2023 AAHHE Call for Proposals

Submission Deadline Extended: Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 11:59pm ET

La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance, and Praxis at Critical Junctures
The Fight Continues: Refusal, Resistance, and Praxis at Critical Junctures
La Lucha Sigue: Rechazo, Resistencia y Práctica en Momentos Críticos

Thank you for your interest in submitting a conference proposal for the 2023 AAHHE National Conference to be held on March 1-3, 2023 and hosted by College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, NV).

After a successful in-person conference in 2022, AAHHE is continuing an in-person convening; conference sessions will also be live-streamed. Anyone submitting a conference proposal will be asked to commit to attending the conference in-person should their proposal be accepted. The deadline for submission of conference proposals is Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Conference Theme

The 2023 AAHHE National Conference La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures aims to showcase the transformative action taking place within our respective communities. We acknowledge that intentional individual and communal actions of refusal and resistance are needed to actively contribute to the liberation in totality for Latinx/a/o/e students, staff, faculty and communities. The 2023 conference is a particularly important event, because AAHHE and the Latinx/a/o/e community are at critical junctures due to intersectional injustices, political oppression, and the ongoing pandemic that continues to impact our realities. The fight against the status quo continues. In this call for proposals, you will find information on the conference strands, submission types and the submission process.
 
AAHHE continues to evolve in the midst of the ongoing pandemic and intersectional injustices that the Latinx/a/o/e community continuously navigates. AAHHE invites proposals that:

• Transform the landscape of higher education and demonstrate institutional efforts for the empowerment of Latinx/a/o/e communities.
• Exhibit asset-based perspectives.
• Showcase various approaches to justice-oriented work in higher education.
• Define the way in which refusal and resistance is utilized to promote justice oriented praxis.
• Exemplify action-oriented policies and practices in higher education that prioritize the progress of Latinx/a/o/e students, staff and faculty.

Conference proposals can be submitted across five conference strands anchored on the 2023 conference theme La Lucha Sigue: Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures and one of four concurrent session types (i.e., roundtables, research papers, interactive symposia and poster sessions) described below. 

Conference Strands

The 2023 AAHHE National Conference is showcasing the following five conference strands:

1. Refusing a Singular Lucha: Radicalization of Healing, Connecting, and Coalescing Through Critical Praxis
2. Transformative Policy and Practices at Critical Junctures
3. Resisting Traditional Ideas and Advancing New Approaches in Education Research
4. Praxis: Igniting Action for the Progress of Latinx/a/o/e Communities
5. Creating Coalitions in Solidarity to Address Inequities

Strand 1
Refusing a Singular Lucha: Radicalization of Healing, Connecting, and Coalescing Through Critical Praxis

• Understanding the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Latinx/o/a/e community and in higher education.
• Recognizing and acknowledging various ways of healing and the radical act of action.
• Addressing the challenges and highlighting successes of accessing mental and physical care and health information in Latinx/a/o/e communities, both inside and outside of educational environments.
• Engaging in holistic healing practices and spaces that foster growth and emotional wellness.
• Coalitional healing, self-reflection and/or healing as a community act.
• Centering the healing and wellness of Afro-Latinx/a/o/e, Central Americans, Caribbean Latinx/a/o/e and the greater Latinx/a/o/e diaspora.
• Practicing radical hope in various ways and forms.
• Exploring sex and/or gender identity based healing practices within oppressive systems.
• Decoupling mental health and social stigma associated with coping and healing.

Strand 2
Transformative Policy and Practices at Critical Junctures

• Examining practices of refusal and resistance that promotes Latinx/a/o/e progress in the educational pathway.
• Interrogating the impacts of neoliberal policies and practices on Latinx/a/o/e communities in education.
• Engaging in co-conspirative action of interconnectedness and interdependence.
• Creating transformative pathways to executive leadership within higher education.
• Utilizing macro and micro level policy and practices that humanize those within higher education institutions.
• Examining ways in which sex and/or gender are used as vehicles of empowerment and demand for change.
• Coalition building to challenge xenophobic, anti-immigration rhetoric and legislation and nationalistic policies.

