CCCC Summer Conferences: Call for Proposals

CCCC Summer Conferences: Call for Proposals

Proposal Deadline: August 1, 2016

Across the United States and, increasingly, around the world, writing instructors are engaging in innovative activities associated with literacy learning in their classrooms, programs, and communities—from teaching to research, making to sharing. The CCCC Annual Convention represents an opportunity to hear about some of this work, but there is more to share, more to learn.

CCCC Summer Conferences are a new initiative intended to foster and support the developing and sharing of innovative activities related to literacy learning. We invite proposals to host one of these conferences during the summer months—presumably between May and August—in up to four regional sites across the country.

The focus of each of these gatherings is up to the proposers; however, we encourage conference themes to invite at least some focused work associated with the CCCC 2022 Strategic Vision and the CCCC Executive Committee:

Diversity and writing

Mentoring and supporting new faculty and new members

Outreach and writing/writing instruction

Shaping a research culture

Supporting non-tenure-track faculty

Writing and advocacy

Within these broad possible areas of focus, conference proposers are also free to define the types of sessions that they will invite for their gatherings: traditional panels or roundtables; think tanks; working-/workshop-oriented sessions; Ignite-oriented gatherings; Flash/TED Talk–inspired presentations; or anything else. CCCC Summer Conferences should be designed with an eye toward inviting new voices and a diverse range of scholars and scholarship, and should share the opportunities for community-building and research-based resources that CCCC members can afford. The conferences are intended, in part, to help attendees learn more about how CCCC can provide resources for them to grow as professionals. Conferences may be held during one or two days, depending on the financial resources of the sponsors. Participation in CCCC Summer Conferences is limited to CCCC members, and their registration costs should be free or nearly free. Those who are not current CCCC members are welcome, but they are expected to join the organization or renew their membership as part of their conference registration.

CCCC will provide up to $6,000 to support planning and organizational costs associated with mounting up to four summer conferences in different regions of North America. This dollar amount should be expected to cover costs associated with organizing and staging the conference. These costs may include stipends of up to $500 for up to two conference organizers. Organizers must also be CCCC members. Stipends may also be used for A/V costs, costs associated with room rental or food, and so on. Proposers are also encouraged to work with their home institutions to locate rooms in order to minimize costs. Proposals should include a budget explaining how funds will be used. Please note that the purpose of these conferences is to make CCCC and its benefits more accessible for members, so registration costs should be as low as possible and the events are not intended to generate a profit. However, should there be a surplus, with income exceeding expenses, we ask that those funds be remitted to CCCC/NCTE after the conference. CCCC will also fund travel and lodging expenses for a speaker from the NCTE speakers’ bureau should the conference organizers wish to include a keynote for their conference. CCCC also will offer resources for conference planning and periodic consultation with conference organizers. The regional conferences will be heavily promoted by CCCC on the website and via social media. While organizers and presenters will own copyright to all materials associated with the conference (e.g., presentations, audio), CCCC would like to be the exclusive distributor of those videos, pictures, audio, etc., through its channels.

CCCC will also fund registration for the following year’s Annual Convention for up to two conference organizers. All organizers should be prepared to participate in a session at the following year’s CCCC Annual Convention that grows out of the experience of the summer conference, whether a description of the event, a discussion of one or more issues extending from an experience, or another talk that will help convention attendees understand the experience of the CCCC Summer Conference. These sessions will not count as “speaking roles” at the convention, so summer conference organizers are free to also propose their own sessions to the Annual Convention.

Application Information

Proposals for CCCC Summer Conferences should include the following information in a document of no more than 6 double-spaced (11- or 12-point font) pages. Conference organizers must be members of CCCC at the time of proposal and when the Summer Conference takes place. Please submit final proposals as a single document in PDF format to the CCCC Administrative Liaison at cccc@ncte.org by August 1, 2016.

Downloadable Word version of application form.

Name/affiliation of conference organizer:

Location of proposed conference:

Proposed theme or foci, if any:

Proposed structure for presentations (e.g., panels/roundtables; think tanks; flash/TED-style talks; mix; etc.):

In your region, who is likely to be interested in presenting at/attending your conference, and why?

What kind of outreach activities can you engage in to attract a diverse group of participants?

Describe who will be constitute the local arrangements committee. If more than one institution and/or committee is involved, please explain the distribution of responsibilities:

What kind of infrastructure is available for you to mount a successful conference (e.g., institutionally located conference services; colleague(s) or staff in department; outsourced registration services; etc.)?

Will your institution provide financial or other assistance for your conference? Y/N

If yes, please describe:

Accommodations and meeting spaces: Please provide a description of the proposed meeting space. In your description, address how you will:

secure a suitable meeting location/rooms for presentations (including size and capacity of available rooms)

arrange for technology (computers, projectors, Internet connections) and onsite technical support

secure housing options for all participants

provide a guide to local eateries, attractions, and transportation

provide a website with details about the conference

staff the registration table 

Please also address whether you will provide food and, if so, what meals or breaks and how you will try to accommodate dietary requests.

Accessibility and fairness: Please describe accommodations currently available or that you can make to ensure that the venue and event will be accessible to those with sensory, mobility, or communication impairments:

Are there state, local, or campus policies in place that may inhibit the expression or limit participation of constituencies, including members of the LGBT community? Y/N

If yes, please describe how you will ensure that these constituencies will not be inhibited by these policies:

Note that all proposals should be attentive to the CCCC Convention Siting Guiding Principles:

In principle, CCCC will work to change state or local policies in host convention cities that diverge from established CCCC positions or otherwise threaten the safety or well-being of our membership. We will do so by consulting closely with local groups who share our principles and arranging activities and opportunities for members to support those who are disadvantaged by offensive policies or otherwise to use their presence in the offending state as a vehicle for nonviolent protest. We will vigorously communicate the methods of support and/or protest to the media, convention and tourist bureaus, and local and state government officials, with the avowed purpose of provoking policy change or supporting current policies threatened by hostile change. In general, we will follow this strategy of engagement rather than abrogating or cancelling contracts for future conventions as a method of protesting existing or future legislation.

What assistance do you anticipate most needing to mount a successful conference?