NSVS brings together practitioners, campus staff, faculty, nonprofit partners, local election officials, and students from across the country to share what’s working, what’s not, and where we go from here in nonpartisan student voter engagement. This is the first time the Summit comes to the Southwest, and the program aims to reflect the full range of voices and expertise doing this work nationwide.

Session proposals are open to campus admin, faculty, nonprofit staff, local election officials, and other civic engagement practitioners, with students welcome when submitting alongside a campus or nonprofit partner. Poster proposals are open to students focused on nonpartisan voter engagement work on their campus.

Proposal tracks include, but are not limited to: student leadership and organizing, voting rights and voter education, nonpartisan civic engagement beyond voting, institutionalization, creativity and storytelling, wellbeing, and navigating challenges.

The deadline for both is 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Learn more here and submit your proposal here.

PS: Travel Support is available on a limited basis, with priority given to Minority Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Community Colleges and Rural Serving Institutions. Deadline is August 16.  Learn more here!

SUMMER OF SOLIDARITY

As PBJN members, we commit to working in ways that put values at the forefront of what we do. That can feel like lonely and counter-cultural work, which is why we invite you to the Place-Based Justice Network 2026 Summer Institute, which we are calling the “Summer of Solidarity.”

Through this series of online sessions, we will strengthen our abilities to act in solidarity with our communities here and across the world as they face unprecedented forces working against their interests. This is a place for higher education practitioners to get remotivated, learn from how others do this work in the face of major headwinds, and find a balanced and critically conscious way to approach this work.

We will intentionally build community between our members which will strengthen our collective work as we move into the next academic year. This year, the Summer Institute will occur throughout August with 3 sessions at 3 hours each.

Click here for more details and registration.

Summer of Solidarity Dates and Times:

• August 3rd, 2:00-5:00 PM
• August 11th, 2:00-5:00 PM
• August 19th, 2:00-5:00 PM

Interested in joining PBJN? Find out more HERE.

Register for the APHA Annual Meeting & Expo before early-bird rates end on July 14th.

Join the the community November 1-4 in San Antonio, Texas to:

• Meet top experts in the field
• Hear the newest public health research
• Connect with colleagues, vendors, and partners

Learn more and register.

This year’s theme, “Together by Design,” explores how intentional collaboration can strengthen learning and student success across higher education. The challenges facing higher education cannot be solved by individual courses, programs, educators, or institutions. These challenges require cooperation across disciplines and reporting lines, shared stewardship of resources, and strategic coordination to advance learning and strengthen institutional outcomes.

We invite you to submit a proposal that shares evidence-informed strategies, innovative practices, lessons learned, or research that can help institutions strengthen learning and student success. Whether your work focuses on teaching and learning, assessment, high-impact practices, AI, general education, student success, or career preparation, your perspective can contribute to this year’s conversation about how colleges and universities can work together by design.

Proposals are due by August 14.

Submit a proposal.

Compact 27 will be on June 7-9, 202y at the Intercontinental Downtown LA in Los Angeles, CA.

Our call for proposals opens in October!

Sign up for updates →

Help lead Compact27 Design & Planning: We’re seeking your help to make this the best Compact conference yet. Sign up now to contribute to Compact27 planning. We’re looking for volunteers to review session proposals or contribute to Compact27 theme development.

Get involved.

The 2027 American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Annual Meeting, “Higher Education at 250: Purpose, Trust, and Transformation,” will take place January 20–22, 2027, in Seattle, Washington. The meeting invites colleagues from across the United States and around the world to explore how higher education can reaffirm its purpose, strengthen public trust, and embrace the transformation needed to prepare students, institutions, and communities for the future.

We invite colleagues from across higher education and beyond to submit proposals that share evidence-based strategies, innovative practices, lessons learned, and adaptable approaches. Your ideas and expertise help create a community-driven program that reflects the breadth of perspectives, experiences, and conversations shaping higher education today. Whether your work focuses on strengthening public trust, advancing student success, engaging with AI, supporting democratic learning, or preparing students for an interconnected world, your perspective can help foster meaningful dialogue throughout the meeting.

The submission deadline is July 31, 2026.

Learn more and submit a proposal.

