2020 NASPA Annual Conference Canceled

The place-based NASPA Annual Conference, The Placement Exchange, and the NASPA Connected Conference in Austin, Texas and San Jose, California have been cancelled due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and its designation as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. The health and safety of our members has always been our first priority. We appreciate your patience as we thoroughly reviewed all of our contractual obligations to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Association. The official decision was made to cancel the Annual Conference by a vote of the NASPA Board of Directors on., March 12, 2020. 

Our Association’s gathering to reconnect, network, learn, and discuss research and practice that support student success has taken place annually for the last 101 years. (The only other time we did not hold an Association-wide meeting was during World War II.) From celebrating the achievements of our colleagues to participating in informal reunions with those who have become our chosen family, these moments away from day-to-day work are good for our own mental health and often sustain us throughout the year until the next time that we are all together.

While we will not hold a place-based event, we are working to develop a free virtual, live-streaming option for keynotes, featured educational sessions, and our constituent group business meetings, including the NASPA Annual Business Meeting. We also will recognize our NASPA Annual Award winners, the NASPA Pillars of the Profession, and the countless others who have given so much to our Association this past year. We plan to make the virtual option available to participants from Monday, March 30, 2020 – Wednesday, April 10, 2020.

We are very grateful for the nearly 18 months of planning by the 2020 Conference Leadership Committee, 2020 TPE Committee, 2020 NASPA Connected Conference Committee, volunteer leaders, and staff who have worked tirelessly in the planning process for these events. We know that you are managing much of the same challenges on your own campus, and we thank you for allowing us the grace and flexibility to do what is best for our members, the Association, and the health, safety, and well-being of our community.