The editors welcome submissions of chapters focusing on innovations in pedagogy, disciplinary and cross disciplinary innovations, theory, research, practice, institutional models, and campus-community partnerships in graduate student service-learning and community engagement; we also seek short submissions offering personal reflections, experiences, or imagery that support community-engaged graduate preparation. Please send any general questions about the book to CESgradbook@loyno.edu.

Proposals will be accepted here through October 31, 2026.

Please see here for more information.

The National Service-Learning Conference brings together educators, youth leaders, community partners, and changemakers who believe young people aren’t simply the leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders today.

This is more than a conference. It’s a place to connect with people who share your purpose, discover fresh ideas, learn from what’s working, and leave with the inspiration, tools, and relationships to turn ideas into action.

Whether you’re an educator looking for new approaches, a community partner ready to deepen impact, or a young leader with a vision for change, there’s a place for you here.

Come ready to learn. Come ready to connect. Come ready to imagine what’s possible. Join us March 22-24 in Minneapolis, MN—and be part of what’s next.

Submit Your SLC27 Workshop Proposal

At the heart of #SLC27 is a simple belief: young people are leading now. We’re looking for interactive sessions that put youth voice and leadership at the center by amplifying youth ideas, building real youth-adult partnerships, and connecting learning to real-world community impact.

Bring us your ideas, your lessons learned, your challenges, and your successes. Most importantly, bring the young people whose voices and leadership are shaping the work.

Proposals are due September 18, 2026.

Learn more and submit a workshop proposal.

The deadline for presenting a lightning talk and student showcase is October 10, 2026.

From editors Diana Soto-Olson, Samantha Bernstein-Sierra, Lucas Díaz, Susan Harris, Ryan McBride, Elaine Ward, Nicole M. Williams, and Meghan Zulian:

This Campus Compact-supported book examines the perspectives, programs, structures, and particular approaches that prepare graduate students for a wide range of community-engaged careers in and outside of academia. Such professional positions exist in public humanities programs, university service-learning centers, nonprofit organizations, and community-engaged research offices. We are calling for contributing authors from a variety of disciplines and institution types who can offer their perspectives on graduate education preparation where community engagement plays a foundational role.

The editors welcome submissions of chapters focusing on innovations in pedagogy, disciplinary and cross disciplinary innovations, theory, research, practice, institutional models, and campus-community partnerships in graduate student service-learning and community engagement; we also seek short submissions offering personal reflections, experiences, or imagery that support community-engaged graduate preparation.

Feel free to direct any questions to Diana Soto-Olson (cesgradbook@loyno.edu), Elaine Ward (warde@merrimack.edu), or to the specific editors of the section to which you are submitting (see the Call for Submissions for editor contact details).

View the Call

Abstracts deadline: October 31, 2026

We are now accepting workshop proposals from educators, practitioners, leaders, and partners across the educational access community. Whether you work in a K-12 school, college or university, community-based organization, nonprofit program, or another part of the educational access ecosystem, we want to learn from what you’re seeing, trying, and discovering to support students from under-resourced communities.

The field is evolving, and so is the work of those committed to expanding opportunity for every student. New technologies, shifting policies, economic uncertainty, emerging student needs, and important conversations about college, careers, affordability, and belonging are shaping our work. But our purpose remains clear: ensuring that every student has the opportunity not only to access education, but to thrive.

A NPEA 2027, we’ll come together to explore what’s changing, what’s working, and what we can build next. Through practical learning and honest conversation, we’ll share strategies, center student perspectives, strengthen connections across sectors, and identify new ways to expand opportunity and support student success.

What could you bring to the conversation?

We are seeking workshops that:

• share practical strategies others can adapt and put into action
• elevate promising practices and lessons learned from across the field
• center student experiences, perspectives, and needs
• explore challenges and possibilities
• spark honest, thought-provoking conversations about where our field goes next
• build connections across organizations, sectors, and stages of the student journey

Bring what you’re learning, what’s working, the questions you’re wrestling with, and the ideas you believe could move our field forward.

Join colleagues from across the country in Boston and help shape what comes next!

Workshop proposals are due Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Learn more here.

Submit a proposal.

As the United States approaches its Semiquincentennial — 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence — we find ourselves at a critical crossroads. Recent NPR/Marist polling reveals deep concerns about the health of our American democracy. The majority of Americans believe democracy is under serious threat and identify politically motivated violence as a major problem. Nearly a third suggest violence may be necessary to get the country back on track. Trust in institutions, civic participation, and social cohesion have eroded across communities.

Yet anniversaries offer more than occasions for anxiety. They create openings — moments to reflect on lessons from the past, to reckon with historical harms, and to imagine and build toward more just futures. This moment demands that we ask not only what has gone wrong, but what we want to create together.

Submissions close on December 31^st.

Learn more.

We are pleased that Dr. Tim Eatman, Professor and Inaugural Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University-Newark, will serve as Guest Editor.

If college and university leaders hope to fulfill their institutions’ missions and defend higher education from increased public and political scrutiny and threats to institutional autonomy, they need to tackle the problem of declining public trust. 

The Advancing Public Trust (APT) Leadership Institute is a new six-month hybrid experience from AAC&U designed to help campus teams diagnose challenges to legitimacy and credibility, strengthen relationships with key communities, and develop strategies to advance public trust in higher education. Building trust requires more than understanding the problem—it requires institutional leadership, coordinated action, and an approach grounded in each campus’s unique mission, community, and context.