At a pivotal moment for community engaged research, URBAN’s 2026 Summer Institute will examine how collaborative inquiry can advance shared power, meaningful participation, and the leadership of those most impacted by systemic inequities. Participants will learn about creative and values-driven approaches to community-based research with public-engaged scholars and connect with community leaders who are committed to research for humanity.

Together, attendees will consider how to uphold core principles of solidarity and robust action during a time when community engaged research is fundamental in creating a more just and thriving society. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and relationship-building, participants will explore how research can strengthen democracy and foster healthy, thriving communities.

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: JUNE 15th, 2026 OR until all spots are filled

Learn more and register.

Limited funds are available to support travel expenses for graduate students to attend the 2026 IARSLCE Conference in New Orleans, USA, scheduled for October 11-13, 2026.

Registration is open on the conference website.

Purpose:

The IARSLCE Graduate Student Travel Support aims to support graduate students who are conducting research that contributes to the advancement of the field of Service-Learning and Community Engagement (SLCE) to attend the annual IARSLCE conference. We seek students who are committed to the mission and goals of IARSLCE and the Graduate Student Network (GradSN) and who are eager to actively participate in the conference and our ongoing activities.

Funding amount:

• Travel within the United States: up to $500 per student
• International travel: up to $1,000 per student
• Total funding available: up to $4,000

Application information and eligibility here.

Important dates:

• Monday, July 6: submit your application to the IARSLCE Graduate Student Travel Support here.
• Mid- to late-July: announcement of the IARSLCE Graduate Student Travel Support recipients.

To learn more about conference details, including anticipated costs for travel and accommodation, visit the conference website.

Explore the program.

Today, many college courses teach about democracy and change, but few courses provide students the opportunity to learn by doing them. The Colorado ’26 Institute meets this need by providing faculty the necessary training to teach social action.

Faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply; however, we want to restrict participation to those faculty who are committed to implementing this experiential social action course model in the 18 months following the Institute. Click here to apply.

Here is what Dr. Arun Agrawal, co-host of the NSS Conference and Professor of Development Policy at Notre Dame University, has to say about the Institute: “I have personally gone through the Institute and found it incredibly helpful in developing a social action course. Teaching social action has been one of the highlights of my career, as it provides students with concrete tools with which to organize social action campaigns. I highly recommend it!”

The trainers for the Colorado ’26 Institute are Dr. Gretchen Sneegas, Assistant Teaching Professor, Geography, University of Washington-Seattle, and Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton, Sociology Professor Emeritus from San José State University, who developed a social action course in 2006, and has taught it 30 times. Checkout our website to learn more about teaching social action.

The application deadline is Friday, July 31, 2026. The Colorado ’26 Institute will run from Saturday, August 15th, 9 am-4:30 pm, and Sunday, August 16th, 9 am-3:30 pm; lunch will be covered during the Institute. You are encouraged to register for the NSS conference as well! The NSS call for contributions is now open; non-presenting attendees are also welcome to register and attend. To cover hosting costs, the NSS will charge $60 for the 2-day Institute if you also register for the conference. If you choose to attend only the Institute, the NSS hosting cost is $100.

If the August date doesn’t work for you, we have four in-person Institutes scheduled for the Fall and Spring (Alabama, Berlin, NYC, Virginia & Indiana) and a virtual Winter Institute as well. These Institutes have no hosting fees.

Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) is a vibrant community of over 1,300 professionals, college admission counselors, secondary school counselors, CBO advisors, enrollment leaders, and education advocates. We are united in our mission to support students in finding their best post-secondary opportunities.

Learn more about the Annual Conference and register today. Hillary and Janine will be presenting along with Ellen Ridyard of the Philadelphia Education Fund and Jossie Johnson of Chestnut Hill College.

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium will hold its 2026 conference October 7-8 in Knoxville, Tennessee (pre-conference programs: October 5-6). Hosted by the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and the institutions of the ESC’s South Region, the conference is being organized around the theme “Changing Lives and Improving Society: Data-Driven Engagement and Innovation.” ESC 2026 will be a place for engaging conversations about the many ways we work collaboratively to define and build social and economic prosperity.

