Call for proposals 2025 European Student Affairs Conference: 18th to 21st March 2025

The European Student Affairs Conference 2025 which is hosting a conference on Navigating Diversity and Changing Expectations in Higher Education - Strategic Approaches to Student Support Services from March 18 - 21, 2025 in Antwerp (Belgium) is currently looking for proposals.

What is the conference about?

Whether through the lens of personal background, socioeconomic status, cultural perspective, neuro-diversity and levels of literacy,…, diversity is present in the student populations in Europe. How does this diversity affect the student journey? How can the needs of all students be addressed? The conference theme concerns best practices and research in Student Support Services (S³ ) so that all students can enjoy a successful and fulfilling student journey.

Attention for diversity challenges S³ to reconsider the relevance of the knowledge base for S³ , the attitudes towards individual student trajectories and any prior established best practices. S³ need to see the factors that impact student success to be inclusive in their approach of the students’ needs.
 
The diversity perspective changes the patterns of expectations of students and society towards Higher Education. Are one-size-fits-all solutions out, and flexible service delivery as a response to individual needs the norm? The conference looks at the balance between those expectations, policy choices and the internal capacity to cope with those expectations.

The following topics are scheduled:

• Subject 1: Understanding diversity as a set of challenges to an adequate S³ delivery: How to organise inclusive successful service provision for all students?
• Subject 2: Managing strategic choices in S³ delivery for a better student retention and higher study success: which investments yield most impact?
• Subject 3: Relations between government, higher education institutions and S³: Debating Universal versus Specific policy tools, and mutual roles and positions.
• Subject 4: Meeting students’ expectations of the Higher Education Experience with organisational flexibility
• Subject 5: Cooperation in S³ (supra-institutional, with external partners, etc) in a European area.
• Subject 6: Understanding the factors for student success: Grassroots or co-creation initiatives in (mental) wellbeing, student engagement, social cohesion,…
• Subject 7: Welcoming international students: How to accommodate incoming international students?
• Subject 8: S³ failures –Not all initiatives can be a success, and experiments drive innovation. Share your lessons learned.

Who can submit a proposal?

Everyone working in or researching the field of S³, student policy, diversity and higher education is welcome to submit a proposal.

Why should I submit a proposal?

All contributions from within the field of S³ on the state of knowledge, the nature of service attitudes and best practices in service delivery or contributions from researchers provide a useful outcome for this colloquium.

Every example of the state of art (knowledge, attitudes and practices) or newly established projects can be an inspiring starting point for a contribution. Similarly, scientific research into e.g., service strategies, impact measurements, student population, diversity in higher education, institutional-managerial questions, and so on, are welcomed. This is your chance to present a project to which you dedicated so much energy and time to an international audience. This is your chance for unique interactions between practitioners and researchers alike!

Your contribution can take the form of a presentation or a scientific paper and will be published in the online proceedings of the conference. Because this is an international event, the conference language will be English.

What are the formats of a session at the conference?

You can choose between a show and tell (15 min.), a presentation (30 min.) or a workshop (90 min.). Moreover, we plan a networking moment at the end of each day so researchers and practitioners can debate their new insights.

Where do I get further information and assistance if needed?

You can address your questions to: communication@esac2025.eu

How do I submit a proposal?

Please fill out the form via the link below, to make a session proposal. For multiple proposals, submit a separate form for each. Please submit your proposal by the 1st of November.

What are the next steps?

The ESAC2025 Team will contact you during November/December 2024 after evaluation of your proposal.

>> Submit your proposal by November 1st 2024 here