Midwest EDUCAUSE March 14-16, 2011 - Chicago, IL

The conference will be held from 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 14 to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16.

Half-day preconference seminars will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 14. These intensive, in-depth, highly interactive sessions will provide attendees with a chance to explore key issues, tools, and subjects in great detail. (Please note: A separate registration and fee are required.)Listen to this EDUCAUSE podcast: "Writing a Successful Proposal for a Conference Presentation" offering insights from three professionals on writing a winning conference proposal. --

Guidelines for Proposal Submissions

Corporate and Campus Solutions Track PresentationsVisit the Corporate Participation page.
Proposals must be submitted by September 27.
Please read these guidelines and consult this Proposal Preparation Checklist before starting the proposal submission process.

What makes the EDUCAUSE regional conferences so strong and so valuable is that attendees share experiences, ideas, and information with colleagues, and we all learn from each other. We urge you to share what you have learned and make the conference even stronger by submitting a proposal for a presentation. Consider organizing a panel discussion or submitting a joint presentation with a colleague.

All institutions of higher education and associations interested in higher education IT, are encouraged to submit proposals on key topics suggested in the track area descriptions. As you think about the best format to propose, remember all of these sessions should be designed for both presenters and attendees to learn from interactive exchange. Former applicants and past reviewers emphasize the value of clearly articulating your presentation's intended outcomes and sharing specific examples of how you will build interactivity during your session. For more advice on crafting your proposal for maximum impact please visit the Tips for Successful Proposals page.

Program Tracks and Key Topics
The program committee has outlined a series of tracks and key topics they believe will make an interesting and useful program.

Session Formats
The program committee encourages you to consider a presentation format that will engage your colleagues in discussion and learning beyond a simple dissemination of information. Sessions may follow one of these formats, or you may suggest an alternative format:

Interactive presentations (45 minutes) are opportunities to share topics of community interest through an innovative, thought-provoking format that encourages attendee participation. Outcomes may include creation of a best practices document, checklists for needed developmental work, or establishment of an ongoing development group.

Panel discussions (45 minutes) consist of multiple speakers, each offering a perspective on an issue or set of issues, with ample time for questions and answers. Examples include provider/customer viewpoints on emerging systems or technologies, point/counterpoint debates on controversial legal or policy issues, and insights gleaned from multi-campus or multi-institutional cooperative initiatives. Panels may invite the audience into the discussion using polls and Q&A.

Campus perspectives presentations (45 minutes) share the experiences of several (two to four) institutions dealing with the same challenge on their respective campuses, with ample time for questions and answers.

Poster sessions (60 minutes) offer the opportunity to share campus experiences through informal, interactive, brief presentations focused on effective practices, research findings, or technical solutions. This format, with multiple sessions in the same room, gives attendees and presenters the opportunity to share and examine problems, issues, and solutions in a more casual, direct, one-on-one environment. These sessions are a great way to learn from interactions with attendees who stop by.

Selection Process
Proposals will be reviewed by the Midwest Regional Conference Program Committee and selected Adjunct Proposal Reviewers using the following criteria:

Quality of Topic: Is the topic of importance, relevance, value, and/or interest to the targeted area of information resources in higher education?

Proposed Topic Coverage: Does the proposal cover the topic adequately?

Speaker Knowledge: Does the speaker, or speakers, appear to have sufficient knowledge, expertise, and authority to address this topic?

Speaker Presentation Style: Has the speaker provided sufficient evidence of his/her ability to effectively present on the topic?

Overall Rating: What is your evaluation of this proposal overall?

Proposals will be selected to provide a program that offers a comprehensive, non-commercial, objective, and diverse treatment of issues related to the conference theme.
Applicants will be notified about proposal status in November. Note that you may be invited to present in formats other than those noted in the proposal submission form. Presentations will take place March 14–16 at the EDUCAUSE Midwest Regional Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Poster sessions will take place in the afternoon on March 15.