2023 EPIC-Network Conference Call for Proposals
The 2023 EPIC-Network Conference will be held virtually on June 12-14, 2023. EPIC-N is looking for presentations to support university and community practitioners who engage in various partnerships. Please find the 2023 Conference Call for Proposals below.
How Can We Leverage Teaching, Research, and Service to Build a Better World?
Unlocking the possibilities when teaching, research, and service are leveraged for building a better world is exactly what EPIC-N is about! We know that many barriers exist for how to connect community-identified priorities with existing higher education structures, but we want to explore how this work gets done despite these barriers. We want conference proposals from faculty, academic staff, community partners, and students that explore how they make the world a better place by implementing their EPIC-N projects.
The conference organizers seek proposals for concurrent session presentations that feature existing and potential innovations for EPIC-N programs or the EPIC-N organization. The innovations of greatest interest are ones that increase the ability of EPIC-N programs and the EPIC-N organization to serve diverse students, faculty, and community partners equitably and inclusively. Below are some example prompts for proposals:
- How can EPIC programs continue to provide and improve high quality experiences to all of their stakeholders?
- How can universities or communities new to EPIC-N quickly start programs that benefit all of their stakeholders?
- How can the EPIC model be adapted to fit the needs of higher education institutions with various missions, sizes, and capabilities?
- How can EPIC-N programs and EPIC-N as an organization advocate for themselves?
- How can EPIC-N programs and EPIC-N as an organization advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in its programs for students, faculty, and community partners?
- How can EPIC-N programs and EPIC-N as an organization effectively serve community partners from public and private sectors, from urban and rural communities, and from historically marginalized communities?
Here’s what was presented last year. Proposals can adapt a session from past conferences, or be something entirely new.
Format
Concurrent sessions will be between 10 – 60 minutes, and suggested formats are listed below. The conference organizers highly encourage proposals to discuss how their format engages the audience more actively than a lecture. Please review the four suggested types of presentations the Conference Committee is looking to fill below:
- Research Presentation – 60 mins – Faculty and academic staff are encouraged to present about how they have been or are thinking about leveraging EPIC-N projects for their research agendas. Panels are acceptable in this format. If you propose a panel, suggest other panelists and a moderator. Audience engagement or activities are encouraged.
- Practitioner Presentation – 60 mins – A session that has one or more presenters presenting about diving deeply into a certain subject relevant to planning, managing, implementing, or evaluating an EPIC-N program. Panels are acceptable in this format. If you propose a panel, suggest other panelists and a moderator. Audience engagement or activities are encouraged. We always encourage community partners and students to get involved in these presentations.
- Peer Coaching Salon – 30 – 60 mins – This is an interactive session that encourages peer coaching between people in the network. You will pitch a problem you’re having in your work, and participants will roll up their sleeves and help you problem-solve. This is a way to leverage the collective wisdom of the network. You should pitch an issue that you’re actively working through (NOT one that you’ve already solved).
- Flash Talk – up to 10 mins – This session highlights an interesting project or an idea that you’re working on at your institution or with a community partner.
- Other – Please propose other formats as desired. New engaging sessions are of interest to conference organizers.
Presenters
The conference organizers highly encourage programs to work with their community partners for a concurrent session presentation, as well as to collaborate with each other for concurrent sessions. Programs that collaborate and present with a community partner on a concurrent session will receive higher priority.
Timeline
- Release – Wednesday, February 22
- Deadline Extension – Friday, March 31
- Selection by committee – April 3 – 14
- Announced – Friday, April 21
