Buffalo State University will once again host the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), the world’s longest-running creativity and innovation conference, on June 14–18, 2026. Presented by the Creative Education Foundation (CEF), CPSI brings together educators, business leaders, nonprofit professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, and students from around the world for five days of immersive learning in creative thinking, problem solving, and innovation practice. All CPSI programming will take place on the Buffalo State campus, with sessions held in academic buildings and community areas. Full- and multi-day programs, as well as evening events, are open to the entire creative community and run throughout the week.
As higher education evolves, creativity has become a core competency for student success, faculty innovation, and institutional resilience. CPSI offers Buffalo State faculty and staff access to globally recognized tools that support critical thinking, student engagement, inclusive facilitation, and problem-solving confidence. These methods directly enhance teaching practice, especially in first-year experience, leadership development, and interdisciplinary learning.
People are also reading…
The Creative Education Foundation was founded by advertising executive Alex Osborn, whose pioneering work in applied creativity led to the development of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and the concept of applied imagination. Osborn later partnered with educator and researcher Sidney Parnes, who became CEF’s long-time collaborator and co-architect of the CPS process.
Parnes brought CEF’s mission to Buffalo State University, where he established what became the university’s creativity program—now the Center for Applied Imagination. This academic home helped shape Buffalo State’s identity as a global leader in creativity education; Buffalo State stands as the first educational institution in the world to offer graduate-level courses, a master of science in creativity studies, and—beginning in fall 2026—a doctor of professional studies in creativity and change leadership. Today, CEF continues to steward this legacy through CPSI, returning annually to the campus where so much foundational creativity research and teaching took place.
CPSI features hands-on workshops, multi-day immersive training programs, keynote presentations, facilitated creativity sessions, and community-building events. Participants learn practical methods for clarifying challenges, generating ideas, developing solutions, and strengthening psychological safety in classrooms and organizations. The conference is known for its welcoming, high-energy environment and its emphasis on applied creativity.
Evening program: AI and creative teaching
Monday, June 15 | Campbell Student Union and Butler Library | 7:00 p.m.
This evening program explores one of the most urgent questions in higher education today: How will artificial intelligence reshape creative teaching and learning? It will be followed by the dedication reception for the Dr. Sidney and Beatrice Parnes Creativity Collection. This gathering brings together contributors to The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Creativity in Global Higher Education and national leaders in creativity research and practice.
