Call For Proposals

Key Dates

Call for proposals opens	April 1, 2024
Proposal deadline	April 29, 2024 (11:59 p.m. ET)
Registration opens	Mid June
Proposals notification sent	Late July
Conference program live	Mid August
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference | San Antonio, TX	October 21–24, 2024
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference | Online	November 13–14, 2024

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Steps to Submit a Proposal

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  Learn how to create and submit an excellent proposal by reading this page. Additional tips are also available on the EDUCAUSE Presenter Concierge pages.

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  Develop a proposal based on one of the program tracks/focus areas within the CFP portal. You may start a proposal within the site and save it as a draft as you go or download our CFP template for advance work and/or collaboration with co-presenters.

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  Submit your proposal using the CFP portal between April 1 and April 29, 2024. Submitters will be notified about decisions in late July.

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  If your proposal is accepted, attend and present at the 2024 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX (October 21–24), or online (November 13–14). Registration is required of all presenters. Learn more about EDUCAUSE's expectations of presenters.

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Program Tracks

The Program Committee has identified suggested areas of focus (tracks/topics) for 2024. Preference will be given to the proposals that sufficiently reflect what you have done or are planning to do in these areas.

Your proposal may fit under multiple track options. If so, we recommend that you choose the track that best represents your content and goals. If you’re not sure which track to choose, select “Help Me Decide!” and the program committee will help you select the best track for your session submission.

• ☐ Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Risk Management
• ☐ Enterprise, Strategy, Data, Infrastructure, and Support
• ☐ Future of Work
• ☐ Innovation and Emerging Technologies
• ☐ Leadership
• ☐ Student Experience
• ☐ Teaching and Learning
• ☐ “Help Me Decide/Other”

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Delivery Choices

The available session formats are described below. Please select the one that best fits your session structure and presentation style. You will also choose an event option:

• The in-person event in San Antonio, TX, October 21–24.
• The online event November 13–14.
• You may also indicate that you would like to be considered for both events. Please do NOT submit identical proposals for different formats or events.

Note: Although EDUCAUSE will make every effort to honor your preference for delivery format, we reserve the right to reassign the format based on space and program balance.

In-Person Session Delivery Formats

Online Session Delivery Formats

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Session Elements

Session Title

Create a short title that is creative yet descriptive. We ask that you do not use institution, company, or product names anywhere in the title.

Abstract

This is a short description of what your session is about. If your proposal is accepted, the abstract is what most attendees will use to make decisions about which sessions to attend. What can you say that will encourage your colleagues to attend your session?

Session Takeaways and Participant Engagement Strategies

Clear session outcomes/takeaways and creative engagement strategies are essential components of every session. Proposal reviewers will closely examine and rate each proposed session's takeaways, which should clearly describe what participants will know or be able to do as a result of participating in the session. A successful proposal must also include the specific and creative ways in which the presenter(s) will engage with participants.

Session Description

This is where you get to more fully describe the plan for your session. Great descriptions answer the following as succinctly as possible: What problems are you helping participants solve? What is the relevance of the content and value to the higher education IT and technology community? How is your session unique? In addition, we encourage you to describe how the session will unfold (timetable).

Keywords

These are areas of specific interest and will help attendees fine-tune their personalized schedules. Optional: You will be asked to provide three keywords that relate to your presentation.

Submitter Comments (optional)

If you have any additional comments or would like to clarify any pieces of information within the CFP, you will have the opportunity to do so within the submission site.

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Corporate Session Proposals

Are you with a corporation and interested in presenting or plan to co-present with an institutional partner? EDUCAUSE values insights from our corporate community. Two options are available for you to contribute your thought leadership to this year's event:

1. Submit a presentation proposal through the call for proposals (CFP) process.
   You can go through the CFP process outlined on this page, in which case your proposal will be peer-reviewed and the Program and Selection Committees will determine acceptance to the program. If your proposal is accepted, there will be no fee to present other than the conference registration fee to attend. Deadline: April 29, 2024. For guidance on creating a winning corporate CFP submission, check out these tips:

   Tips for Corporate CFP Submissions

   • In the past, ratings from accepted corporate sessions indicated that the topics were timely, trending, and of significant interest to the higher education community.
   • Many of the accepted corporate presentations from past events were submitted with institutional partners. Try to pin down your institutional partners prior to submitting session proposals so that you can co-create the proposal and really elevate their voice. Our audience is keen to hear institutional representatives talk about successful partnerships. Accepted sessions mentioned specific colleges or universities in their proposals.
   • Higher-rated sessions indicated that session outcomes clearly tied to the goals for the session.
   • Higher-rated sessions represent our diverse community. Before starting your proposal ask yourself: Does my proposal show how the session will reflect or address diversity?
   • The session description should always paint a clear picture about what will happen in the session. This is your opportunity to expand beyond the abstract and tell the story behind the abstract. Adding creative session elements such as a design-thinking exercise or activity for the audience helps. With so much competition around session space these days, it is just as important to have an innovative, engaging session as it is to have an innovative, engaging topic.