Strand 3
Resisting Traditional Ideas and Advancing New Approaches in Education Research

• Focusing on Indigenous communities in higher education.
• Highlighting student success through utilizing new approaches, radical acts and research.
• Recognizing the intersectional narrative within the Latinx/a/o/e community.
• Challenging notions of Latinidad and mestizaje.
• Acknowledging a transnational narrative within Latinx/a/o/e communities.
• Addressing anti-Blackness, racism and colorism within Latinx/a/o/e communities and in higher education.
• Examining, nuancing and building Latinx/a/o/e research narratives, definitions, and ways of knowing in higher education.
• Furthering ideas, theories and understandings of Latinx/a/o/e centric research.

Strand 4
Praxis: Igniting action for the progress of Latinx/a/o/e communities

• Centering Afro-Latinx/a/o/e identity and the greater Latinx/a/o/e diaspora with praxis in postsecondary settings.
• Supporting student, staff and faculty success through direct action and theory to practice efforts. 
• Interrogating the ways in which institutions of higher education continue to be violent environments for LGBTQ+ Latinx/a/o/e students, faculty and staff.
• Examining the generational differences between student activists and established college faculty and leaders.
• Engaging in action that centers decolonial practices as a means of creating a paradigm shift.
• Leveraging the intersections of social identities (race, gender, etc.) to actively resist systems of oppression.
• Research Practice Partnerships (RPP).

Strand 5
Creating Coalitions in Solidarity to Address Inequities

• Advancing community-based mentorship, community empowerment, civic engagement, non-profit or foundation work.
• Creating leadership, mentoring, and career opportunities for Latinx/a/o/e populations.
• Beyond traditional measures of educational attainment, approaches to increasing social mobility, inter-generational wealth, professional success and social upliftment.
• Utilizing national partnerships for the educational progress of Latinx/a/o/e youth.
• Building small and large scale coalitions with departments, across campus, system-wide, and/or external stakeholders.
• Hiring, inclusion, and retention practices for Afro-Latinx/a/o/e, Asian-Latinx/a/o/e, Indigenous Latinx/a/o/e, Trans*, Gender Non-Conforming and other Latinx/a/o/e diaspora communities.

Concurrent Session Types

The 2023 AAHHE National Conference is showcasing four concurrent session types: roundtables, research papers, interactive symposia and poster sessions.

Roundtables showcase informal discussions and exchange of ideas between participants and up to three presenters on current issues, practices and/or research in higher education. Presenters are encouraged to present the topic and/or study and open up the floor for conversation. No more than 10 minutes should be allocated to presentation time in order to leave time for conversation. The roundtable participants may ask questions and discuss relevant issues in more detail than is typical in other types of sessions. Roundtable proposals should describe as many of the following as are applicable in 750-1,000 words, preferably in this order:

• Study significance and objectives and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
• Research questions addressed.
• Theoretical or conceptual framework.
• Connection to literature.
• Anticipated or preliminary findings.

Interactive Symposia are focused sessions in which multiple authors/presenters share their perspectives about a common theme, issue or question. The format of an interactive symposium session usually consists of an introduction to the topic by the chairperson to provide the audience with a background for the ensuing discussion. Authors/presenters then share their viewpoints, followed by discussion with the broader audience. Often, the symposium will end with an overview of the proceedings by the chairperson or a discussant. The chair or discussant should not give a separate presentation. Their role is to integrate, interpret, and highlight the essential issues raised by authors/presenters. For space considerations, please limit presenters to no more than five total. In 750 - 1,000 words, proposals for interactive symposia should describe as many of the following as are applicable, preferably in this order:

• Objective(s) and purpose of the session and their alignment with Refusal, Resistance and Praxis at Critical Junctures for Latinx/a/o/e communities in higher education.
• Theoretical or conceptual frameworks, if applicable.
• Backgrounds of the presenters as related to the session’s topic.
• Expertise or perspectives that each presenter/facilitator will contribute.
• Structure and format of the session, including the designation of a moderator and strategies to facilitate audience discussion and learning.

How to Submit a Conference Proposal

• The submission form will prompt for the proposal description to be uploaded as a MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document File (.pdf). Additional supporting documents such as a list of references and additional attachment to include tables, figures, images and/or appendices should be included at the end of the proposal description.
• All presenters' information needs to be accurately submitted for full consideration.
• Please note that if/when your proposal is accepted, each presenter will be asked to commit to attending the conference and presenting in person. Conference sessions will be live-streamed for maximum audience engagement.

