2020 CUMU Annual Conference is Going Virtual

Posted by Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities on May 26, 2020

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are moving the 2020 CUMU Annual Conference to a virtual event—one that rivals what you’ve come to expect from CUMU and our conference. While not meeting in person is a disappointment, we are excited for this new challenge and are completely committed to delivering a dynamic experience that allows us to safely connect in new ways.

Here’s what we know and what we need from you to move forward:

• Call for Proposals: We are taking down our current call for proposals, but will re-open it in the coming weeks with new guidance. NOTE: Current proposals that have been submitted will be integrated into the updated review process. We can’t host our event without you and your work.
• Refunds: If you’ve already registered for the in-person event, you will automatically receive a refund.
• Sponsors: We are truly thankful that our early committed sponsors—Annie E. Casey Foundation, Academic Search, and U3 Advisors—have confirmed their commitment to support this fall’s virtual event—each one noting they firmly stand behind CUMU’s mission.
• Virtual Conference Programming: We need your input. What topics and presentation styles would you find most useful? How long should our conference be? What would be most useful for your institution? The survey should take no longer than 5 minutes.

Provide your input by May 29: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXMIr0_efYzLmvGQFpdPCGX3xd5WM3hWTijDdOqStrO9TcDw/viewform

Over the next month, we will continue to reflect and strategize on how to best deliver our annual conference. Here’s our working timeline:

• May 29: CUMU members provide feedback via survey
• End of June: Call for Proposals re-opens
• End of July: Proposals due
• August: Full schedule released
• October/November: We’ll welcome you all to our virtual conference

CUMU’s annual conference has become a highly-regarded platform of authentic dialogue where we ‘pull back the curtain’ and wrestle with what’s happening in our home communities in open and honest ways, just like leaders from Buffalo State, Cal State San Marcos, Johns Hopkins, and Oakland University reiterated in this new video.

For everyone who was excited to convene in San Diego, we’re happy to announce we’ve negotiated with our hotel to host our conference there in 2022. We can’t wait to work with our local CUMU member partners at University of San Diego and Cal State San Marcos to highlight the incredible work happening there.