NASPA Strategies Conferences

Successful proposals should include:

• Lengthy description about session content that you will present.
• Relationship of the program to the conference themes outlined on the website.
• Identification of the program format (e.g., lecture, panel, debate) including methods for participant involvement (e.g., discussion, effective practice sharing, case study analysis).
• Evidence of the conceptual foundation for proposal content including ways the program content is grounded in research, relevant experience, a cogent model, or appropriate theory.
• Integration of equity, inclusion, and social justice for identified subpopulations (students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, international students, students with ability differences, undocumented students, etc.) or at a systems level (e.g. colonization, racial oppression and trauma, restrictive statewide policy for trans students' rights, etc.).

There are several different session types at the NASPA Strategies Conferences. Consider submitting a proposal to one or more of the following:

• General interest sessions (60 minutes)
• Roundtable discussion sessions (60 minutes)
• Extended general interest sessions (90 minutes)
• Poster sessions (discussion during the opening reception)
• Pre-conference sessions (3 hours)
• Pre-conference institutes (8 hours)

Looking for tips on writing an effective NASPA proposal? See sample submissions and formatting tips in our Program Submission Guidelines.

Each proposal will select one theme that most aligns with program content.

Campus or Community Coalitions and Partnerships

• Sessions that address the ways in which diverse stakeholders from within and across the campus and the larger community can work collaboratively to address substance abuse or violence prevention and best serve the needs of campus community members
• Sessions that share models of collaboration, case studies from integrated systems, successful partnerships, and efforts to engage all stakeholders in prevention efforts, including individual and environmental level strategies
• Sessions that identify and evaluate health promotion efforts

Current Trends and Emerging Issues

• Sessions that include or ongoing data and research surrounding substance abuse or campus violence prevention efforts, especially those addressing use patterns and implications for 18-25 year olds
• Sessions that assess the scope of alcohol and other drug misuse on campus
• Sessions that evaluate current alcohol and other drug misuse prevention efforts
• Sessions that explore considerations for health equity on prevention efforts

Evidence-Based and Evidence Informed Practices

• Sessions that demonstrate strategic use of assessment and data to inform and influence policies, programs, systems, infrastructure and other higher order change that helps build a culture in which instances of substance abuse or campus violence are reduced
• Sessions that examine how evidence-based prevention strategies can be modified to fit varying institutions, communities, populations, and resource levels
• Sessions that identify sources and repositories for identifying evidence-based programs and strategies
• Sessions that explore replicable and adaptable evidence-based policies, programs, and practices
• Sessions that identify best practices for campus policies surrounding alcohol and other drugs

Innovative Solutions and Changing Practices

• Sessions that address implemented strategies, programs, and policies which have been successful - or which are innovative, based on a foundational theory, model, or adaptation.
• Sessions that discuss innovative supports for students who choose not to consume substances, including recovery communities

The Strategic Prevention Framework

• Sessions that should address data driven or population level substance abuse prevention efforts in the context of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Strategic Prevention Framework
• Sessions that apply sustainability into all efforts in the spectrum of prevention and health promotion
• Sessions that show an understanding of cultural competency and its importance in evidence-based prevention efforts
• Sessions that evaluate the capacity to implement prevention strategies on campus

Each proposal will select one theme that most aligns with program content.

Access to Services

• Sessions that explore new modalities addressing growing waiting lists and stagnant or reduced provider capacity
• Sessions that discuss administrative successes and barriers to expand student access

• Sessions that discover and compare solutions to promote increased access and awareness of mental health services for students

Cross- Campus Collaboration and Coordination

• Sessions which share models of collaboration, case studies from integrated systems, successful partnerships, and work with student affairs leadership
• Sessions may also address collaboration with local, state, and national organizations to promote mental health on campus
• Sessions that understand the keys to successful cross-campus collaboration in mental health services
• Sessions that explore ways in which mental health intersects with both violence prevention and response and substance misuse on campus to develop and enhance prevention, intervention and response

