Call for Presenters: 2025 Conference on Transformative Technologies in Higher Education
Are you leading change with innovative technologies in higher education? Share your expertise and inspire your peers by presenting at our 2025 conference, designed for professional staff driving progress in higher ed. We’re seeking dynamic presenters for sessions that highlight practical strategies, future-forward ideas, and transformative solutions. We do require that you also submit a one-page slide to promote your presentation. This slide will be displayed at the Opening Dinner. You will have an opportunity to update your slide closer to the conference if necessary.
Explore our tracks and see where your insights fit:
Proposed Tracks:
Leadership & Management: Building Stronger Teams and Smarter Strategies
Leadership goes beyond mere oversight—it involves vision, impact, and fostering growth within teams. This track invites sessions designed to empower higher education professionals to enhance team dynamics, refine strategies, and develop student staff. Sessions should address how to build cohesive, effective teams while promoting leadership development among students. Share your expertise in:
- Effective hiring, onboarding, and staff development: Strategies for recruiting, selecting, and training student employees, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary competencies like professionalism, teamwork, and critical thinking.
- Supervising and mentoring student staff: Approaches for providing ongoing guidance, support, and skill development to help student staff grow in their roles and prepare for future careers, emphasizing competencies such as leadership, communication, and career management.
- Data-driven decision-making and reporting: Techniques for leveraging data to monitor student staff performance, assess training effectiveness, and make informed decisions about team development and organizational goals.
- Customer service strategies and organizational structure design: Designing systems and policies that support both student staff and the larger campus community, while promoting effective service delivery and collaboration across departments.
- Process improvement and change management: Methods for fostering continuous improvement and leading change within student staff teams, incorporating strategies that develop student staff leadership and critical thinking skills.
By focusing on these areas, participants will gain insights into how to strengthen teams, enhance staff performance, and create more strategic, student-centered environments that align with the evolving demands of higher education.
If you’re elevating your team and institution, help others do the same.
DEI in Higher Education Technology: Creating Inclusive Tech Spaces
Technology shapes campus experiences—but who shapes the technology? This track is dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher ed tech. We seek presentations that address:
- Building inclusive tech cultures and equitable hiring practices
- Strategies for dismantling bias in systems and policies
- Approaches for increasing representation in traditionally underrepresented spaces
Let’s work together to create environments where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Network Technology: Keeping Campuses Connected and Secure
The backbone of any institution is its network—fast, reliable, and secure. This track focuses on the tools and strategies that keep campuses running. Share your knowledge on:
- Network security and access control
- WiFi optimization, traffic management, and bandwidth strategies
- Infrastructure planning, disaster recovery, and compliance
Whether it’s solving everyday challenges or navigating complex issues, your expertise can help others strengthen their networks.
Support Services & Cool Tools: Streamlining Tech for Campus Success
Support teams are the unsung heroes of higher ed tech. This track highlights the tools, workflows, and strategies that improve user experience and operational efficiency. We’re looking for sessions on:
- Innovative support models and knowledge management
- Game-changing diagnostic tools and feedback systems
- Creative uses of software and hands-on problem-solving tips
Bring your best practices and favorite tools—let’s make tech support smoother for everyone.
Emerging Technologies: Shaping the Future of Higher Ed
This is where vision meets action. For those pioneering the next big thing, this track is all about future-focused breakthroughs. We’re seeking sessions that explore:
- AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics
- Pilot projects, bold experiments, and the lessons learned along the way
Inspire your peers and spark new ideas—show us what’s next.
- Session Format:
- Lightning Talk – 20-minute session, including questions
- Lecture – 40-minute session, including questions
- Panel Discussion – 40-minute session, proposal submitter will be responsible for pulling together a group presentation from different institutions. Post on the listserv to gather participants!
How to make your presentation effective, engaging and fun
- Know your audience!
- Past attendees include Help Desk Managers, Technology Support Analysts, Directors and Assistant Directors of IT Services, Network Engineers and Administrators, as well as many other various Computer Support and User Services roles.
- Highlight the objectives and goals of your presentation early on.
- Engage your audience by asking questions, implementing games, or activities.
- Include stats, facts, and other ideas to drive your point home.
- Practice your presentation at least once. A timed dry run with a small audience can be very beneficial.
Pro Tip: Keep your slideshow short and sweet. Too much text is distracting, and you want your audience to pay attention to you! If you want your audience to read long text on your slides, make sure you allow them that time. Each presentation should have a title slide, a slide with facts about your institution, and a “Questions” slide with your contact info.