Call for Proposals: AAC&U Annual Conference, Educating for Democracy – Jul 26

Posted by American Association of Colleges and Universities on June 29, 2021

We look forward to gathering again as a community to share ideas, address common challenges, and network with friends and colleagues in Washington, DC.

The long-awaited reopening of economies and societies—and campuses—in the aftermath of the pandemic brings with it an elated expectation of restoration and recovery: the return to normal. Yet while many of the immediate challenges COVID-19 created for colleges and universities may now begin to recede, the pandemic turned a powerful spotlight on existing challenges that had for too long been left unresolved. Particularly with respect to equity, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated and deepened trends already undermining the democratic role of higher education. Democracy requires a form of higher education that is both accessible and affordable, that is not structured by racism, and that is valued because it produces graduates who are socially and economically mobile as well as practiced in the arts of democracy and civic life.

The 2022 Annual Meeting, “Educating for Democracy,” will bring together a broad and diverse community of educators not to look back to an idealized pre-pandemic normal but to look resolutely forward. The meeting program will provide a clear-eyed assessment of the obstacles that remain on the path to a liberal education for many students today. And, finding confidence in the capacity for innovation demonstrated across higher education during the pandemic, it will also showcase and examine new models, practices, and solutions aimed at removing those obstacles and reinvigorating liberal education in service to democracy.

MEETING TRACKS

AAC&U invites proposals for individual or panel presentations on topics related to the meeting tracks:

• Addressing Racialized Practices
• Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation
• Equity and Student Success
• Global and Civic Learning
• Liberal Education and Democracy
• Undergraduate STEM Reform
• Whole-Person Development and Campus Well-Being

The deadline to submit a proposal is July 26, 2021.

While the 2022 Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, DC, we will also offer a virtual component for those unable to join us in person. You will be given the option of selecting between the in-person and virtual formats during the proposal submission process.

Learn more about the proposal submission guidelines here. For additional information and updates about the 2022 Annual Meeting, please email AM@aacu.org.