Cultural and Identity Considerations

• Sessions that identify barriers to mental well-being for campus sub-populations, the strategies to address social justice and identity-related stress, providing inclusive services, and the recruitment, hiring, and retention of diverse staff who provide mental health services
• Sessions that address both the strategic and the practical aspects of these considerations on mental health services and the creation of a mentally healthy campus environment
• Sessions that discuss mental health needs of students within a context of power and privilege

Current Trends and Emerging Issues

• Sessions addressing new or ongoing data and research surrounding college mental health, and what inferences that has for practitioners and administrators in providing services and planning for a mentally healthier campus
• Sessions that discuss issues at a clinical/individual level and a campus/environmental level
• Sessions that examine current trends and issues to better evaluate the scope of student mental health on campus

Successful and Innovative Solutions

• Sessions specifically addressing transitional student populations’ mental health (e.g. first-year students, veteran students, etc.).
• Sessions that engage in conversations about innovative and effective programming to support student mental health
• Sessions discussing implemented strategies, programs, and policies which have been successful - or which are innovative, based on a foundational theory, model, or adaptation

Each proposal will select one theme that most aligns with program content. 

Evidence-based Policy and Practice

• Sessions that identify evidence-based approaches to sexual violence prevention and response
• Sessions that demonstrate strategic use of assessment and data to inform and influence policies, programs, systems, infrastructure, and other higher order change that helps build a culture in which sexual violence is eliminated
• Sessions that review best practices in: implementing sustainable, evidence-based prevention programs; improving campus response to violence and victims; and evaluating the impact of these efforts
• Sessions that describe strategies for developing or revising comprehensive campus sexual misconduct policies, including how they are impacted by the latest federal and state legislative policy changes

Innovative or Promising Approaches to Prevention and Response

• Sessions that highlight strategies, programs, and policies which are innovative and whose grounding in foundational theories, models, or frameworks make them promising in their efficacy
• Sessions that share project implementation and program evaluation associated with these initiatives
• Sessions that discuss innovative/promising approaches to the prevention of and response to sexual violence in higher education, including discussions of lessons learned, assessment and evaluation, and replicability

Disruption of Dominant Sexual Violence Narratives

• Sessions that critically examine and interrupt the problematic dominant narratives of sexual violence (e.g. racism, sexism, heteronormativity, gender identity, ableism), including narratives around those who experience sexual violence; those who perpetrate sexual violence; as well the ways in which those who work to prevent and respond to sexual violence participate in these dominant narratives
• Sessions that reimagine and propose new perspectives, approaches, and strategies to honor all identities in sexual violence work
• Sessions that examine societal and institutional systems and structures that contribute to, are complicit in, or perpetuate violence, and identify practices that foster inclusive efforts to address sexual violence

Expanding Campus and Community Partnerships

• Sessions that address the ways in which diverse stakeholders from within and across the campus and the larger community can work collaboratively to address sexual violence and best serve the needs of campus community members
• Sessions that share models of collaboration, case studies from integrated systems, successful partnerships, and efforts to engage all stakeholders in sexual violence prevention and response
• Sessions that address collaboration with local, state, and national organizations to prevent and respond to campus sexual violence
• Sessions that identify strategies to expand and strengthen relationships between campuses and community service providers, in an effort to augment support for reporting and responding parties and increase communication around and collaboration in prevention and response

Each proposal will select one theme that most aligns with program content.

Navigating Systems and Infrastructure

• Sessions that explore effective strategies for building relationships, collaborations, coalitions, and working within and across disciplines, departments, organizations and communities
• Sessions that discuss ways to expand and synergize environmental factors using a settings approach
• Sessions that build capacity for leadership to inspire and create systemic change

Foundations and Essential References

• Sessions that introduce foundational public health principles, concepts, rubrics, strategies, standards, guidelines, theories, processes and/or skills for effective health promotion practice in higher education
• Sessions that share the evolution of health promotion practice in higher education leading to a clear understanding of current industry standards
• Sessions that discuss core knowledge and examine relevant case studies of quality health promotion practice for the field

