The First Annual
New England Conference for Student Success
Effective Strategies for Educating the Whole Student

Call for Proposals | Session Formats | Instructions for Proposals | How to Submit a Proposal

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Call for Proposals

Proposal review will begin July 15. Submissions will not be accepted after August 5, 2010. The deadline has been extended until Friday, August 13, 2010.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is hosting its first annual Northeast Conference for Student Success on Friday, October 8, 2010. Preconference sessions will be held on Thursday, October 7. The Conference will highlight effective programs and practices that deepen student engagement and success. It is designed for administrators and practitioners in academic and student affairs, as well as faculty members, from a range of educational institutions, both 2- and 4-year, seeking innovative, robust, and practical designs for learning, teaching, and assessment approaches.

The Student Success Conference organizing committee invites practitioners and scholars to submit proposals for conference sessions. All submissions should address the conference themes of effective practices that foster student success and educate the whole student.

Proposals should report on practice-based initiatives or the outcomes of research, focusing on the practical aspects of student success initiatives and innovations.  Proposals should explain what is done, how it is done, and the impact (or expected impact) of the initiative. Authors of proposals should prepare for at least 30 minutes of audience participation or discussion about the initiative by posing one or two key questions or issues for discussion in the submission. It is important that submissions explain how the session will be conducted, i.e. how the 60-minute time slot will be organized to encourage audience participation. Proposal submissions should not exceed five (5) double-spaced pages including title, author details, abstract, body, questions or issues for audience, session outline and references.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Academic advising
• First year experience
• Shifting demographics
• Pedagogies for success
• Bridging the student affairs/academic affairs gap
• Learning outcome/data driven programs
• Financial aid for success
• Physical and emotional wellness
• Programs geared towards specific populations
  

Session Formats

Choose from three session formats: (1) Hands-On Workshop, (2) Research/Project Dissemination & Discussion, and (3) Facilitated Discussion. Please select the format that will advance participants’ understanding and potential use of your work. One way to effectively engage participants across the different formats is to have them explore ways to apply your information and resources to their own institutional and professional settings.  All sessions will be 60 minutes long unless otherwise specified. In an effort to conserve resources, applicants are asked to limit extensive handouts. Electronic resources will be provided to participants both before and after the conference.

Format 1: Hands-On Workshop
Workshops provide an opportunity for the facilitators to significantly engage participants in active learning about the session topic. Workshops should begin with a brief framing of the topic and an overview of intended activities and goals for the session. Facilitators should introduce one or more models or strategies employed in their own work and provide data/findings related to the topic, benchmarks for success, common challenges, and practical examples that enhance participants’ learning. Facilitators should specifically take participants through one or more relevant exercises or activities (including in small groups) that will foster constructive dialogue and help them to move their own campus efforts forward.

Format 2: Project/Research Dissemination and Discussion
This session should allow for (a) 15-20 minutes for facilitators to highlight their research findings, promising project, model, or other innovation; (b) 20 minutes to work through practical applications of this work with participants (e.g., to other institutions or in scaling up to involve greater numbers of students); and (c) 15-20 minutes for discussion. Project/model/innovation-focused proposals should briefly describe the project, the parties involved (e.g., humanities and science faculty, residence life staff, first-year students, etc.), the impetus for the project, components, challenges encountered, strategies for implementation and plans for assessing its effectiveness. Research-focused proposals should state the research hypothesis, methodology, and major findings, and offer concrete examples/steps for using the findings to effect change. Data, findings, and applications should be presented in ways that are accessible to participants and allow them to engage in a discussion about applications and implications.

Format 3: Facilitated Discussions
Facilitated discussions provide time for colleagues to share expertise and experiences on a topic of similar interest. They provide a valuable opportunity to network and reflect upon ideas, challenges, and possible solutions in an informal setting. Facilitated discussions may take one of the following approaches:

• Topical discussion: The facilitator briefly presents information on a topic or challenge related to one of the conference themes and assists the group in examining issues of concern and new ways of thinking about the topic.  
• Practice/strategy discussion: The facilitator prefaces the discussion with a brief overview of a particular practice or strategy and provides a handout that includes a longer description, as well as a bibliography or other resources. The facilitator can then pose or invite a question to stimulate and focus the conversation so that others can share their own experiences using the particular practice or strategy.