The institute helps campus teams move from ideas to implementation by providing the framework, tools, mentorship, and collaborative learning environment needed to strengthen institutional trustworthiness and build lasting relationships with the communities they serve. By the end of the institute, each team will have developed a practical campus action plan to advance public trust and support its institution’s mission.

Learn more.

Early bird registration ends October 2. Register now.

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 (applications closed)
• 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

Pluralism in Place: Civic Engagement and the Democratic Promise of Metropolitan Higher Education

This themed issue invites scholars to explore the intersection of civic engagement, place-based higher education, and community partnerships with pluralism. Metropolitan universities, because of their location within diverse and often complex civic environments, offer particularly fertile ground for examining how institutions cultivate cooperation across differences, while remaining attentive to issues of justice, power, and community voice.

This issue will explore key questions and lines of inquiry around pluralism and democracy, such as:

• How can community engagement initiatives help students develop the skills needed to navigate deep social and ideological differences?
• What role do metropolitan universities play as pluralistic civic actors within their communities?
• How can place-based learning help students understand and engage the histories, tensions, and diversity of the communities surrounding their institutions?
• What tensions arise between pluralism, justice-oriented engagement, and traditional service-learning models?
• How do community partnerships create opportunities for democratic learning across religious, cultural, and political differences?
• In what ways can metropolitan universities function as anchor institutions for pluralistic civic life?

This call for complete, full manuscripts is open to all scholars who have experience with leading and facilitating civic priorities, policies, and programs that encourage pluralism and democracy, in the context of urban and metropolitan campuses. We are pleased to collaborate with our colleagues at Interfaith America, especially with Guest Editors, Dr. Susan Haarman and Dr. Todd Green.

This MUJ issue is scheduled for publication in spring 2027. We invite submissions of manuscripts by November 1, 2026.

Click here for more details about this call for submissions and submission guidelines.

The Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Conference cultivates a thriving network of students, faculty, staff, and community partners working together to advance the public purposes of higher education through authentic, reciprocal partnerships.

This year’s theme, Co-Creating Change: Collaborative Community Partnerships, highlights the efforts of institutions of higher learning and community organizations that work side by side to address complex social challenges, strengthen civic learning, and expand opportunities for meaningful engagement, connecting best practices in service-learning, community engagement, and professional development to deepen relationships between campuses and the communities they serve. The conference is a catalyst for continued collaboration: attendees are encouraged to carry the conversations, partnerships, and ideas sparked here back into their classrooms, campuses, and communities.

Early bird registration available until August 9th, 2026.

Learn more and register.

The 2026 Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Conference: Anchored in Purpose, will be November 8–11, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, Houston, TX.

Urban and metropolitan colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to advance opportunity, strengthen communities, and shape the future of their regions. In 2026, we gather around the theme, Anchored in Purpose, to affirm the values that ground our work and the commitments that guide our campuses.

The 2026 CUMU Conference 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.

Organized in partnership with University of California, Davis and a local Steering Committee, Imagining America invites our national community, members, and friends to join us for the 2026 IA National Gathering, October 23-25 in Davis, CA.

Opening with a plenary address by Black Feminist Love Evangelist, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Tides of Transition: Restoring Collective Spirit in Troubled Times calls us to re-story and honor the places, knowledges, relationships, and ecologies in the spirit of mending the roots of our connections.

Registration toolkit.

Presentations can be in a workshop, round table discussion, seminar or other formats and are expected to be interactive and include participant engagement.

More about what PACDC is looking for:
What’s straining your organization – or the sector – most right now? Where have you seen something work – a pivot, partnership or model that strengthened an org’s footing? We are in search of innovative, thought-provoking presentations that explore the complex issues facing non-profit organizations. We ask that presentations focus on concrete and effective solutions and pathways that non-profit organizations and their partners can realistically implement. We are seeking presentations that are interactive and engaging.

All proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Monday, August 10, 2026.

Learn more and submit your proposal.

After years of gathering on the East Coast, we’re excited to bring the summit to the Southwest for the first time, opening the door to new partners, new perspectives, and student leaders we don’t always get to convene with.

In collaboration with Mesa Community College’s Center for Civic Engagement and the Mesa Community College District, we’ll create an inspiring space for learning, connection, and celebration where every participant leaves equipped with the tools, relationships, and momentum to make 2027 a historic year for nonpartisan student voter engagement.

At the summit, we bring together nonprofit leaders, campus staff, administrators, faculty members, philanthropic partners, election officials, and students from across the country to continue a decade-strong tradition of collective action and impact.

This year, we will build on the momentum and insights from our 2025 Summit, where more than 330 nonpartisan student vote leaders took on challenges like local election turnout, combating misinformation, and reducing post-election disengagement. Together we aim to amplify our collective power and chart a course for an even more impactful 2027.

Learn more and register.

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!

The goal of this Research Topic is to clearly articulate meaningful implications for public health practice, systems, and policy by synthesizing existing evidence and well-reasoned analysis. It seeks to move beyond description to demonstrate how findings can inform decision-making, improve interventions, and strengthen population health outcomes. Emphasis is placed on identifying lessons that are adaptable and scalable, rather than limited to one program or context. By highlighting transferable strategies, frameworks, and insights, this work supports broader application across diverse settings, communities, and health systems, ultimately contributing to more effective, equitable, and sustainable public health action at local and global levels.

Manuscript submission deadline is October 29, 2026.

Learn more and submit a manuscript.

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.