Call for Proposals

Security and Privacy Professionals: All Hands on Deck!

Your experience is vital to helping our fleet stay afloat while navigating these uncertain seas. Now is the time to share your seaworthiness and explore the unknown with colleagues old and new. Before you tackle the 2018 Security Professionals Conference proposal submission process, carefully read the information below and follow the checklist at the bottom of this page.

2018 Program Tracks

The program committee has identified six tracks they believe will help shape an interesting and valuable program in 2018.

1. Cyber Threat Intelligence

2. Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) and Privacy

3. Security Awareness and Communications

4. Strategic Leadership and Professional Development

5. Security Architecture & Design

6. Security Operations

Session Types

All Security Professionals Conference sessions will be conducted face-to-face in the meeting venue. Proposals will be accepted for both preconference seminars and presentation sessions. The program committee encourages you to consider an engaging session format that best supports your project and presentation style, whether it's a facilitated discussion, panel session, point/counterpoint, technical deep dive, or hands-on workshop.

Ahoy Mateys! Proposals will be selected to ensure the conference program offers a comprehensive, noncommercial, objective, and diverse treatment of issues related to the theme and focus of this conference. You may also be invited to present in a format or track other than the one you selected.

Preconference Seminars

Preconference seminars and workshops will be held in Baltimore on Tuesday, April 10. Attendees pay an additional fee to attend preconference seminars. Each seminar presenter (maximum of two) will be provided with a full complimentary registration to the 2018 Security Professionals Conference. If you have any questions, please contact the speaker liaison, Sarah Reynolds.

• Half-day preconference seminars require 3 hours of prepared content (Tuesday, April 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

• Full-day preconference seminars require 6 hours of prepared content (Tuesday, April 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Presentation Sessions

All track sessions will be 60 minutes. If selected for a track session, attendee presentations will be held in Baltimore on Wednesday, April 11, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or Thursday, April 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

To avoid the reefs and shallow waters, consider these tips before submitting a proposal:

• Track sessions (60-minute presentations) can focus on an emerging strategy, cutting-edge idea, hot topic, or noteworthy tool that may benefit your higher ed peers.

• While not required, proposal reviewers appreciate submissions that incorporate the conference theme, "Security and Privacy Professionals: All Hands On Deck!" in the title or abstract.

• Attendees frequently request more technical sessions in the conference evaluations, so we strongly encourage proposal submissions that include more in-depth, technical content for security engineers, security or network analysts, or other security professionals with technical responsibilities or interests.

• If you're seeking content ideas, please consult the Information Security Guide where you'll find a treasure trove of current issues and hot topics relevant to higher ed information security and privacy programs.

• Explore the EDUCAUSE Presenter Concierge Guide to Writing a Successful Conference Proposal.

Selection Criteria

All submitted proposals are reviewed and evaluated by the 2018 Security Professionals Conference Program Committee and invited readers against the following criteria:

• Relevance of Topic: Is the topic of relevance, importance, value, and/or interest to higher education?

• Proposed Topic Coverage: Does the proposal adequately cover content related to the proposers' learning objectives/key stated outcomes?

• Speaker Knowledge: Does the speaker have sufficient knowledge, expertise, and authority to address this topic based on evidence provided in the proposal and/or your prior experience with or knowledge of the speaker?

• Engagement Strategies: Does the speaker include specific strategies relevant to event size, audience, and maturity of topic in which they will engage participants in the session content, and do those strategies align with the session's learning objectives/outcomes?

• Overall Rating: What is your evaluation of this proposal overall?

On behalf of the 2018 Security Professionals Conference Program Committee, we wish you fair winds and calm seas.

Steps for Submitting Your Proposal

Have questions about the CFP online form and what information is required? Please take a look at this call for proposals online submission overview below.