
September 19, 2023
Conference Registration Open!
November 23, 2023
Deadline to Submit Your English/Arabic CFP
January 7, 2024
Deadline to submit your MENASA Merit Award
December 15, 2023
Deadline To Submit to Host MENASA25!
January 31, 2024
Early Registration Ends!
April 28, 2024
2024 MENASA Conference Begins
18th Annual MENASA NASPA Conference
Regional Annual Conferences Supporting the Profession Middle East, North Africa, South Asia (MENASA) Global Division
April 28 - April 30, 2024 Doha, Qatar
The MENASA NASPA conference provides student affairs practitioners with the knowledge and skills to effectively address and support college students. Higher education is witnessing a wide array of changes especially in an era of fast technological evolution.
This three-day conference by NASPA and the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) Area, is an opportunity to connect with colleagues regionally and abroad. The conference provides space for discussing innovative ideas, adaptive approaches, use of technology, best practices, lessons learned, and provide tools to understand the next generation of Student Affairs.
Presented By

About the MENASA Annual Conference
The MENASA Area (Middle East, North Africa, South), and Qatar University invite you to the eighteenth annual MENASA NASPA Conference to be held in Doha, Qatar on 28 -30 April 2024. This three-day conference is an opportunity to connect with colleagues regionally and abroad.
Student Affairs: Changes and Challenges in the Era of Emerging Technologies
Higher education is witnessing a wide array of changes especially in an era of fast technological evolution. The conference aims to highlight the diverse influence of various technologies on student affairs professionals, institutions, and most crucially, student experiences. As technology continues to impact the educational environment, this conference is an opportunity to provide a forum for exploring creative methods, ethical issues, and practical techniques to improve student engagement, holistic development, and learning through innovative use of technologies.
A BIG Thanks to Qatar University
MENASA NASPA Conference - Call for Programs: NOW CLOSED
The 18th Annual MENASA NASPA Conference planning committee invites program proposals from higher education professionals who are part of the essential systems addressing college student experiences. The conference planning committees encourage program proposals regarding proven practices with content that will engage participants in fruitful discussions and provide meaningful content to bring back to their campuses. Interested individuals should submit a proposal form electronically. The proposal should be a detailed outline of their proposed session and a set of learning outcomes for attendees that connect to the conference tracks/topics (see below).
All presenters must register to attend the 18th Annual MENASA NASPA Conference in-person.
There will not be any virtual presentation opportunities.
Want to Submit Your Proposal in Arabic?
MENASA Multaqa - Apply to Present at the MENASA NASPA Conference
10 October 2023
Conference Tracks
Overcoming Challenges
Student Affairs professionals have continued to adopt and overcome challenges through their resilience and compassion. There are many successful models and best practices to share, especially in regard to the unparalleled focus on both students and staff mental health and wellbeing. How can we utilize the emerging technologies to serve such purposes? How can we incorporate and prioritize students’ welfare across all campus practices?
Professional Development
The sector of Student Affairs staff training and professional development continues to prove its necessity and importance, especially with these ever changing and emerging technologies. How are we proceeding as Student Affairs professionals with professional development in light of these new technologies? How can staff professional development be a tool for collaborative projects, professional growth, data- driven decision making and innovative problem solving?
Student Success
Counselors, learning support specialists, academic advisors, coaches and various service providers play a vital role in students’ development and success throughout their university journey. Hybrid approaches and innovative technological tools have been adopted to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing and challenging workplace and world in general. How are these emerging technologies influencing such practices? How are these technologies reshaping students’ readiness and overall development?
Technology Impact
Remote and online services, along with technology based interactions and experiences have been widely incorporated into SA practices in recent years. Some students found this to be an inclusive practice while others found it rather challenging. How is this precipitous development of technology changing Student Affairs practices today and in the future? How can we harness the rapid advances in technology to support our students across all fields? Is Artificial Intelligence a threat or an opportunity?
Learning Outcomes
Helpful Resources to Submit Your Call for Program
MENASA Multaqua: Apply to Present at the Annual Conference
The objective of this resource is to explain the process of preparing a proposal for the MENASA 18th Annual Conference. With a focus on first-time contributors, participants will learn writing strategies that will increase their proposal’s probability of acceptance to the MENASA 18th Annual Conference.
The goal is to simplify the process for novice presenters by presenting comprehensive strategies for writing successful conference proposals for the MENASA 18th Annual Conference.