Current Research, Innovations, and Emerging Trends

• Sessions that integrate new guidance in the field and implications for practice (e.g., Health Promoting Universities from the Okanagan Charter, Cross-functional CAS standards of practice, Gallup-Healthways Well-being Data)
• Sessions exploring the role of Senior Leadership (AVPs/VPs) in integrating health promotion to build an infrastructure that supports well-being
• Sessions that explore the use of language to explain and delineate the work of health promotion – differentiating between ‘buzz’ words and the language of the field

Using Data to Inform Change

• Sessions that identify roadmaps for successful processes and collaborative practices for data collection and dissemination between and among stakeholders (e.g., housing and residential life, campus planners, enrollment management, equity and inclusion).
• Sessions that explore ways to use various sources of data to inform, inspire and shape a more complete narrative of health and well-being
• Sessions that demonstrate strategic use of assessment and data to influence policies, systems, infrastructure, and other higher order change to reorient higher education to health and well-being

Wednesday, January 15 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Elizabeth Allan, Professor, University of Maine, David Kerschner, Research Associate, University of Maine, Meredith Stewart, Graduate Research Intern, University of Maine, and Timothy Marchell, Director of Skorton Center for Health Initiatives, Cornell University

A foundational understanding of campus hazing and its prevention, with a particular emphasis on building capacity and engagement, is the focus of this pre-conference session which will provide an overview of the Hazing Prevention Framework (HPF), key indicators of the HPF components, the research base supporting it, along with promising strategies for campus hazing prevention. How hazing intersects with other campus safety concerns will also be explored.

Wednesday, January 15 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Jill Dunlap, Director for Research and Practice, NASPA, Joan Tabachnick, Department of Justice Fellowship, Department of Justice, Jennifer Henkle, Assistant Director of Community of Concern, University of Kentucky

Based on data from a national landscape survey, the presenters will explore the myriad factors to consider when providing responsible support services for responding parties in Title IX cases. Participants will engage in discussions about what specific duties respondent support services personnel have in helping a responding party navigate the Title IX investigation, interim measures, sanctioning, and re-entry processes. Presenters will help participants understand the importance of creating clear distinctions between complainant advocacy services and respondent support services to prevent re-traumatization of survivors while creating equitable systems of support.

Wednesday, January 15 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Barry Schreier, Director of University Counseling Service, University of Iowa

We live in a world where gender identity is not a binary concept. When working with trans identities, these evolving communities encourage us to update our practice. This program provides: fundamental information about trans identities including culture, language, and how sexual orientation/sex/gender intersect and vary. The workshop provides advanced theories exploring queer theory constructs of Essentialism and Constructionism. This workshop focuses on intersectionality of trans identities with other identities such as race and ethnicity. The workshop then examines the “informed consent” model and how this is changing the “gatekeeper” role and ethical considerations. The workshop finishes with a complex case examination of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, sex, and other intersectionalities that integrates the day!

Wednesday, January 15 | 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by NASPA Peer Education Advisors Faculty

The role of a collegiate peer education advisor is complex, ever changing, and sometimes poorly defined. There is no handbook, training, or manual when it comes to working with peer education groups. At the NASPA Strategies Conferences, The NASPA Advisor Academy will provide participants with the training, skills and knowledge needed to be an effective collegiate peer education advisor.

Wednesday, January 15 | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Gina Abrams, Director of Research & Program Evaluation, International Institute of Restorative Practices, Ashleigh Hala, Director of Wellness & Prevention Services, Babson College, and Elizabeth Smull, Lecturer, International Institute of Restorative Practices

Restorative practices can create supportive environments for students to thrive by strengthening relationships between individuals as well as social connections within the campus community. Presenters will discuss restorative practices as an innovative prevention framework for improving social determinants of health known to influence well-being, including connectedness and belonging, sense of community, resilience, and flourishing. Participants will consider their settings and discuss how restorative practices can address multiple health and well-being issues from a strengths perspective.

