18th Annual MENASA NASPA Conference

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? 

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

For additional tips, please visit NASPA’s Program Submission Guidelines: https://www.naspa.org/events/program-submission-guidelines.