Call for Proposals
Proposals were due September 7, 2021. Thank you to all who submitted proposals!
Session Types | Advice for Presenters | Submission Guidelines
The ACMHE conference is an interdisciplinary forum for all aspects of scholarship, research and discussion around contemplative approaches* in teaching and education.
For 2021, the ACMHE conference will focus on how contemplative practices can support and sustain learning communities that resource and enhance resilience, connection, and healthy reemergence back into a more equitable and inclusive society. Acknowledging the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequities and disparities created by systemic oppression, we are now faced with an even greater urgency to collectively move the societal needle of engaging with one another and the environment from health-compromising to health-enhancing, from unsustainable to sustainable, from unjust to just. This movement will be facilitated by a more compassionate understanding of the loss and grief we have experienced as individuals and communities, illumination of the resilience and wisdom that we have drawn upon, and the application of the diverse learning, healing, and transformative strategies that have emerged.
Therefore, the goals of the 2021 ACMHE conference are to explore the importance of the following areas of focus:
- radical self and community care,
- acknowledging and sitting with our experiences of loss and grief,
- emphasizing the criticality of fostering a foundation of compassion between historically disparate communities, and
- learning how to be more intentional about demonstrating these goals across all aspects of education.
* for more information on what we mean by “contemplative approaches,” see CMind’s Tree of Contemplative Practices (an infographic displaying some methods used in academic contexts).
Presentations at the conference might explore topics such as:
- Reconnecting with each other through contemplative conversations and deep dialogue on topics that were highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic including but not limited to anti-racism, gender equity, care-giving responsibilities, sociopolitical divides and economic disparities.
- Envisioning and offering strategies for a healthy re-entry back into education and other institutions post COVID-19 and in the COVID-19 era.
- Using contemplative practices to minimize the toxicity of the often unhealthy expectations of productivity, to transform our work into healing and empowering environments, and to enhance the resilience of our learning communities and ourselves.
- How we have integrated contemplative-oriented approaches into curriculum in response to issues related to COVID-19 impacts.
- How contemplative practices have resourced our ability to sit with our experiences of loss and grief, as well as joy and gratitude.
- How contemplative practices have assisted our development of a baseline level of compassion towards ourselves and one another.
The proposal submission deadline is Tues., Sept. 7, 2021, at midnight PDT (-7 UTC)
Please read through the following information on session types, advice, and guidelines prior to drafting and submitting your proposal.
Session Types
The ACMHE conference schedule emphasizes presentations led by scholars, researchers, and practitioners in educational settings across campus departments, including students and student groups. Students are especially encouraged to submit presentation proposals.
Proposals will be accepted for the following types of sessions:
Live 60-minute interactive or experiential sessions are available for experiential workshops, contemplative practice sessions, performances and other creative modes of sharing, and community conversations. Community conversations are roundtable discussions for connecting with one another about shared concerns and experiences. Live sessions should not include extensive presentation of content.
Pre-recorded video presentations with 30-minute live discussions: These 30-minute live discussion sessions may reference your pre-recorded presentation (20 minutes or less) which will be available for viewing prior to the conference. Research studies, descriptions of practices, case studies and similar presentations are appropriate for pre-recorded sessions.
Poster Presentations will be shared as PDFs prior to the conference. Posters will be grouped together based on related topics into 45-minute live panel discussions with the authors.
- presenters who model contemplative pedagogies and approaches in how they conduct their sessions;
- proposals that identify the specific context in which the work is situated (e.g., academic disciplines, contemplative disciplines, students’ social identities and demographics, institutional history and location, etc.);
- presentations which offer practical, experience-based recommendations for developing and integrating contemplative approaches in higher education and related learning communities.
Submission Guidelines
- Students, researchers, postdocs, and professionals from all areas of higher education, including faculty, staff, and administrators, are invited to submit proposals for consideration. Students are especially encouraged to submit presentation proposals.
- Non-members may submit proposals, but if accepted, lead presenters and all co-presenters must be ACMHE members. If you are not already a member of the ACMHE, you must join when registering for the conference. Members receive a $50 discount on the conference registration fee.
- Proposals must indicate a session type. Please refer to the session descriptions, above, for more information.
- We suggest this resource from CAST on Universal Design for Learning to help ensure that your presentation is accessible.
- The submission deadline for proposals is September 7, 2021, at midnight PDT (-07:00 UTC).
- Proposals will be reviewed and selected by the conference’s review committee. We expect to send notifications in the first week of October.
- Questions? Contact Maya Elinevsky at maya@contemplativemind.org.
The proposal submission deadline was September 7, 2021, at midnight PDT (-7 UTC)
