Horizon, NCC’s future platform built around the payment moment, the highest-leverage intervention point in a student’s financial journey.

Client voices were central throughout. A panel featuring Mississippi State University and Binghamton University shared real-world approaches to modernizing campus eCommerce, and Rutgers University highlighted its work toward more personalized, financially literate billing experiences. The conference closed with collaborative labs where clients mapped workflows, identified friction points, and shared ideas that will directly shape what NCC builds next

CampusConnect isn’t just an event — it’s a cornerstone of how we grow, listen, and lead in higher education. It’s where we:

• Deepen partnerships with the clients we serve by inviting their feedback and showcasing their success stories.
• Elevate our expertise by sharing what our teams are building — and how we solve real problems.
• Fuel innovation through collaboration, helping our products evolve based on what campus leaders actually need.
• Strengthen our community of changemakers working to simplify and enhance the student experience.
• Educate about new services — including updates on Horizon, the new platform being developed to support institutions and their students.

“We had a lot of questions about past due payment plans … Finding out how to utilize those plans is going to be one of the biggest tools that we use.” — Rudy Chamble, Bethune-Cookman University

“CampusConnect is the chance to see what’s next. Being able to come and see the progression — that’s the validation we’re looking for to continue a working partnership with Nelnet and our institution.” — James Fairchild, University of North Texas

“It’s a more intimate conference — it’s not a huge 5,000-person conference. You really have time to be intentional, have good conversations with your partners, and get feedback. I hate to say, ‘like family,’ but you do — you come around the table, and you’re hearing what’s working, what’s not working.” — Jenny Crowley, VP of Business Development, GradGuard

A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible. CampusConnect is a reminder that the best solutions come when we bring our voices together. We look forward to seeing what’s on the horizon!