Pre-conference opportunities offer participants additional ways to connect, reflect, and strengthen their practice before the full conference begins. Designed for emerging scholars, university leaders, engagement professionals, and community-engaged practitioners, these sessions offer focused opportunities for professional development, peer learning, and deeper exploration of the work of engagement. This year’s featured pre-conference programs will include:

• Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop (see application link above)
• Outreach and Engagement Practitioners Network Workshop
• Engagement Academy for University Leaders

Click the link below to learn more about registration rates and deadlines for attendees from ESC member institutions and other universities, students, and community partners.

Learn More and Register

Registration deadline: September 30, 2026

The Partnership for Student Success is excited to announce that the second annual PSS Summit will be held on Tuesday, October 6th in Washington, DC. Schools, districts, nonprofits, and higher education institutions are invited to join us to collaborate, network with peers, and celebrate their efforts to expand evidence-based supports for K-12 students, with a focus on high-impact tutoring, mentoring, student success coaching, postsecondary transition coaching, and wraparound/integrated student supports.

Registration will open in June 2026 and is free and required to attend the Summit.

We are seeking session proposals for the Summit both from members of our coalition and other interested parties. These workshop, panel, or roundtable sessions should expand attendees’ knowledge on relevant topics, foster collaboration, and/or highlight promising approaches to common implementation challenges.

We hope that you or a colleague will submit a session idea and attend the Summit in October.

The Partnership for Student Success Team

Based at the Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Education

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO SPEAK BY JUNE 30

📍 Standards Institute – Philadelphia
📅 July 20–23, 2026
🔗 https://unbounded.org/events/standards-institute-philadelphia-2026/
💲 1,950.00 per participant (no added flight/hotel costs since this year’s event is local!)

🧠 Learning Pathways for Literacy Transformation:

• K-5 ELA – Elementary English language arts teachers learn the high-leverage competencies needed to unpack grade-level ELA standards, texts, and skills, and reach every single student in their classroom. An emphasis on multilingual learners is intentionally embedded.
• Adolescent Literacy Solutions – Middle- and high-school literacy teachers, including special educators, ESL teachers, interventionists, and coaches, learn how to strengthen their students’ literacy foundation and accelerate their mastery of multisyllabic word reading, fluency development, vocabulary, and comprehension.
• Leadership for Literacy – Principals, assistant principals, and other school- and district-based literacy leaders learn how to create the systems that enable structured literacy and develop a 90-day action plan for jump-starting the shifts necessary for implementing Science-of-Reading-aligned instruction.
• Instructional Leadership – School- and district-based instructional leaders consider key components of planning, instructional delivery, and coaching that lead to GLEAM instruction, and assess their roles in operationalizing it within a school system.
• UPP (UnboundEd Planning Process) – Educators and instructional coaches across grade levels and content areas learn to apply the GLEAM unit- and lesson-planning process.

✨ Inspiring Keynotes…including Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain and Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power

✅ Next Steps

Consider which team members are ready to take advantage of this opportunity given your SY26-27 plans/budget.
Register at https://unbounded.org/events/standards-institute-philadelphia-2026/.
Email suruchi.keenheel@unbounded.org or schedule a 15-minute meeting here if you have questions or need support.

The 9th Annual Black Men in Education Convening (#BMEC2026) is coming back to Philadelphia this November 13-15th! This year’s theme is Rooted in History: Constructing the Next 100 Years of Education. #BMEC2026 will be a transformative event, featuring dynamic speakers, interactive workshops, opportunities for professional growth and–as always–the ability to build friendships and community while fostering mentorship and strengthening networks.

Use our online submission portal to submit your proposal. Acceptance notifications will be sent via email by August 7th, 2026.

Learn more and submit your proposal.

The 2026 Conference will highlight the full range of global learning initiatives that prepare students for work, life, and citizenship in an interconnected world.

Dates:

• October 13–14, 2026 | Virtual
• November 12–14, 2026 | Washington, DC, Grand Hyatt

AAC&U invites proposals for conference sessions that prepare faculty, staff, and administrators to advance understanding and practice by fully integrating global learning into the educational experiences of all students at institutions of all types. The submission deadline is June 12.

Submit a proposal.

