Call for Proposals
American Democracy Project
National Meeting
June 12 - 14, 2008
Snowbird, Utah
Introduction
Please join us in beautiful Snowbird, Utah for our 6th Annual National American Democracy Project (ADP) Meeting. This engaging and educational meeting begins late afternoon on Thursday, June 12th and ends late afternoon on Saturday, June 14th.
After five years of national and campus activity, we have made substantial progress in identifying programs, strategies and approaches that are successful in helping institutions to become intentional about the work of preparing the next generation of citizens for our democracy. This coming summer, we want to celebrate successes and address the challenges that still lie ahead.
This is a call for proposals.
We are interested in presentations that cover both theoretical and practical issues: concepts of citizenship, civic engagement, and democracy in higher education; descriptions of programs and practices. When submitting proposals about programs and practices, please be sure that you address analysis as well as description: what worked and what didn't; what were the issues encountered during implementation; how were partners brought in; etc. We are also interested in topics that focus particularly on civic skills and the assessment of civic outcomes-two areas that have not been sufficiently addressed in our work so far.
We are seeking Presenters for concurrent panel sessions. To submit a proposal for a presentation:
Proposals are due by January 21, 2008. However, proposals can be submitted immediately, and we will begin a rolling process of acceptance December 1, 2007. This earlier date may provide you with an opportunity to identify a source of funding support sooner, as well as help clarify summer plans.
If you have questions about the submission process, please contact Cecilia Orphan, National American Democracy Project Coordinator, at (202) 478-7833 or orphanc@aascu.org. For logistical information about the meeting, please contact Jill Gately, Program and Meetings Manager, ALC, at (202) 478-4668 or gatelyj@aascu.org.
Categories for Proposals
Category 1: Conceptual and Philosophical Issues in Civic Engagement
What are the various conceptions of civic engagement? What philosophical concepts of civic life and work drive the agenda of civic engagement? What are some national movements that have informed or enriched the civic engagement dialogue?
Category 2: Programs of Civic Engagement
The creation and effect of programs of civic engagement and their impact in courses such as English, Humanities, History, Political Science, Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts; in Student Life activities such as organizations and clubs, student government, and special initiatives; in First Year Programs, Capstone Courses, and other places in the curriculum; in faculty hiring and faculty development programs; in Institutional Development; and in specific activities such as newspaper programs, voter education and registration events, volunteering, service-learning, etc.
Category 3: Analysis of the Use of Specific Events
Presentations about how you or your institution organized and designed civic engagement activities around specific events, such as Constitution Day, a campus speaker series, Democracy Day, Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr. Day of Service, etc. What were the outcomes of these activities?
Category 4: Civic Skills
Presentations about projects that focus on the development of civic skills, such as organizing, listening to others, presenting a point of view, compromising, working together to solve a community problem, etc.
Category 5: Institutionalization and Administration of Civic Engagement
Presentations on topics such as how to infuse civic engagement in a campus, organize a project, find funding, publicize your project, work with community partners, work with community colleges, collaborate between academic and student affairs, secure faculty buy-in, nurture and sustain institutional attention, etc. We are particularly interested in faculty promotion and tenure strategies, as well as recognition and reward.
Category 6: Assessment
Presentations on assessment strategies, assessment tools, and assessment results across the broad range of institutional life: assessment of courses or programs, assessment linked to institutional outcomes, or assessment that evaluates the effectiveness of specific strategies. We are particularly interested in the assessment of civic skills as one dimension of civic outcomes.
Category 7: National Initiatives
We also seek proposals from those campus representatives involved in national ADP initiatives, including:
Category 8: Open Topics
If you would like to make a presentation on a topic not already listed, submit your proposal in this category.
Please note: Some presentations may fit into several categories. When submitting your proposal, use the category that best describes your presentation.
Description of Sessions
The presentation sessions are 1 hour and 15 minutes in length, with a moderator/presenter and approximately 3 presenters. Individual presentations should not exceed 10 minutes. Handouts are encouraged. LCD projectors for PowerPoint presentations will be available.
Please note: If you submit a presentation where you are the sole speakers and your proposal is accepted you will be placed in a concurrent session to other proposals on the same topic. If you would like to link your presentation to another proposal(s) (from your institution, from colleagues at other institutions, community partners, etc.), please note that in the online proposal form.
Once you submit a proposal, you are agreeing to present during any of the timeslots allotted from June 12-14, 2008. We will notify you of your exact presentation time no later than February 18 2008.
If your presentation is accepted, please note that you and your panel members are expected to make time for a conference call with an AASCU representative to discuss a common theme between your presentation and the other presentations in your session. A two to three sentence description of the theme will be printed in the ADP program along with your individual presentation titles.
The purpose of these sessions is to get a substantial amount of content and ideas presented in a short period of time, leaving time in each session for discussion and dialogue. Please note: For those presentations that focus on campus practice, the presentations should not be simply a description of a program or project. Instead, please provide a very brief description of the program or project, but then focus on how the project or activity was organized or developed, funded, assessed, what issues and concerns arose, and how those issues or concerns were addressed.
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