Higher Learning 2025

Call for Proposals

2025 Annual Conference

April 5-8 | Chicago

Higher Learning, the 2025 HLC Annual Conference, will explore the ways colleges and universities use higher ed to meet the needs of their students and society. Whether through imparting the skills and knowledge needed for today’s workforce, fueling innovation, or exploring solutions to our most pressing problems, higher learning is the force that propels us all.

We invite presentation proposals on initiatives that address the emerging higher ed experience, student success, and accreditation processes, including:

Institutional Experiences With Accreditation

  • Strategies and lessons learned (e.g. comprehensive evaluations, substantive change, monitoring)  
  • Quality Initiative impact   
  • Promoting continuous improvement   
  • Engaging the campus in accreditation  
  • Overcoming challenges faced by ALOs and institutions 

Teaching and Learning in a Changed Environment

  • Innovative teaching methods and instructional modalities    
  • Alternative credentials    
  • Encouraging faculty development and engagement     
  • Assessing and improving student learning   
  • Promoting student engagement 
  • Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into academic policies

Promoting Student Success

  • Enhancing student services to meet the needs of all students  
  • Responding to post-pandemic learning gaps  
  • Addressing mental health and wellness on campus and remotely 
  • Ensuring equity in access 
  • Pursuing social justice in education   

Leading and Managing for the Future

  • Preparing for the future through strategic planning, program review, and other processes     
  • Budgeting, funding, and resource management strategies 
  • Leading and managing change 
  • Responding to evolving workforce development  
  • Leadership development and succession planning    
  • Planning for adverse conditions (e.g. cyber-security, natural disasters)  

Before You Apply

The 2025 Call for Proposals is Closed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You will need to pay to register as an attendee. However, presenters are given a discounted registration rate. Please wait until you are notified about your proposal submission to know if you qualify for the presenter rate before you register for the conference. 

No. HLC accepts proposals from non-member institutions and organizations.  

Yes. Review by members of the HLC Conference Advisory Committee is a key component of the selection process. Committee members are from HLC memberinstitutions and make recommendations regarding conference proposals. Final decisions are made to ensure a balance of topics across institution types. 

You should address all prompts included in the submission process. You may also upload an optional supporting document to provide additional information. However, please ensure that all prompts are explicitly addressed even if you provide a supporting document. See the submission guide for more information. 

The conference tracks are intended as a guide to the overall topics for submission. Within each track, HLC is looking for presentations that address timely topics in an innovative manner. Presentations should provoke thought and/or provide practical takeaways that can be applied at other institutions rather than simply describe an initiative. If a presentation includes practical application, it must be supported by data that demonstrates its effectiveness. 

The rubric provides an overview of considerations for proposal review. Make sure all submission prompts are addressed with sufficient detail to allow for evaluation in each of the areas of the rubric. HLC welcomes proposals inclusive of multiple perspectives. We encourage submissions with cross-functional institutional representation or from more than one institution.  

Due to the volume of proposals HLC receives, we are not able to provide feedback on individual submission decisions. 

HLC expects to send acceptance decisions by mid-November before the conference.  

Yes. However, HLC strives to ensure balanced representation across its membership, so typically no more than two or three proposals are selected per institution. 

Contact HLC at [email protected] as soon as you are aware of a conflict. Presenter changes are allowed but are subject to approval by HLC.  

Conference sessions are 45 minutes. Please keep this timeframe in mind as you develop your proposal. 

Attendees will have access to your presentation through the conference app. Additional handouts are not required, but supporting documents can also be uploaded to the app and any additional information is typically appreciated by attendees. 

Questions?

[email protected]