At the completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
a. Recognize ways to turn their current work/research into a program proposal
b. Recognize the various formats of MENASA conference sessions
c. Comprehend the requirements of each section of the call for proposal application
d. Compose a proposal that aligns with the theme and learning outcomes of the conference
Proposal writing for conferences can be an intimidating process. This webinar will aid in explaining the process of applying to present at the MENASA 18th Annual conference. Directly tied to the professional competency of assessment, evaluation, and research, this session will help facilitate the dissemination of professional scholarship in the MENASA region. Whether you are a practitioner, faculty or student, you are encouraged to share your work and research and this webinar will help you to take the first steps. Attendees will learn how to evaluate and link their skills, knowledge, and experiences to develop successful conference proposals based on theories and practice. The different types of programs will be explained to identify multiple formats for presenting. Then, a step by step process of the program application will follow. Lastly, general “do’s and don'ts” on proposal writing will be given to prepare participants for a successful proposal submission.
Successful Proposals
Program reviewers rely on a well-written description to enhance their understanding of the content and goals of the presentation. The conference planning committees encourage program proposals with proven practices and content that will engage participants in fruitful discussions and provide meaningful content to bring back to their campuses.
Successful proposals should include:
- Lengthy description about session content that you will present.
- Relationship of the program to the conference themes outlined below in 'Conference Themes & Learning Outcomes'
- Identification of the program format (e.g., lecture, panel, debate) including methods for participant involvement (e.g., discussion, effective practice sharing, case study analysis).
- Discussions of replicability: to what extent can the information presented in this program be replicated at other institutions?
- Evidence of the conceptual foundation for proposal content including ways the program content is grounded in research, relevant experience, a cogent model, or appropriate theory.
- Program proposals should establish a clear connection to the research, framework, model, or theory included in their discussions.
- A list of references to relevant research, models, or theory must be listed in the "References" section.
Tips:
- Draft and save your work in a word processing program to ensure you keep a copy for your records. When you are ready, copy and paste the your description and outline into the text box below.
- There are no word limits on this section. Please provide enough details so that program reviewers can understand the breadth, depth, and scope of your program. This description will not be printed in the program book, website, or otherwise.
- Ensure correct spelling and grammar.
General Proposal Writing Tips
For additional tips, please visit NASPA’s Program Submission Guidelines: https://www.naspa.org/events/program-submission-guidelines.
Submission Criteria
Do You Want to Review MENASA Call for Programs? NOW CLOSED
Call for Reviewers: NOW CLOSED
We Need You!
Volunteer reviewers help to weave the very fabric of the conference. The 2024 MENASA NASPA Annual Conference will include content-rich sessions presented by talented colleagues in our field - but in order to make this happen, we need YOU! Each program proposal will be reviewed multiple times by professionals in the field prior to the Conference Planning Committee's review in November. This rigorous process is part of our promise to provide exceptional professional development that is reflective of the needs and knowledge of the field. Reviewers make all of this possible!
Program Review Timeline
Assignments will be ready for review by 23 November 2023. You will receive an email with instructions for accessing the reviewer portal, where you will find the programs that have been assigned to you. Reviews will be due on 4 December 2023.
The Conference Planning Committee will meet in early December to select programs, so please note that there will be no opportunities to extend the review period beyond the 4 December deadline.
We recommend blocking time on your calendar between November 24 - December 3 to focus on your program reviews, and allow enough time to read each proposal in full and provide thoughtful feedback to the submitter. Reviewer comments will be shared anonymously with submitters for their consideration.
Tips For Program Reviewers
Start with the positive! Emphasize the proposal’s contributions
- Try: This is a timely topic and the author made a compelling case for why this study is needed.
- Avoid: Here’s what’s wrong with this proposal: Everything.
Evaluate what they did, not what you would do
- Try: I’m not as familiar with this methodology, but the author(s) explained it well and it seems appropriate for their purpose.
- Avoid: This study examines the experiences of women studying abroad, but I think it would have been more interesting to talk to the study abroad advisors.
Avoid harsh language—if you wouldn’t say it to a colleague face-to-face, don’t write it either
- Try: I like where this is going and would suggest that the author(s) add more explanation about their methods and consider including more specific implications for practice since the results are so compelling.
- Avoid: This has absolutely no value or contribution whatsoever. The end.