The conference proposal shall consist of:

1. Selection of a conference strand
2. Selection of a submission type
3. The following information to be submitted directly via the online submission form:
1. Presentation Title (15-word maximum)
2. Abstract (75-word maximum)
3. Three to five (3-5) learning objectives (or intended outcomes) for conference participants.
4. A proposal description (750 words-1,000) to be uploaded, as an MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document File (.pdf), and to include the following information.
1. Purpose of presentation. Be sure to draw connections to the conference theme and/or strand.
2. Philosophical, theoretical, conceptual or practical arguments related to the stated purpose of presentation.
3. Review of literature relevant to the topic, issue or problem within the field of higher education. References should be listed separately.
4. If appropriate, methodological underpinnings and findings (i.e., preliminary, partial, or full). Note: Tables, figures, images, and/or appendices can be included as a separate attachment.
5. Method(s) for engaging attendees (e.g., polling, small-group discussion, case study analysis, written reflection, etc.).
6. Outline of how time will be allocated to various activities (e.g., Introduction = 5 min.; Literature Review = 10 min.; Findings = 20 min.; Discussion = 20 min.).
7. At the end of the document, include a list of references cited in the proposal description relevant to the topic, issue or problem within the field of higher education. The references should follow APA Style.
8. After the references are listed, you can add additional information to include tables, figures, images and/or appendices.

Proposal Review Process

All proposals will be evaluated through a peer-review process led by the AAHHE Conference Planning Committee. Any inquiries or questions related to your proposal should be directed to the 2023 AAHHE Conference Chair Dr. Hermen Díaz III (SUNY-Buffalo State College) and Co-chair Dr. Audrey Baca Lopez (Mt. San Jacinto College) at [email protected]. 

All proposals will be assessed based on the following general guidelines:

• Ability to align with the conference theme and/or the selected strand
• Importance of the study, topic, issue or problem to the field of higher education (contributions to new knowledge, theory and/or practice)
• Overall quality of the proposal (e.g., quality of writing, organization of ideas, clarity of assumptions, logic of arguments, etc.).
• Clarity of focus or findings, whether partially or fully reported.
• Addresses or shows sensitivity towards issues within the Latinx/a/o/e community related to refusal, resistance and praxis.

In addition, the following specific guidelines for each concurrent session type will be evaluated as follows:

Roundtable Proposals: perspectives or theoretical/conceptual frameworks align with the conference theme and proposals that demonstrate potential for scholarly discussion with implications for policy, practice and/or research.

Interactive Symposium Proposals: integration and coherence of panelists’ perspectives as a group of experts, range of knowledge and/or points of view represented by panelists and strategies for involving the audience in the discussion and promoting interactive learning.

Research Paper Proposals: clear theoretical or conceptual frameworks, connection to relevant literature, and soundness of the research approach (e.g., methodology), method(s) and analysis.

Poster Session Proposals: clear theoretical or conceptual frameworks, connection to relevant literature, and soundness of the research approach (e.g., methodology), method(s), and analysis.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:

• Exceeds Expectations: Information is very clear and readily comprehensible to three or more audiences (e.g., students, faculty, administrators, community members, etc.). Content advances new understandings and/or innovation in higher education. Attendees will achieve all stated learning outcomes/objectives.
• Meets Expectations: Information is clear and comprehensible to at least two audiences (e.g., students, faculty, etc.). Content aligns with current understandings and practices in higher education. Attendees will achieve most stated learning outcomes/objectives.
• Needs Improvement: Information needs to be clarified and is only comprehensible for one audience. Content needs to be explained in greater detail in order to understand the connection to higher education. Attendees will achieve half of the stated learning outcomes/objectives.
• Does Not Meet Expectations: Information is unclear and incomprehensible. Content does not align with higher education. Attendees will not achieve stated learning outcomes/objectives.

Additional Information

• Conference participants will be able to register to attend the conference in-person or virtually as all conference concurrent sessions will be livestreamed.
• All program presenters will be required to register for the conference and pay the in-person conference registration fee.
• AAHHE and College of Southern Nevada will provide a screen and LCD projector.
• Conference presenters will be required to bring their laptops for their presentations.
• Neither honoraria nor expenses, including registration fees, will be paid by AAHHE to program presenters.
• Every effort is made to offer a quality program for conference participants.  Once accepted, presenters will be asked to sign, and honor, a commitment to present.
• AAHHE reserves the right to recommend changes in a proposal, and to encourage joint presentations if multiple proposals are submitted on similar topics.
• Information printed in the conference program is based on the proposal application. Please ensure the information submitted is accurate since that is how it will appear in the program.

Revised October 25, 2022