Organized in partnership with the University of California, Davis and a diverse regional Steering Committee, Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life (IA) invites participants to gather in Davis, California for the 2026 IA National Gathering, October 23-24. Reflecting on the importance of transitions – from political crises to global climate change, and personal identity to organizational transformation – this call for participation invites proposals that share stories, research, creative works, and community practices exploring the complex process of transitioning away from systems of fear and domination and towards restoring collective spirit.

Tides of Transition: Restoring Collective Spirit in Troubled Times calls on us to re-story and honor the places, knowledges, relationships, and ecologies that have been made broken through centuries of violence and abandonment, and the current intensifying fear and repression. We know that our communities are tired, and we know that being together revives our collective spirit, giving us the strength and inspiration we need in troubled times. In this moment of upheaval, the 2026 IA National Gathering draws participants to Davis, CA in the spirit of mending the roots of our connections, and to “awaken,” as Buddhist monk and activist Thích Nhất Hạnh teaches, “from the illusion of our separateness.”

The 2026 IA National Gathering also marks a transition within Imagining America, as this occasion is the last gathering organized by the IA-UC Davis team before IA moves to a new home campus in July 2027 (host announcement in summer 2026). At this moment in a natural cycle of transition for IA, we will celebrate the good work we have done together over the past decade and join the new host in dreaming up the exciting possibilities to come.

Attend a Virtual Info Session on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 3:00-4:00 PM. Learn more about submitting a proposal to the 2026 IA National Gathering by attending this virtual information session. Register here.

Submissions are due Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Review the Call for Participation here.

Whether you’re looking for new ideas, practical strategies, or connections with peers who understand the challenges facing higher education, this meeting offers an opportunity to learn from others, exchange ideas, and plan what comes next. Shaped by the higher education community, the program is grounded in practice and responsive to issues institutions are navigating right now.

Designed to affirm and advance the mission of higher education in service to students and society, the meeting will feature inspiring and insightful plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and interactive sessions that explore both big-picture questions and practical strategies. Participants include faculty, provosts, deans, presidents, student affairs professionals, and many others from across disciplines and institutional types.

A special advance registration rate is available for a limited time! Lock in the lowest rates with the flexibility to cancel without penalty on or before June 15.

Learn more and register.

Special thanks to all who responded to the survey we shared earlier this year – thanks to your input, we’ll be Rooting Deeper and Rising Together – and now we are inviting YOU to help bring that theme to life!

As you well know, nonprofits continue to operate in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. As such, we’re seeking proposals that will support conference attendees in rooting deeper into the relationships, purpose, and strength that have carried us through to now, and rising together into the work we are called to do. Formats this year include working sessions and learning sessions. Each session will be supported by a synthesizer.

• Working Sessions are intended not just to inform, but to gather attendees around a common challenge and offer time, tools, and frameworks to move toward solutions together in real time. Think real-world simulations, design-thinking activities, “impact labs”, and more.
• Learning Sessions are intended to provide some context around the topic chosen – with questions and prompts to generate stories and ideas from those on the ground doing the work. This could look like a more “traditional” workshop format, where facilitators share timely, relevant information, invite attendees to discuss how this topic is showing up in their work, and offer practical, actionable takeaways.
• Synthesizers will help us capture what’s shared, synthesize insights, and connect dots for attendees (this is a role we explored in 2025 and are excited to fully implement this year!).

This is a conference that thrives on collaborative sessions rather than top-down delivery – facilitators with both subject matter expertise and true facilitation skills are encouraged to apply, as well as nonprofit professionals with valuable, on-the-ground experience.

Proposals are due by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, June 4, 2026.

Learn more and submit your proposal here.

Need support or clarity before you submit? 

We’re offering open office hours for anyone interested in talking through their proposal ideas, session format, or application process. Join us for part or all of this two session:

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 pm via this Zoom link.
• Thursday, May 28, 2026, 10:00 – 11:00 am via this Zoom Link.

The 2026 CUMU Conference, Anchored in Purpose on November 8–11 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, Houston, TX, explores how purpose-driven strategies — rooted in place and responsive to community needs — advance social and economic mobility for students, support regional prosperity, and enhance community well-being. Together, we will examine how campuses stay steadfast in mission while adapting to evolving challenges, forging partnerships that amplify impact, and activating institutional strengths to build stronger institutions and healthier, more vibrant communities.

Learn more.