2020 European Conference for Student Affairs and Services

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Connecting the Black Lives Matter Movement Globally: Around the world, we are experiencing a health pandemic and a human pandemic and our university campuses have seen an uptick of protests and student reports of racial inequality in and outside of the classroom. Students and staff express the call for change of problematic systemic practices within university systems and practices as the Black Lives Matter Movement has become a global movement.

The conference planning committee invites you to submit conference program proposals that will allow attendees to: 

• Begin the deep dive beyond celebrating racial diversity past numbers and discuss the experience of the whole students as marginalized communities entering the doors of academia.
• The needed work to realize that racism is not a one country issue, but a global pandemic that shows up in different forms with the same impact within communities. Discuss the impact of racism and inequality affect these communities' mental health and wellbeing. 
• Creating racial justice practices within your university.  How is it being implemented, and required for the classroom experience? Identify how individuals in colleges (students and staff) can become allies for those experiencing discrimination."
• Examine the interaction of discriminations and how colleges address these in their policies and application of such strategies. What decisions are being made and how will this humanize/intentionally include marginalized communities?

Employability and Career Services: As we witnessed one of the largest disruptions brought by the covid-19 pandemic to all education systems throughout the world, we saw many institutions rise to the occasion and pivot to online teaching and learning in a matter of days or weeks. As we are re-imagining how to respond to all the societal and economical challenges ahead, the future of work, young people’s employability and the knowledge and skills required to navigate the post-covide world are key for the European Education Area. At governmental level, for example, the European Union is preparing for massive investments that will allow a rapid shift to a digital and green economy. How can higher education institutions and actors help shape the debate on current disruptions, innovate curricula and fulfil their educational missions? How can student affairs professionals sustain students with career managing programs and innovative curricula?

The conference planning committee invites you to submit conference program proposals that will allow attendees to: 

• Learn practices on how institutions adapted curriculum goals, delivery or partnerships to help students build the skills they need in a post-covid-19 world of work, and to empower them to search and start their professions online.
• Learn evidence-based career services and employability practices to assist students, both in person and online, and to help them leverage the knowledge and skills acquired in all their learning experiences to navigate uncertain job markets.
• Understand the various ways institutions document and assess learning, both inside and outside of the classroom, and how technological tools can sustain this work.
• Learn practices on how institutions adjusted their partnerships with national and international companies, employers etc. to ensure online or safe in-person service learning, internships or volunteering opportunities.

Global Mobility and Experiences:  In the context of globalization, with institutions and students creating international connections and mobility experiences in new and unique ways, there is a need for developing and/or rethinking internationalization initiatives and strategies. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic or more generally, schools in the European Higher Education Area must encourage innovation, support student development, create quality programs, and ensure fair access and inclusion. How can student affairs professionals navigate this internationalization and global mobility of students and institutions? How do student affairs professionals lead institutions in ensuring students receive a global educational experience?

The conference planning committee invites you to submit conference program proposals that will allow attendees to: 

• Define evidence-based practices regarding “internationalization-at-home” initiatives that prepare all students to live and work across differences and in an interconnected world.
• Identify best practices for supporting international and inbound students to successfully navigate the local community
• Share institutional successes and setbacks for programs that create a global experience for students
• Establish a network of colleagues with whom to create short-term mobility opportunities or exchanges for students
• Develop initiatives, post COVID-19, that ensure student safety while also maintaining quality and impactful global experiences 

Mental Health and Well-being: Institutions of higher education around the world are experiencing a wave of incoming students who have experienced trauma and loss due to pandemic, economic, societal, and political events. As professionals in Higher Education, how do we equip ourselves to support these students. 

The conference planning committee invites you to submit conference program proposals that will allow attendees to: 

• Unpack holistic student and staff  well-being and its relationship with student success in higher education.
• Create opportunities to define current health triggers (pandemic, economic loss) and its impact on the community. 
• Define current mental health conditions (e.g. depression, substance abuse, etc.) which represent challenges to student success and well-being.
• Identify collaborative models between service practitioners (qualified mental health professionals) on campus and within communities.
• Enhance mezzo- and macro-level strategies to enhance student resilience.
• Discuss replicated return on investment from resources dedicated to mental health services, programs, policies, and environmental designs.
• Students who are remote and having access to mental health (grandparents with dementia, family responsibilities) balancing home life and becoming self-reliant.
• How to detect onset of mental health issues and stressors. Early signs and support to students. Students experiencing isolation aren't seen often by staff to offer support. When students no longer have roommates or peers to offer insight to students who are struggling. Consider online counseling services. 
• Students who may be experiencing erratic behavior due to boredom, being idle, not having employment, and students who have nothing to do. Increase in student mental health issues.  Supporting student learning in different spaces. Online learning, staying motivated. 
• Discuss cultural design of health promotion within all job functions and roles at an institution of higher education.

Student Success and Residential Life:  As higher education institutions and actors pivot or reinvent themselves for the post covid-19 world, what are the advances that student affairs professionals initiated in the past several months so no student was left behind in the new online learning environments? How can we redefine our practices and what tools are useful for a new blended learning experience and ensure thus student success? And what new virtual programming ideas are here to stay or empower students to be positive change makers in their communities or globally?How can student affairs work with intentionality to expand the out-of-classroom experience for all students? What are some promising practices in building a residential curriculum to ensure meaningful learning that goes beyond attendance? How to build a culture of assessment in residential life? These questions are meant to guide the discussions of news trends and challenges in student learning and engagement in residential settings.

The conference planning committee invites you to submit conference program proposals that will allow attendees to: 

• Identify initiatives that ensure continued student success and engagement, in online and blended learning environments or residential settings, regardless of students’ location
• Explore strategies to build intentional, inclusive and supportive learning environments and/or living-learning communities post covid-19
• Learn concrete practices and tools student affairs professional use to ensure student support regardless of students’ location
• Identify initiatives for new curriculum development that support students to act as change agents for a positive change in our world or empower them as social entrepreneurs
• Explore virtual programming ideas, lessons learned or promising practices experimented during the pandemic
• Explore retention strategies or initiatives to avoid student drop-outs