NOTE: All sessions should engage participants in thinking about how they might translate and adapt the information presented to their own institutional and professional settings. Facilitators are also welcome to solicit feedback that would inform their work. If the session is better suited to a particular type of institution (e.g., community college, research university), or level of expertise (novice, intermediate, advanced), please make that clear.

If you have a great idea that does not fit into one of the above formats, please feel free to submit a proposal.

Instructions for Proposals

• Proposals should meet the guidelines set forth in this call for proposals.
• Proposals should be no more than five, double-spaced pages in length.
• Please number pages.
• Each page should include the author’s name and institution.
• Identify the conference theme and format you have selected.
• Describe your plan for the session. What models, strategies or research will you share/discuss?
• If you plan to talk about programs you have implemented, what problem were you attempting to address and what was the impact of this program?
• If you are discussing research, please identify its focus and describe the methods used and parameters of the study.
• Describe the intended activities and outcomes of your session, noting how the activities will help participants achieve the outcomes.
• Describe aspects of your work that can be applied to one or more sectors of higher education (i.e., large universities, liberal arts colleges, comprehensive institutions, community colleges).
• Describe the level to which your session is geared (novice, intermediate, advanced).
• Include links to relevant websites and/or attachments of materials you will share, if available.
• Detail your plan for audience participation in this session. How will you engage participants in a discussion of how your work might translate to their own campus contexts and roles? Please provide a list of key discussion questions.
• Refer and/or describe your contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
• Include a title and abstract for publication in the Conference Handbook.
• Refer to previous relevant published works.
• Be of a high professional standard.

If your proposal pertains to a project, program, course, or other feature for which there is (or will be) descriptive materials available online or electronically, please provide the URL address or e-document with your proposal (or when they become available before the conference). The conference website will include these links when we post the final program. After the conference, all presenters will be asked to provide additional electronic resources that will be made available to conference participants.

How to Submit a Proposal

Coversheet: All proposals must include the coversheet, completed electronically or manually (please print), depending on your preferred method for submission.

Writeable pdf coversheet (requires Acrobat Professional). Be sure to download form to your desktop, complete and save before sending as an email attachment.
Word document coversheet Download, complete, and save. Send as an email attachment, or print out for mail or fax submission)

Electronic Submission: Submit all supporting documents in pdf or Word format. All proposals should be sent to Susan McDonough. If you have difficulty submitting your proposal electronically, please contact Susan McDonough by email or telephone (413.577.1202).

Mail Submission: Send cover sheet and proposal to

Student Success Proposals
attn: Susan McDonough
202 Draper Hall
University of Massachusetts Amherst
40 Campus Center Way
Amherst, MA 01003-9244

Fax Submission: Send cover sheet and proposal to 413.577.0905; attn: Susan McDonough.

Notification: You will receive a confirmation message indicating receipt of your proposal within 2 business days of submission. If you do not receive this message, please contact Susan McDonough (413.577.1202) to confirm receipt.

Deadline and Acceptance: We will begin reviewing proposals on July 1, 2010. Proposals will not be accepted after August 5, 2010. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, AUGUST 13. For additional information, please contact Jackie Brousseau-Pereira (413.545.1933). Preference will be given to proposals received by July 1. Proposal status will be confirmed by September 1, 2010.

Registration Fees: All session facilitators are responsible for conference registration fees, as well as any travel or hotel expenses incurred. Facilitators will be offered a reduced conference fee when they complete the registration form.

Resources for Attendees of Your Session: Resource materials help conference participants implement and/or share new ideas. In an effort to conserve natural resources, and increase the potential for active participation in your session, we strongly encourage facilitators to provide us with online resources one month in advance of the conference.