Call for Presentation Proposals

Submit a Presentation Proposal for the

CUPA-HR Annual Conference and Expo 2023

October 1-3 • Hyatt Regency New Orleans • New Orleans, Louisiana 

The call for proposals deadline has passed. 

Who Should Submit a Proposal?

  • Higher ed HR professionals with a story to tell or expertise to share
  • Subject matter experts who have unique insight into the challenges facing higher ed HR

We are looking for presenters to share their how-tos, best practices, case studies and lessons learned on the following topics:

  • Recruitment and retention (responding to the current talent crisis)
  • Talent development (developing internal talent, supporting retention, helping fill recruitment gaps)
  • Mental health (for HR, self-care, preventing burnout, benefits, programs, culture)
  • Flexible work
  • DEI (“invisible” diversity, intersectionality, disability inclusion)
  • Campus climate and the role of HR
  • Managing difficult conversations
  • Using HR data to drive leadership decision-making and strategy
  • Legislative and regulatory compliance challenges (FLSA, FMLA, Title IX, etc.)
  • Successful and innovative approaches to higher ed HR work
  • Other timely higher ed HR topics

Only CUPA-HR members are eligible to submit a presentation proposal for the annual conference. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact [email protected] for details on membership and the dues amount for your institution or organization. Please note, submitting a proposal does not guarantee selection. 

Getting Started

  • Learning Framework — Review the CUPA-HR Learning Framework. All CUPA-HR learning is connected to the Learning Framework.
  • Exploratory Questions — Fine-tune your session idea even further by answering these questions:
    • How does your proposed topic relate to the CUPA-HR Learning Framework?
    • Why is the topic of interest to higher ed HR professionals of varying institution sizes and types — small public, large public, small private, large private, two-year, four-year, etc.?
    • What challenges will your session help others to overcome?
    • Could you co-present with a professional from another institution to give your session more depth?
  • Proposal Guide — Use this guide to draft your presentation proposal submission prior to entering the information in the online form. Please be aware that the online proposal submission form cannot be saved mid-application and returned to later (although you can edit your proposal after it has been submitted, up to the May 3 deadline). Additionally, some fields in the form will have character limits, and spelling/grammar checks are not available in the online form.
  • To see examples of accepted sessions, check out the Annual Conference 2022 session lineup.

Before You Decide to Submit a Proposal

  • Review Important Dates and Timelines — If you will be unable to meet these deadlines or do not have support from your institution or employer to present, please reconsider your decision to submit a proposal.
    • Proposal Submission Deadline: May 5 
    • Selected Speakers Notified: May 18-22
    • Speaker Agreement Due From Selected Speakers: Within One Week of Notification
    • Final Presentations Due for Upload: September 13
    • Delivery of Presentation: October 1-3
  • Review the Indirect Costs of Presenting — In the spirit of camaraderie in which CUPA-HR was founded, presenters are asked to share their knowledge without compensation and are responsible for their own travel and conference registration costs. However, presenters do receive a discounted registration fee of $550-$750 depending on your affiliation with a higher ed institution or corporate organization.