2. Purchase an EDUCAUSE Conference Partner package.
   The EDUCAUSE Conference Partner package is our new, highest-level event package, limited to 20 companies that are seeking to get the most out of their experience at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. As a Conference Partner, your company will receive:

   • Selection for a presentation spot or conference sponsorship
   • Recognition at the conference, complimentary full-conference registrations and digital advertising, and more
   Contact [email protected] for more information and to secure this new opportunity.

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Call for Proposals FAQs

If EDUCAUSE accepts my submission, are there any speaker benefits?

We appreciate and want to acknowledge our presenters’ work—both prior to and during the conference—and the expertise they share with our community of higher education IT and technology professionals. As a presenter at EDUCAUSE 2024 you receive:

• Visibility and recognition both for you and your organization as thought leaders
• A chance to give back to the profession and help peers devise solutions to current and emerging business challenges
• Access to exclusive, complimentary speaker coaching and resources to help make your session the best it can be

What are EDUCAUSE’s expectations of presenters?

• For the in-person conference, all accepted presenters must present onsite in San Antonio. We cannot accommodate remote presenters at the face-to-face event.
• Prepare and practice. Advance preparation is vital for the success of all presentations. This includes regular meetings with your presentation team (if applicable).
• Create fresh, original, unique, and current content aimed to solve today’s problems.
• Attend speaker training and preparation meetings, be open to feedback, and meet all deadlines.
• All selected presenters must agree to and complete speaker agreement forms.
• Profile requirement: An EDUCAUSE profile is required in order to submit a proposal, present, and register for the event. Please take some time before submitting a proposal to ensure all presenters have profiles. Create an EDUCAUSE Profile or login to update your profile. Presenters can create or update their profiles on the EDUCAUSE membership page.
• Presenter registration: Presenters are responsible for registering in advance for the conference, paying the full-conference registration fee, and securing and paying for travel and lodging. (Exceptions include accepted full- and half-day preconference workshop presenters who may receive modest compensation in the form of an honorarium and a complimentary conference registration.)
• Session resources: Presenters will be required to upload their presentations and/or supporting materials and resources prior to the conference. These valuable resources will then be posted for attendees to access beyond the session.

How does the EDUCAUSE selection process work?

Proposals are selected to ensure the conference offers a comprehensive, non-promotional, not commercially biased, objective, and diverse program. Proposals that clearly describe innovative and creative work will receive the highest priority in the selection process. Attention will be given to diversity of institutions/organizations, presenters, and geographic location.

Proposals will be reviewed by the conference Program Committee and peer reviewers. The identity of proposal submitters and presenters will be hidden from reviewers during the peer review process.

What are the criteria for the review and selection process?

• Relevance of Topic: Is the topic of relevance, importance, value, and/or interest to higher education?
• Session Outcomes Achievability: Is there alignment between the stated session outcomes and the proposal description?
• Quality of Submission: Does the proposal demonstrate quality, as measured by accuracy, clarity, comprehensiveness, and depth of demonstrated understanding of the topic?
• Engagement/Knowledge Transfer: Does the proposal provoke discussion, audience engagement, and/or facilitate knowledge transfer and development of new competency?

What resources are there to help me create an outstanding proposal?

In addition to this CFP Info Page, we suggest reading through the EDUCAUSE Presenter Concierge pages. You may also view the Member QuickTalk | Creating a Winning Annual Conference Proposal (held on April 3, 2024).

Have Questions?

• If you have any questions about the call for proposals process, please contact [email protected].
• To report any potential issues or to request an accommodation to access the submission portal, please contact [email protected] or call 303-449-4430. You will receive a reply as soon as possible.
• For questions about registration or other conference details please contact the EDUCAUSE membership team at [email protected] or call 303-449-4430.