Call for Proposals
“Embracing the Diversity Within: Critical Issues for HBCUs
and Campuses Serving Students of Color”
2008 NASAP Mid-Year Professional Conference
July 18-19, 2008
Atlanta, GA
Hosted by the Spelman College
Division of Student Affairs
Proposal Deadline
March 30, 2008
Submissions should be made electronically to:
Dr. Sherry L. Turner
Vice President for Student Affairs
Spelman College
350 Spelman Lane SW
Box 1577
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
(404) 270-5131 (Direct)
(404) 270-5137 (Fax)
e-mail: studentaffairs@spelman.edu
Please cc: Ms. Silvia Knox Delamar at skdelamar@spelman.edu
What is the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals?
NASAP is a professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the area of Student Affairs. The organization serves as a beacon for student affairs personnel addressing the issues and needs of today’s college students. With a varied membership spanning across academic, administrative, corporate, and student affairs boundaries, the organization offers a variety of resources, and experiences.
The origins of NASAP can be traced back to two parent organizations: DOWA, the National Association of Deans of Women and Advisor of Girls in Colored Schools founded in 1929, and DOMA, the National Association of Dean of Men at Negro Educational Institutions founded in 1935. History was made at Howard University in 1954 when delegates of the two parent organizations gave NAPW, the Nationals Association of Personnel Workers, its founding. Today the organization is known as the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals. We invite your full participation in NASAP.
NASAP sponsors several annual programs and events that address the needs of students and the professional development needs of student affairs personnel. NASAP hosts dynamic annual and mid-year conferences, a Student Leadership Institute, and a National Summit on Greek-Letter Organizations. NASAP also is a significant resource through the publication of the critically-acclaimed NASAP Journal and the NASAP Focus Newsletter.
The Mid-Year Conference is designed to energize professional skills through interactive sessions taught by experienced NASAP professionals and provides opportunities for Student Affairs administrators to: (a) foster team building and the sharing of knowledge, skills and abilities; (b) network with colleagues at diverse colleges with emphasis on the administrative challenges faced in such settings; and (c) to address various administrative challenges and a range of successful strategies currently being implemented.
Conference Theme
This one-day professional conference will focus on diversity issues at Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campuses and other campuses with significant student of color populations. Blending theory and practice, the conference will provide strategies to foster more inclusive and respectful environments that both embrace and celebrate the various aspects of diversity on HBCU campuses. Devoting particular attention to the uniqueness of diversity issues on HBCU campuses and within student of color populations, we will explore a range of targeted social identities including race and ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, disability, class, and religion. Through the distinctive lenses of experts and professionals within Student Affairs, the conference is designed to enhance skills and interests through interactive sessions. Programs will include workshops for student affairs professionals and other campus administrators. Sessions will run concurrently throughout the day.
We invite professionals from all Student Affairs fields to submit proposals that address a broad range of topics pertaining to diversity, social justice and civic engagement. Proposals that highlight theory, research, or innovative campus diversity programs are welcome. Of particular interest are submissions that emphasize the particular ways in which diversity issues emerge within the HBCU contexts because of their unique history, mission and student population. Proposals that focus on critical issues of diversity, such as gender, sexuality and religion are encouraged. We are interested in innovative programs that reflect diversity, social justice and civic engagement initiatives and that prepare students of color to work in an increasingly complex diverse and global society.
We especially invite submissions that address the following conference themes:
- Transforming Institutional Culture
- Discovering Global Connections
- Fostering Meaningful Student Engagement and Relationships
- Difficult Conversations: Dealing with Student Resistance
- Innovative Campus Diversity Initiatives
The deadline for submission is March 30, 2008. For more information on how to submit a proposal, please visit the conference Web site at www.spelman.edu/nasap/.
Are collaborative proposals accepted?
Program proposals may be submitted by an individual, or by a group or team. One coordinating presenter should be selected and submit the proposal in his or her name, with the other presenters listed on the proposal. All presenters should be listed on the proposal and should have already agreed to participate at the time of submission.
What are the available program formats?
Sessions will be 75 minutes in length and are designed to explore issues, theories, research, or practices related to the conference theme. Proposals are sought in one of three program formats: Lecture/Paper Presentations, Panels/Symposia/Round Tables, or Workshop General Sessions.
Lecture/Paper Presentations
Lectures/Paper presentations are the primary venue for presenting scholarly research and material that pose analytic questions and then develop research-based or theoretical discussions about issues of importance to the profession. Proposal presenters for lectures/paper presentations selected for the conference should plan to submit a completed paper on the topic to the Program Chair by June 1, 2008, for inclusion in a conference proceedings monograph.
Panels/Symposia/Round Tables
A symposium or panel presentation/round table is a thematic, interactive, and structured conversation between a panel of presenters and the program participants. Panel/Symposia proposals should include the names of the panelists on the proposal, and have their agreement to participate prior to submission.
Workshop General Sessions
Some issues are best addressed in a traditional general session format.
What should program proposals include?
A Program Proposal Form in Microsoft Office Word Format has been included on the web-site. Coordinating presenters should fully complete this form, providing details of the program proposal, including, but not limited to:
- Program Title (maximum of 10 words);
- Program Abstract (maximum of 60 words);
- Presenters, including the names, titles and institutional affiliations of all participating presenters. All presenters must be registered for the Mid-Year Conference;
- Identified Learning Outcomes/Objectives;
- The relationship of the program to the conference theme;
- Description of how the audience members will be involved in the program;
- Brief Outline/Description of the presentation (maximum of 450 words);
Program proposals should:
- Adhere to the maximum word limitations included above and on the proposal form.
- Be completed only on the Program Proposal Form included on the conference web-site.
- Have the agreement to participate of all presenters listed on the proposal, prior to submission.
- Be submitted by the deadline to the Conference Program Chair.
What are the criteria for the selection of programs from the proposals?
Proposals will be evaluated on quality and clarity of content, the clarity of specified learning outcomes and specific relationship of the proposal to the conference theme.
How should proposals be submitted?
Presenters should download the Proposal Form (included in Microsoft Word Format) from the web-site, and complete all sections of the form prior to submission. Those completed forms should be submitted via email as a Microsoft Word attachment directly to the Chair (studentaffairs@spelman.edu).
When will coordinating presenters be notified if their proposal was selected?
Coordinating presenters will be notified via e-mail when their program proposals have been received by the Program Chair. In addition, notification of selected proposals will be sent by April 30, 2008. Coordinating presenters are then responsible for notification of all co-presenters, and to ensure that each registers and attends the Conference.
Who can I contact for additional information?
Many questions can be answered on the NASAP Home Web site at www.nasap.net. You may also email questions to the conference planning committee at studentaffairs@spelman.edu or contact Silvia Delamar, conference planning coordinator, at 404-270-5138 or Dr. Sherry Turner, conference chair, at (404) 270-5130.
