P.A.C.E. (Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement) Conference

formerly the Service-Learning Conference

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

We invite faculty, scholars, administrators, community partners and students who are involved in campus-based civic engagement research, instruction and practice to submit presentation proposals for this annual gathering.  Conference participants will include learners and educators from each constituency.  Participant familiarity with civic-engagement ranges from novice to advanced.

Conference Goals:

• Introduce participants to definitions and tools for becoming “the engaged campus”
• Provide or enhance practical civic engagement skills and deepen understanding of participants at all levels of familiarity
• Explore diverse perspectives on civic engagement theory and practice
• Highlight current research on the topic
• Provide opportunities for informal and interactive conference sessions
• Honor and celebrate the legacy of Robert L. Sigmon  by honoring practitioners for outstanding practice in the field.

Workshop Categories:

• Nuts-and-Bolts Workshop
• Programmatic Practice Session
• Research and Theory Session

Nuts-and-Bolts Workshops provide new to advanced civic engagement practitioners "how to" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: how to integrate service-learning into a student leadership program, how to develop a risk management policy community-campus partnerships, and how to develop civic engagement projects for residence hall programs. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e., lecture, hands-on activities, panel presentation) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for questions and answers, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Programmatic Practice Sessions provide new to advanced civic engagement practitioners "best practices" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: models for integrating service-learning within academic departments, tools for implementing social entrepreneurship and philanthropy initiatives, case studies of Faculty Fellow programs to increase faculty leadership in service-learning, and lessons learned from integrating service-learning within a student leadership program. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e., roundtable discussions, panel presentations, case studies) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for dialogue, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Research and Theory Sessions provide new to advanced civic engagement practitioners "research and theory" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: campus-based research on the relationship between service-learning and retention rates, evolving theories of leadership in community development, and national trends in student service and engagement. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e. paper presentation, roundtable discussion) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for dialogue, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Proposal Selection Criteria

The NC Campus Compact P.A.C.E. Conference is soliciting proposals for more than 30 presentations in four concurrent sessions. Nuts-and-bolts, programmatic practice, and research and theory presentation types comprise general concurrent sessions. All concurrent sessions will be 60 minutes in duration. All proposals, which include a 75 word abstract and a 300 word proposal summary, will be peer-reviewed according to the following criteria:

Contribution to Knowledge of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (60%)
Indicate how your presentation will build on or facilitate application of existing ideas and/or research in the field.

Opportunities for Active Learning (20%)
Demonstrate how you plan to involve your audience in your session and discuss the techniques you will employ to encourage active participation. Indicate what presentation style(s) you plan to use (i.e. roundtable discussions, paper presentations, panel presentations, etc.

Incorporation of Diverse Perspectives (20%)
Consider multiple points of view as you plan your proposal. Broaden the focus of your presentation to accommodate the diversity of constituents in the field, including community partners and leaders, students, and diverse higher education staff/administrators.

To view a list of workshops from the 2008 conference, click here to download the program booklet.

Submission Guidelines

The deadline for submitting proposals is November 7, 2008.

Visit this link to complete the online proposal form.

This is an online form that you cannot save.  We recommend that you format your responses in another document before filling out the form.  You may also wish to print the page before hitting "submit."  Upon submission you will receive an e-mail acknowledgement from NC Campus Compact, within 24 hours of receipt. 

If you would like to discuss a proposal idea, please contact:

Leslie Garvin
Associate Director
NC Campus Compact
lgarvin@elon.edu
(336) 278-7278

Please note that workshop presenters must also register for the conference. Registration opens on November 14, 2008 and closes on January 23, 2009.