Wednesday, January 15 | 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Richard Lucey, Senior Prevention Program Manager, Drug Enforcement Administration, Fran Harding, Independent Consultant, and Katrin Wesner-Harts, Director of Abrons Student Health Center, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Effective management of drug abuse prevention efforts on campus or the surrounding community requires an understanding of the basic principles of prevention science and strategic planning. Whether you are fairly new to drug abuse prevention on your campus, or have worked on these issues for more than a decade, this session will provide you with the information and resources you need to best support your prevention efforts. With nearly a century of experience in drug abuse prevention at the federal, national, state, and campus levels, the presenters are well equipped to guide you through the necessary building blocks to preventing drug abuse among college students. This interactive session will include an overview of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and its five steps; a review of the seven keys to a successful drug abuse prevention program; lessons learned from a university health center, including successes, challenges, and outcomes; resources from the Drug Enforcement Administration to support your prevention efforts; and ample time for attendees to share their experiences and learn from other attendees’ experiences.

Wednesday, January 15 | 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Joshua Hine, Assistant Director of Student Services, University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Dana Horne, Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, University at Buffalo School of Social Work, and Samantha Koury, Project Manager of The Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, University at Buffalo School of Social Work

Students entering college with trauma histories is becoming more prevalent. Moreover, attending college may increase students’ chances of experiencing trauma or a re-traumatizing event. Trauma-informed approaches, common in social work practice, provide principles that can guide student affairs professionals toward better meeting the needs of trauma survivors. This pre-conference workshop will provide an overview of trauma-informed care (TIC) in educational settings and will explore methods of applying TIC principles to student affairs practice.

Wednesday, January 15 | 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Shawnte Elbert, Associate Dean of Health & Wellness, Central Washington University, Kristina Mereigh, Director of Wellness Programming, Smith College, Charla Blumell, Assistant Director of Health Promotion, UNC Chapel Hill, and Brittany Todd, Director of Risk Intervention and Safety Education (RISE), Texas Tech University

Administrators and Director's will introduce practitioner skill sets, leadership and supervision tips and techniques they learned along the way in their transition from a new employee to senior management. The presenters will provide cover “background” theory and knowledge of health promotion/education, navigating the day-to-day, supervision, resiliency, advancement, assessment, program development, implementation, and evaluation. Particular attention will be paid to ensure participants are learning transferrable skills to apply after the conference.

 Wednesday, January 15 | 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Presented by Melanie Boyd, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Yale University, Jennifer Jacobsen, Assistant Dean of Health and Wellness, Grinnell College, Margaret Reynolds, Senior Health Promotion Specialist, Tulane University, and Katrina Garry, Student Affairs Fellow, Yale University.

We all know that sexual violence prevention cannot begin and end in orientation—but how do we meet the diverse needs of more advanced students and draw them into our broader prevention and culture change work? Through a series of case studies from Grinnell, Tulane, and Yale, this interactive workshop will offer concrete strategies and a range of approaches. Participants will work together to develop individualized plans to take home to their own institutions.

NASPA has partnered with Airport Shuttle, Inc., the official ground transportation provider for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, to provide discounted transportation for conference attendees.

For shuttle, taxi, and rental car service, please visit the Ground Transportation pages for the airport:

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

A one-way Uber ride to/from hotel can cost around $35. The discounted shuttle cost for attendees is $40 round trip per person or $20 one-way per person.

Reserve your shuttle as soon as you receive your flight information or no later than 24 hours prior to your flight. The discount only applies to reservations made through this web portal.

Click Here to Reserve your Shuttle

  Please note:

• Wheelchair accessible service is available
• First three bags per passenger are free
• Attendees can both make and change existing reservations online.

Hospitality Enterprises is offering Strategies Conferences attendees airport transportation to/from the Hyatt Regency New Orleans at a discounted rate of $40 round trip or $20 one-way. To reserve transportation at this exclusive conference price visit Airport Shuttle.

New Orleans, LA is serviced by one major airports: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) approximately 15 miles from the hotel.

• ADA access is provided at all parking levels and at the main entrance, full elevator access to all levels including parking.
• Restrooms will be fully accessible, Braille signage and universal symbols will be in use;
• Information displays and Meeting Information are located to provide clear sight lines for all attendees;
• Lighting is engineered to provide the correct level of light required for access and the enjoyment of the meeting space.
• Floors surfaces are continuous with minimalized transitions;
• The design provides, within the pre-function space and gathering areas, for the convenient interaction of all attendees and the free movement of those transitioning between events