CUPA-HR Eastern Region Conference 2009
Where Opportunity and Excellence Come Together
April 26-28, 2009
The Westin Providence • Providence, Rhode Island
Corporate Participation/Exhibitor Information
Deadline for Submitting Proposal: October 31, 2008
The Eastern Region is accepting proposals for its 2009 conference. You are invited to submit one. Please review all the information provided; some information has changed. Before you can proceed to the proposal form, you must check the box below to signal agreement with the terms.
Audience
Most attendees will be HR practitioners from two-year, four-year private, public, proprietary, research, and community colleges, religious, medical, multi-campus and other institutions of higher education. They may be novice, intermediate or advanced with expertise in a variety of HR areas or new to higher education human resources.
Audience Expectations
CUPA-HR members prefer practical information. Presenters are requested to focus on solutions to problems, coping strategies, successful partnerships or collaborations between HR and other campus constituencies or innovative programs that can be adapted by other institutions.
Types of Presentations
Sessions will be held concurrently and generally are 75 minutes long. Participants prefer interactive formats to lecture. The conference program committee will, in part, evaluate the proposal on opportunities for interaction within the session.
In addition to lecture, sessions may be presented in a variety of ways to encourage interaction, such as:
- Case Study — A presenter interacts with the audience to examine work situations and solutions
- Round Table — A facilitator encourages the sharing of information within and among groups
- Panel — A small group of presenters shares information with the audience, which might be asked to offer their views
- Role-Play — Individuals act out situations to illustrate points
- Other — Please select other if you are interested in submitting a "Best Practices" proposal. Best Practices Forum: Individuals will be at a table speaking informally with colleagues who are interested in learning about best practices at similar institutions. Individuals would prepare a one page sheet of paper telling about your best practice. Examples include things such as an effective brochure about open enrollment, websites, programs, new systems, service examples, etc. * Does not receive discounted registration.
Functional Areas
Sessions may fall into the following functional areas:
- Benefits
- Compensation/Rewards
- Diversity
- Employee/Labor Relations
- HR Metrics
- HR Strategies/Leadership
- Legal Issues
- Organizational Development
- Recruitment/Retention
- Training and Development
- Technology (HRIS)
- Worklife and Wellness Issues
- Other
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on four criteria:
- Appeal — the subject is important and timely; addresses and solves HR problems
- Audience Engagement — the format allows for exchanges among audience members and between audience members and the presenter
- Clarity of Presentation — the session description effectively matches the topic and session outline
- Design — depth and quality of content
Honorarium and Reimbursement Policy
In the spirit of camaraderie in which CUPA-HR was founded, presenters are asked to share without compensation their knowledge with those in the higher education HR profession. Presenters receive neither an honorarium nor reimbursement for travel, lodging or meal expenses, but will receive a $75 discount off the early member registration fee. The discount rate is available no matter how late the concurrent session speaker registers. Conference participation is optional. However, speakers who choose to participate in the conference must register to do so.
Presentation Information and Requirements
Be aware that sessions are open to all conference participants including members of the press, higher educational institutions and representatives of corporate organizations.
Corporate representatives are strongly encouraged to co-present with an HR practitioner. Corporate presenters cannot promote specific products or services. Product comments should be generic. Companies that breach this rule will not be invited to present at future conferences.
Presenters are strongly encouraged to prepare handouts for their session. Handouts will not be duplicated by the region, however they will be posted on the conference Web site. If presenter chooses to bring handouts, please contact meetings@cupahr.org and conference staff will advise you on the number of handouts needed.
The CUPA-HR logo and conference logo are the property of CUPA-HR and may not be used in presentation materials.
How to Submit a Proposal
The online form must be filled out completely for your submission to be considered by the conference program committee. Please be accurate. If your proposal is selected, it is understood the information you provide will be the basis for Web and print promotions. The online form requests the following information:
- Session Title — The title of your session
- Session Format — Interactive session format; how the information will be conveyed to the audience
- Topic Areas — Major topic areas (specify up to 2)
- Audiovisual — Complimentary equipment, including LCD projectors, needed to present your session. If you are using an LCD projector to display your PowerPoint materials, please bring your laptop loaded with appropriate software. Laptops and Internet connectivity will NOT be provided on a complimentary basis but rental arrangements can be made for you and the cost charged to you
- Presenter Information — contact information of all session presenters
- Introduction — One paragraph describing each presenter's professional experience that can be used to introduce each presenter to the audience at the session
- Outline — A one-page outline or summary covering the major discussion points of the presentation and its benefits for attendees
- Description — One descriptive paragraph about the presentation that details the benefits of the session to the attendee. If your proposal is selected, the information you provide will be the basis for conference publicity. Clarity is paramount in describing what your audience will learn from or accomplish after your session.
Sample Session Description:
New HR Risks in the Information Age
Examine critical issues raised by increased use of e-mail and the Internet in colleges and universities. Consider the risks of inappropriate computer use such as copyright infringement, defamation and sexual harassment. Learn how to formulate a comprehensive, effective computer use policy.
Timetable
- Proposal Deadline: October 31, 2008
- Speaker Notification: December 5, 2008
- Audio/Visual Requirements Due: February 27, 2009
- Delivery of Presentations: April 27-28, 2009
Proposal Submission
Submit presentation proposal materials electronically to CUPA-HR by October 31, 2008. You will receive an automatic e-mail confirmation once your proposal has been successfully submitted.
If you have questions, please contact program committee chair Mark Coldren at (607) 274-3853 or mcoldren@ithaca.edu. For technical questions, contact Lisa Hayden at (865) 637-7673 ext. 108 or lhayden@cupahr.org.
After you check the box below, you will be directed to the Call for Proposals form.