2023 Call for Proposals

2023 Annual Conference

October 16 - 18, 2023

Charleston, SC

"Leaders, Innovators, Change Agents: Continuing Higher Education’s Role in Improving Access and Success"

Please submit all proposals by March 31, 2023.

The Association for Continuing Higher Education is excited to invite you to join us in historic Charleston, South Carolina, from October 16-18, 2023, for the 85^th Annual Conference and Meeting of ACHE! The Program and Conference Planning Committee is pleased to welcome our domestic and international members, leaders, innovators, and change agents from the ranks of faculty, students, and administrators in the higher education community to submit proposals for conference sessions.

The theme for the ACHE 2023 conference, "Leaders, Innovators, Change Agents: Continuing Higher Education's Role in Improving Access and Success" is an opportunity to share innovative and creative initiatives, discuss best practices, and learn about successful strategies for positive change that lead to greater access to higher education opportunities and success in completing degrees, certifications, and credentials that lead to a productive career in the workforce of today and the future! From continuing education non-credit courses and certificates to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees to graduate and professional degrees and continuing professional education…... Come join us to learn about best practices and innovation in continuing higher education and see the transformative power of education in developing the next generation workforce, a stronger society, and most importantly….a better quality of life for our students and generations to come!

Topics for proposals include, but are not limited to the following:

Leadership: Share leadership successes and strategic initiatives that have specifically focused on greater access and success for students. These initiatives can range from implementation of programs for students, professional development for faculty, professional staff and/or students, showcase how departments/institutions are focusing on access and success for underrepresented populations or providing pathways/access toward degree completion. What budget models, tuition strategies, grants, etc. are utilized to fund these programs and to lead to stainability for the future?
Innovation: Tell us about innovative practices and programs that have led to greater access and success for students. Describe best practices in establishing those innovative practices and programs that impact access to educational opportunities, roles and responsibilities of the department/institution, examples of successful outcomes in innovative programs and practices that contribute toward improving access and success.
Change Management: Describe successful change initiatives across your institutions and beyond that have impacted access and success such as but not limited to the following: Prior Learning Assessment, Competency-Based Education, Certificates/Certificate Programs, Stackable Credentials, and other initiatives that have brought about positive change in student access and success. Describe change management processes that were utilized to bring about the desired change.
Access: Discuss initiatives, programs, processes, and/or efforts that led to greater access to higher education for various populations, especially focusing on efforts to reach populations that are underrepresented in higher education. What strategies worked for various populations; how were those strategies funded; how were they institutionalized over time; what specific results were achieved?
Student Success: Submit proposals that chronicle ways that you have improved student success on your campuses, including but not limited to improving retention rates, improving graduation rates, serving those with some college but no degree, connecting students to careers, improving processes that relate to student success, and other related topics that have a positive impact on overall student success.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Share innovative efforts that address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across your institutions. Tell us about programs and practices that have proven effective in improving DEI metrics and moving your institutions/units forward in improving access and success for diverse populations, especially those that have helped close the gap in critical measures such as retention and graduation rates.

Themes to Focus On:

Recruitment/Retention/Graduation
Transfer Initiatives
Dual Credit/Early College/P-16 Partnerships
Students Services and Support
Workforce Development, Degree Completion, Certificates, Stackable Credentials & Non-Credit Programs
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
Competency-Based Learning
Professional Development
Business/Industry Partnerships
Underrepresented Populations
Degree Completion Programs
Adult Learners/Non-Traditional Populations

Who Should Submit Proposals?

Faculty
Staff
Students
Administrators

Note: For Business Partners/Vendors who are interested, please contact Dr. Matthew Bergman, University of Louisville, at matt.bergman@louisville.edu

Proposal Format/Submission:

Proposals should be submitted via the ProposalSpace platform by Friday, March 31, 2023. Those submitting proposals will be notified of acceptance by Friday, May 19, 2023, in conjunction with the conference registration deadlines. Please address the following in your proposal.