2025 CUWFA Conference
Call for Proposals
The College and University Work-Life-Family Association welcomes submission of proposals to present at the CUWFA Conference 2025 - “The Future of Work-Life: Strategically leveraging our role in an evolving higher education workplace.” The conference will be held April 29-May 1, 2025, in New York, NY.
CUWFA invites proposals that address a wide range of topics related to work-life and workplace well-being. Be a part of this valuable professional conference experience by sharing your knowledge, innovative solutions, leadership and strategies with higher education leaders and allied professionals from all over the country.
To be considered, proposals must be received via email to Michele Vancour at [email protected] by Friday, January 10, 2025.
Conference Scope/Theme
Within the scope of this conference is celebrating CUWFA’s legacy and looking at the historical origins of the work-life field and its contributing members. History provides context and helps us understand current-day status. It helps inform and shape our identity and priorities as an organization (CUWFA) and as individual work-life leaders of our respective institutions. Included in this is learning from the successes from the past and thinking critically about how it can strategically and intentionally inform the future.
The world has transitioned to a new way of work and the work-life needs of our employees and faculty are constantly evolving. As work-life leaders, we are challenged to be more nimble, innovative, and strategic to continue to create healthy work environments and make work-life and workplace well-being ingrained in the organizational priorities. Included in this is looking ahead and understanding our vision together as the leading organization for work-life practitioners, and learning from future-focused programs, initiatives, strategy and leadership skills we can all apply to further advance the work-life field, CUWFA’s mission, and the work of our respective higher ed institutions.
Note: Table Presentations, Ted-Talk Style Presentations, and Conference Sessions should consider this this perspective when submitting proposals for any of the following:
Presentation Guidelines
We are looking for:
Table Presentations - Facilitator Led Small Group Discussions
On the evening of Tuesday, April 29, 2025, CUWFA will host table-side conversations on a variety of work-life topics. Attendees will have the opportunity to rotate to two tables for a total of 30 minutes of sessions inclusive of presentation and questions and answers.
Submissions for presenting work at these table-side sessions should include For the first night of the conference, we are looking for facilitators for table- side presentations . These presentations do not require slides, but it may be helpful to have materials to share. They should be a good way to start important discussions that can continue throughout the conference.
“Pearls of Wisdom” - “TED Talk” Style Presentations (10 minutes)
Do you have a motivational, influential or stimulating story related to your work that will empower and generate ideas and inspiration for our audience? These will be interspersed throughout the conference. These presentations are conceived to be stories without visual aids and no questions and answers.
Note: The phrase “pearl of wisdom” comes from the association of pearls with wisdom learned over time and with experience, originating from the fact that pearls take years to develop. As CUWFA commemorates its 30th Anniversary we hope to learn from the wisdom of our member community.
Conference Sessions (45-60 minutes)
Successful presentations will address innovative developments, best practices, and the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to enable higher education Work-Life professionals to integrate their programs into their universities to help lead and grow organizations that are vital, dynamic and responsive. How can your colleagues potentially replicate your experience at their own workplaces?
Collaborations across institutions are highly encouraged and vendors are required to submit joint proposals with a CUWFA member organization. Work-Life practitioners, researchers, human resource professionals, women’s commissions, faculty, staff and students are welcome to submit proposals. Full-day sessions will be held on Wednesday, April 30, and Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Conference Threads
The following threads provide a starting point for ideas and to invite you to submit a proposal, rather than to exclude or narrow the scope of this conference. If you are unsure of whether or not to submit a proposal, please feel free to contact Program Committee member Michele Vancour at [email protected], to discuss your ideas.
Workplace Well-being
Colleges and universities are increasingly viewing Work-Life policies, practices and resources as a key part of their populations’ overall, holistic well-being. Many CUWFA member offices are addressing this growth both explicitly and implicitly. This raises a number of questions for Work-Life practitioners including:
- What is our role as work-life practitioners in elevating workplace well-being?
- How does a focus on well-being affect what we do and how we present ourselves?
- How does this impact how Work-Life is viewed when it comes to staff, faculty and student engagement and retention strategies?
