The University of Illinois Counseling Center is pleased to announce we are now accepting program proposals for the twenty-fifth annual Dennis H. May Conference on Diversity Issues and the Role of Counseling Centers that we are hosting on September 23-24, 2018. As we celebrate our twenty-fifth conference, we think it’s essential to examine how we as counseling and student affairs professionals can best support students when inclusion and acceptance are being threatened on many different fronts both nationally and closer to home. The overarching theme promotes an understanding of how political climate can oppress, marginalize and evoke trauma responses. The keynote address will attend to systemically enhancing the lived experience and psychological health of native populations by focusing on decreasing institutional barriers. This is particularly important at Illinois as we move forward from a history of using native imagery as a mascot. 

Please consider submitting a program proposal that describes how you advocate, support, and empower students populations who may feel marginalized in our current political landscape. Proposals can focus on various aspects of inclusion such as accessibility, intersectionality, recognizing and addressing microaggressions, identity development, questioning power and privilege, and developing multiculturally-competent outreach and interventions. Program proposals that address this year’s conference theme will be given priority consideration.

Please submit an electronic copy of your proposed program via this link. Prior to the keynote address Sunday evening, we will feature less formal roundtable discussions. Monday’s breakout sessions will feature more structured presentations with time set aside for questions at the end. Please indicate whether your proposal is for a roundtable or presentation.

Proposal acceptance is considered provisional pending confirmation of a paid registration from each presenter. Please provide all requested information on this proposal form as incomplete proposals will not be considered for selection. If your proposal is accepted, the presentation title, presenter information, and abstract you provide will be included in the conference program—please be sure the information you submit is accurate. More than one proposal may be submitted;  however, multiple acceptances will be reviewed with consideration for conference schedule limitations. Proposals are due by midnight central time on August 10, 2018. All presentations will be 60 minutes in length, and will be scheduled on Monday, September 24, 2018.  Notification of selection will take place no later than August 15, 2018. To allow as many to participate as possible, we may ask you to consider collaborating with others in the event that similar proposals are submitted.

If you have questions, please contact conference co-chairs Felicia Li or Nichole Evans.