2025 Conference Committee

As the ASHE Annual Conference and related events continue to grow, coordination amongst the various committees and groups that impact the conference experience is imperative. As such, in line with the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, a Conference Committee was created in 2023 to ensure alignment amongst the various events and projects connected to the Annual Conference. The Conference Committee will serve to facilitate dialogue and communication amongst and between the various aspects of the annual conference.

Conference Committee Leadership Team

The Conference Committee Leadership Team will meet monthly to facilitate dialogue and communication amongst the Conference sub-committees. The Conference Committee Leadership Team includes:

	Shawna Patterson Stephens, PhD (she/her) 2025 Conference Committee Chair Central Michigan University
	Alicia Castillo Shrestha, MEd (she/her) ASHE Associate Director for Conference and Events alicia@ashe.ws
	Alex Lange, PhD (they/them) Colorado State University Attendee Engagement Committee Co-Chair
	Wilson Okello, PhD (he/him) Attendee Engagement Committee Co-Chair The Pennslyvania State University
	Susana Muñoz, PhD (she/her) Local and Community Engagement Committee Co-Chair Colorado State University
	Heather Shotton, PhD (she/her) Wichita & Affiliated Tribes, Kiowa, and Cheyenne Local and Community Engagement Committee Co-Chair Fort Lewis College
	Tonisha Lane, PhD (she/her) Program Committee Co-Chair Virginia Tech
	Marissa Vasquez, EdD (she/her) Program Committee Co-Chair San Diego State University

Association Leadership

	Eboni Zamani-Gallaher (she/her/hers) 2025 ASHE President University of Pittsburgh
	Jason P. Guilbeau (he/him) ASHE Executive Director jason@ashe.ws

Open Call for Conference Committee Members

Timeline & Process:

• Interest forms must be received no later than Thursday, September 19 at Noon Central/Minneapolis Time.
• Decisions will be sent out in early October.

Interest Form

To submit your interest, please complete the application form which will ask for the following information:

• Name
• Organization/Institution
• Position/Title
• Email address
• Committee Preference(s)
  • If Program Committee: Ranking of top 3 Sections
• A bulleted list of your previous involvement with ASHE
• A summary of your interest and qualifications for the Conference Committee, including any prior committee experience and/or involvement in ASHE or other relevant settings. If you’re applying for the Program Committee, please discuss your relevant expertise to the section(s) you are applying for (200 words maximum).
• Agreement to ASHE Conflict of Interest, Membership, and Ethics Policies

Committee Descriptions

Local and Community Engagement Committee

The Local and Community Engagement Committee (LCEC) will guide ASHE in centering Indigeneity, space, place, and people by engaging with local Indigenous communities, local BIPOC communities, and higher education institutions in the location of the annual conference and by developing resources and opportunities for conference attendees to more fully engage with the conference location

Sub-Committee Members:

• 2 Committee Co-Chairs (2)
• 15 Committee Members

Time Commitment:

• 1-hour monthly meeting with Local and Community Engagement Committee
• 1-2 hours of work outside of meetings per month

Responsibilities:
The Local and Community Engagement Committee will specifically be responsible for:

• Setting the vision for how conference attendees can engage with local Indigenous communities, BIPOC communities, and higher education institutions and developing relationships with groups and individuals.
• Setting the vision for and developing inclusive and accessible resources and learning opportunities for members leading up to the conference, specifically a land acknowledgement and a syllabus.
• Setting the vision for and leading inclusive and accessible events in the local community.
• Setting the vision for, creating, and facilitating a Presidential Session centering Indigeneity, space, place, and people by engaging with local Indigenous communities, local BIPOC communities, and higher education institutions in the location of the annual conference.

Attendee Engagement Committee

The Attendee Engagement Committee will develop resources and opportunities for conference attendees to more fully engage with the conference and each other, and serve as ambassadors of the Association for the continuum of first-time attendees to long-time returners to the annual conference.

Sub-Committee Members:

• 2 Committee Co-Chairs
• 15 Committee Members

Time Commitment:

• 1-hour monthly meeting with Attendee Engagement Committee
• 1-2 hours of work outside of meetings per month

Responsibilities:
The Attendee Engagement Committee will specifically be responsible for:

• Setting the vision for and leading inclusive and accessible events and programming for events which engage attendees within the hotel space, such as doggie therpay, art murals, etc.
• Setting the vision for and leading inclusive and accessible events and programming for wellness, including wellness tips and wellness events, specifically the ASHE Dash and at least one other wellness event.

Program Committee

The Program Committee will be responsible for crafting the content for the peer-reviewed portion of the program for the annual conference by soliciting proposal submissions through the Call for Proposals and facilitating the peer review process including soliciting and selecting volunteers, and reviewing, and selecting proposals for the Annual Conference.

Sub-Committee Members:

• 2 Committee Co-Chairs
• 28 Section Chairs
• 8 Pre-Conference Chairs (Pre-Conference Chairs serve on the Program Committee and are elected or appointed by their respective Council)

Time Commitment:

• 1-hour monthly meeting with Program Committee
• 2-3 hours of work outside of meetings per month; more time will be needed in the lead up to deadlines and events.

The Program Committee will include topical sections, with chairs leading each:

• Community-University Partnerships & Praxis: Proposals for this section use community-centric and engaged research to create authentic and empowering spaces from which to conduct research.
• Faculty, Administrators, and Staff: Proposals for this section should relate to the experiences of contingent and tenure-stream faculty, as well as administrators (academic and student affairs) and staff across various institutional settings and constellations of identities and experiences.
• Graduate/Professional Education and Graduate Students: Proposals for this section should relate to graduate/professional education and students, and can encompass a wide range of experiences, outcomes, and/or related issues that influence graduate/professional education processes.
• International Higher Education: Proposals for this section examine international, internationalization, and comparative issues in higher education. Research in this section may focus on a wide range of topics including policy, organization, and governance within an international/comparative context.
• Organization and Administration: Proposals for this section should examine the processes, functions, and challenges of higher education organizations, institutions, and administration.
• Leadership in Higher Education: Proposals for this section may focus on leadership practice, theories, conceptual frameworks, and varied approaches to leadership. This section includes examinations of the leadership roles of formal and informal institutional leaders.
• Philosophy & Foundations: Proposals for this section should examine broader philosophical underpinnings of higher education, arguments regarding the foundational issues/debates in higher education.
• Policy, Finance, and Economics: Proposals for this section should examine the decisions, interventions, implications, and effects of higher education policy. This may include papers related to the politics of financing higher education at the state and federal levels, including the effects of financial aid policy
• Research Methods: Proposals for this section should focus on the study of research methods. This includes the application of new or emerging methods in social science research.
• Teaching, Learning, and Assessment: Proposals for this section should examine teaching and/or learning processes across higher education. Proposals may also focus on student learning outcomes assessment, teaching evaluations, or institutional assessment.
• Undergraduate Students-Access: Proposals for this section should relate to undergraduate student access and pathways to higher education.
• Undergraduate Students-Contexts: Proposals for this section may examine the various contexts through which undergraduate students experience higher education.
• Undergraduate Students-Developmental Theory: Proposals for this section should relate to undergraduate student identity, identity formation, or student development/al theory.
• Undergraduate Students-Persistence, Resilience, Retention, and Outcomes: Proposals for this section should examine undergraduate student persistence, resilience, retention, and outcomes of various student populations, as well as interventions (institution and/or system-wide).