Be constructive — if there’s an area for improvement within the proposal, try to suggest how the author can address it
- Try: I wasn’t sure how the “satisfaction” section of the literature review was connected to the study, so you might consider removing that part or include a few more sentences to provide that connection.
- Avoid: I didn’t really enjoy the literature review. It was not my favorite.
Even though NASPA Annual Conferences usually have focus areas, do not disqualify a proposal simply based on whether it reflects the theme
- Try: Although you did not draw a parallel to one of the stated focus areas, I appreciated how you showed the relevance of this topic to the field.
- Avoid: This presentation does not connect to any of the themes stated.
Do not disqualify a proposal based on its methodology, especially based on your conventional understanding of its purpose
- Try: Based on the aims of your research method, this information seems valid. Have you considered ways to broaden or support these findings further with additional resources or other research?
- Avoid: How are the results of a study with five folks representative or generalizable?
Schedule
18th Annual MENASA NASPA Conference Schedule
All times are Arabian Standard Time (GMT+3) and are subject to change
28 April
29 April
30 April
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Registration
Registration as a member is based on individual membership status at the time of the conference. If your current membership will expire prior to the conference, you will have the option to renew at the time of registration to receive the member rate.
If you are not a current member and are employed by a college or university, you can join as an international affiliate member for $80.00USD. NASPA membership provides access to the individual member rate for the conference. Please visit the membership section of the NASPA website to learn more about membership types and benefits. We hope you will consider joining today!
Are you enrolled as a full-time student at a university or college? If so, you are eligible to become a NASPA member at the student rate. Please visit here to find out more information about NASPA student membership.
For a comprehensive listing of NASPA registration policies, please visit this page.
REGISTRATION FEES |
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Early Registration 09/15/2023 to 01/31/2024 |
Regular Registration 02/01/2024 to 03/28/2024 |
Late Registration 03/29/2024 to 04/28/2024 |
NASPA Member |
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$200 | $250 | $300 |
Registration w/ NASPA Membership |
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$280 | $330 | $380 |
Non Member |
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$400 | $450 |
$500 |
Seeking professional development funding? Submit for a NASPA Foundation Professional Development Scholarship!
MENASA Merit Awards
The NASPA Middle-East, North Africa, South Asia (MENASA) Area was formed to engage and connect student affairs professionals in advancing service to students, campuses, and the student affairs/services field by supporting professionals through a variety of resources and activities.
The purpose of our Recognition of Excellence is to spotlight best practices and initiatives across the MENASA area that align with MENASA-NASPA values. The MENASA NASPA Conference strives to recognize significant contributions by institutions and individuals and thus support sharing of knowledge and good practices and to generate conversations among student affairs professionals about innovative and effective practices. The Recognition of Excellence further inspire awareness, highlight excellent work being conducted by MENASA Area professionals, promote collaboration and idea sharing, and serve as a platform to connect professionals in the region.
Deadline to Submit Your Nomination - 7 January 2024
Engagement Opportunities
Why Host the 2025 MENASA NASPA Conference?
Knowledge Sharing Career Development Networking and Collaboration
To host the MENASA25 is to attract a unique and incredible mix of thinkers, leaders, experts, and emerging talent with an existing predisposition to develop their skills, stimulate higher education progress and contribute to important global conversations in the MENASA area. The MENASA NASPA Conference is an important venue for brainstorming, networking and making vital connections that can lead to new initiatives, collaborations, resources and skills development. Hosting MENASA25 can be an effective way to build campus brand awareness and promote your university to a wider audience. You can attract attention from education industry leaders, social media outlets, and potential students, and help raise your profile and position your campus as a thought leader in higher education.
Sponsors
Interested in exhibiting and sponsorship? Please email Fred Comparato, Senior Director - Corporate Development
NASPA Global Health, Safety, and Responsibility
In keeping with the Association's duty to care and responsibility as host, NASPA leadership strongly encourages all participants at NASPA events whether a presenter, attendee, exhibitor, staff, guest, or vendor to be fully vaccinated. Please see the NASPA Global Health, Safety, and Responsibility webpage for complete information about NASPA's policy.
NASPA Conduct Policy
NASPA provides a welcoming environment and strives to address the interests of its members and the student affairs profession on issues related to social justice, equity, and inclusion. We seek to foster a positive environment built upon a foundation of trust, respect, open communications, and ethical behavior. To view NASPA's Conduct Policy, follow this link.