The information provided below is intended to serve as a guide for our Call for Proposals for Conference and Virtual Education Programs.
- Who is the audience of AASHE educational programs and events?The typical audience that participates in AASHE educational programs and events is drawn from the campus sustainability community. It includes faculty, students, sustainability staff and executives, as well as community members and businesses. The audience tends to be diverse both geographically and in the level of experience.
- Do I need to be an AASHE member to submit a proposal?For the conference: We give preference to submissions featuring people associated with AASHE member organizations and we typically don’t accept proposals submitted by or featuring non-member businesses (except as a benefit associated with sponsorship). Consider joining AASHE or sponsoring the conference!
For webinars: We do require that at least one presenter is affiliated with an AASHE member organization in order to propose an AASHE webinar. Furthermore, if you are a business, the opportunity to present an AASHE webinar is a benefit for AASHE Business Leader members only. If you are interested in becoming a member, please review the range of benefits that come with membership and contact membership@aashe.org or (888) 347-9997 to get started.
For virtual education programs: We give preference to submissions featuring people associated with AASHE member organizations but it is not a requirement to propose a workshop or course. At least one presenter is required to be affiliated with an AASHE member organization (campus or business) in order to be accepted.
- How do I submit a proposal?
- What resources does AASHE offer to submitters and presenters?We strongly recommend you visit the Call for Proposals page and review the Proposal submission packet and the Submission template. We put together a resource with tips for presenters to follow when submitting their proposal. Furthermore, AASHE education programs follow the best practices for designing, building and delivering an interactive session.
- Is there a limit to how many presenters can be associated with a proposal?Yes. Up to 4 presenters are allowed for webinars, workshops, and courses. The same limit applies to conference sessions and all presenters must be registered to attend. You will have the option to substitute presenters after the proposal is accepted, if necessary.
- May businesses propose educational content?Yes, we welcome workshop proposals from AASHE member businesses. However, proposals that sound like advertisements of a product or service will not be accepted. If you are a supplier of products or services, be sure your proposal focuses on a relevant topic, concept, or idea – not one of your products or services. In addition, it is required that you include a campus representative as a presenter to help make the content applicable to participants. Finally, please note that the opportunity to present an AASHE webinar is a benefit for AASHE Business Leader Members only. If you are interested in becoming a member, please review the range of benefits that come with membership and contact membership@aashe.org or (888) 347-9997 to get started.
- Will my proposal change if it is accepted?As we consider your proposal, we may have ideas for a different format, scope or focus of the proposed content. If this is the case, we will reach out to you to discuss the idea. Presenters will have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggest additional modifications, but ultimate acceptance may depend upon the presenters’ willingness and ability to modify the original idea. Please note that the revised proposal may not include all of the original presenters.
- If accepted, when will my session be scheduled?If your proposal is accepted, AASHE will assign it a date and time based on the preferences you expressed during the submission process. Generally, webinars are scheduled on a Wednesday starting at 2 p.m. ET; 3-hour workshops are scheduled on a Thursday starting at 2 p.m. ET. and other programs are scheduled Tuesdays starting at 2 p.m. ET. We’ll also take your preference into account when scheduling conference sessions.
- Why wasn’t my proposal accepted?Decisions about which proposals to accept are made primarily on our sense of likely audience interest. We also try to ensure that a well-balanced mix of sustainability topics are addressed so as to meet the diverse interests of the AASHE community. Beyond these considerations, proposals are sometimes declined for a number of other reasons, including:
- None of the presenters were associated with an AASHE member organization.
- None of the presenters were affiliated with a higher education institution.
- We accepted another proposal from the same organization.
- We recently held a webinar/workshop/session on a similar or related topic.
- The proposed presentation did not relate directly to sustainability in higher education.
- The proposed presentation focused on a program or initiative that was still under development or hadn’t occurred yet.