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Call For Proposals

Following the invitation from ASHE 2026 President Dr. Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Starr Minthorn to engage with our scholarly community, we are honored to open the Call For Proposals and Call For Volunteers for ASHE’s 51st Annual Conference.

As we look toward our 51st Annual Conference, the 47 members of our Program Committee take seriously the responsibility to craft a program that harnesses our collective scholarship toward ASHE's mission: to foster scholarly inquiry for the purpose of increasing knowledge about and the understanding of higher education to enhance policy and practice.

Scholars at every career stage bring essential voices to our work, and we welcome your contributions across all research topics and areas of expertise. While connection to the theme is not a criterion for proposal evaluation or selection, we challenge you to consider how your submission helps us "meet the moment" as visitors to Puerto Rico.

We invite you to share your research by submitting a proposal within the 78-day window of the Call For Proposals launch on February 11 and the due date on Thursday, April 30 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific. To ensure that volunteer proposal reviewers have enough time to provide you with meaningful feedback on your proposal and the Program Committee can send you timely proposal status updates, please keep in mind that this is a firm deadline. We are unable to accept late submissions or grant extensions.

Access the Call For Proposals Document (pdf)     Log in to the Conference Portal

(Access the ASHE Conference Portal to submit/edit a proposal during the submission window and/or to submit a volunteer interest form)

Important Dates

Visit ashe.ws/important-dates for a review of important due dates throughout the year for the conference.

Important Notes for 2026

We are excited to share a few highlights as you prepare your proposal and submit your interest in serving as a reviewer, chair, or discussant:

  • New, User-Friendly Conference Portal: For 2026, the Program Committee will utilize software called OpenWater for the submission and review process. Our new conference portal provides easier navigation for members. Please reach out to the ASHE Staff at conference@ashe.ws if you have any questions or encounter any roadblocks. The ASHE Staff has poured much time and attention into this new system; however, it is possible (and perhaps likely) that we missed something or something is not as clear as it could be. We hope you will reach out to us with any questions, comments, or concerns. This will help us ensure the system is set up well for all of our members.
  • New & Realigned Sections: To better capture emerging research and align submissions, we have introduced new sections and split existing ones:
    • New Sections: Technology; Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research.
    • Faculty, Administrators, and Staff: Split into Administrators & Staff; Faculty.
    • Graduate/Professional Students and Postdoctoral Scholars: Split into Graduate and Professional Education; Graduate and Professional Students and Postdoctoral Scholars.
    • Undergraduate Students: Persistence, Resilience, Retention, and Outcomes: Split into Undergraduate Students: Persistence, Resilience, and Retention; Undergraduate Students: Outcomes.
    • Community-University Partnerships & Praxis: Now Ecosystems and Community Partnerships.
    • Philosophy & Foundations: Now Philosophy, Theory, and Foundations.
    • Organization & Administration: Now Organization, Administration & Governance.
  • Council Pre-Conference Updates:
    • Council on Athletics in Higher Education (CAHE): In an evolution of their pre-conference hosted for 15 years, CAHE will now accept proposal submissions for a peer-reviewed pre-conference forum.
    • Council for Ethnic Participation (CEP): Will once again be held in two parts, featuring both virtual and in-person components.
    • Council on International Higher Education (CIHE): In an effort to spotlight what goes on behind the scenes of research, CIHE welcomes proposals focusing on "Meta Reflection".
    • Council on Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE): Now introducing Policy Briefs as a new submission type.
  • Virtual Conference Day: For the fourth year, we will offer a Virtual Conference Day on Thursday, October 22, 2026. All proposal formats (except Posters) across all General Conference Sections can be considered for the Virtual Day.

Example Proposals

Recently accepted proposals are available online as a reference to help you prepare your proposal. Access requires an ASHE login, view the selection of example proposals at: ashe.ws/example-proposals.

Contacts

Please email the ASHE Staff at conference@ashe.ws