How do the cultures at our various institutions determine the relationship between Work-Life and well-being?
For the purpose of this thread , we define well-being as encompassing the following dimensions at the individual or organizational level: Physical; Psychological (emotional/mental health, depression, anxiety, stress, etc); Social; Intellectual; Environmental; Cultural; Spiritual; Vocational; and Financial.
Aging, Retirement, and Adult Caregiving
Age can be seen as both an asset and a liability. How can we structure workplace policies and practices to support all employees? With the aging of Baby Boomers and so many different generations in the workplace, what unique challenges are colleges and universities facing? What programs and policies can best support those contemplating retirement and after they have retired?
Topics can include: aging in the workplace, physical life changes, recognizing that employees might be caring for several generations but wanting to maintain viability at work (including ‘sandwich generation’ challenges), the need for workplaces to plan for longer employee work lives, confronting ageism in the workplace, planning for retirement and staying engaged in the workplace community.
Child care and Parenting
Caring for young children while managing full work lives has always been challenging, made even more so since the COVID 19 pandemic. How can Work-Life practitioners continue to address the needs of parents in our college and university communities? How can we leverage the Surgeon General’s report on the mental health of children and parents to inform our programs and policies?
Topics might cover: University-sponsored child care, financial support for caregivers, access to mental health resources for dependents, flexible work policies, the impact of shifting demographics, etc.
Culture & Policy
Cultural expectations on college and university campuses have gone through several shifts in recent years. How are our institutions thinking about campus culture and where do our faculty, staff, and students fit in? How can Work-Life practitioners utilize their expertise and deliver programs that align with an inclusive culture that supports the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students.
Topics may address: evolving diversity and inclusion efforts, using strategic planning efforts to move from intention to action, recognizing the power of shared responsibility for improved outcomes across campus, and realizing our capacity for influence.
Strategy and Leadership Styles that Expand Impact
Strong and thoughtful leaders are essential to meeting the emerging demands of higher education. Work-Life professionals may be well-positioned to assume leadership roles since our positions and experience likely involve innovation, creative problem solving, consensus building, conflict resolution and strategic planning. How can potential leaders be developed so they can meet the needs of the changing higher education landscape?
We encourage topics that support: understanding/supporting leadership development in higher education, evolving as a practitioner and a leader, leveraging networks to support career changes, being part of important conversations and focusing on need-to-know information.
Technology
Technology has reshaped the ways in which we all work. How are the needs and expectations of our higher ed communities changing as technology advances? As we look toward the future, how can we explore opportunities to leverage technology in support of the development and delivery of Work-Life programs, benefits, and policies? We can also consider the implications of this technological shift on our ability to create connections in our communities. Is there a role for AI in our programs and resources?
We encourage you to consider this thread either in relation to specific Work-Life programs (workplace flexibility, child care, adult/elder care, dual career, well-being, phased retirement, etc), or to reflect on the broader implications of the growing use of technology in our academic communities.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday, January 10, 2025
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: Friday, February 14, 2025
CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION REVIEW AND SELECTION
- Clarity and coherence of submission and goals
- Relevance and usefulness to the intended audience, e.g.:
- Specific practical sessions (e.g., problem-solving, implementation, etc.)
- Research-based/data-driven sessions
- Presentation approach and level of participant engagement in the session
- Contribution to scholarship and research and/or new innovative practice(s) in the Work-Life arena
- Relevance to the conference theme (a literal/linear connection is not required)
- Overall quality of proposal
- Extent to which proposal captures emerging trends in research and practice
- Extent to which process, project, or innovation can be replicated or modified by other post-secondary institutions
Please understand that because of our limited time together and our goal of providing a diversity of thoughtful sessions, a proposal may satisfy conference criteria, but it may not be selected due to the limited number of scheduled workshops.
Submit your proposal by email to Michele Vancour at [email protected] by Friday, January 10, 2025
Conference proposals will consist of three parts:
- A short session title
- An abstract that includes session goals (between 250- 350 words)
- Presenter bios (100 words per person)
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