"Field Notes" is an occasional Connect column covering practical and philosophical issues facing admissions and registrar professionals. The columns are authored by various AACRAO members. If you have an idea for a column and would like to contribute, please send an email to the editor at connect@aacrao.org.
by Amy E. Harth, African Studies Area Chair, Midwest Popular Culture Association
Organizing a conference or a portion thereof provides insight into the organization of higher education institutions. My recent experiences with the African studies area for the Midwest Popular Culture Association (MPCA) have revealed that organizing and running conferences is similar to starting and running schools. Based on my MPCA experience, I've developed some general thoughts applicable to the daily efforts of admissions and registrar professionals.
It all starts with finding the right people.
Various people are involved in running a conference: the executive board, program committee, area chairs and event managers. Finding people who are passionate about the organization and willing to take their responsibilities seriously is critical. MPCA is one of the best organized conferences in my opinion because of the organizers’ dedication and responsiveness. One reason why this works so well is because MPCA involves new members in the organization early on and encourages participation at all levels. In the collegiate setting, this may translate to encouraging new students to suggest new student-led events, programs and organizations. Freshman who feel empowered to contribute to the collegiate community may feel more invested in their education.
But how do we get those invested students or conference presenters? That too is about finding the right people. Conference planning for each area is coordinated by area chairs who focus on topics of interest to presenters and attendees. By starting with dedicated topics, area chairs are able to target those in their network interested in specific topics. Area chairs also work together to ensure presenters find the best area for their content expertise. In the collegiate setting, communicating to student audiences about specific opportunities in business colleges, liberal arts programs, medical schools or other specific departments may be more exciting for prospective students than generic information about the school.
Communication is key.
Finding the right people and engaging them is all about communication. Event organizers must communicate across functions. In order to put the event program together, area chairs must create an organizational structure for each panel of presenters and communicate that to the program committee. In turn, the registration team can help the area chairs and program committee by providing information about who has registered. This helps keep program drafts up-to-date. With everyone working together from their base of expertise, it is easier to ensure information is up-to-date.
Communicating with presenters is critical to ensuring they have information needed to get the best conference experience and become involved in the organization. Providing specific information about registration and conference opportunities in which they may be interested helps presenters feel welcome and ready for the experience. In the collegiate setting, communication with prospective and new students from a few key points of contact helps keep students informed of next steps and provides an opportunity for them to ask questions. Keeping communications clear for students requires clear communication among administrative teams behind-the-scenes.
New challenges are new opportunities.
Some things will not go as planned. But problems often reveal opportunities for future improvement. Several presenters who originally hoped to participate in the MPCA conference were unable to attend because they did not have travel funding. This presented two opportunities (1) use technology to include presenters (2) work toward creating a new funding opportunity to better support international scholars. In the collegiate setting, technology is already becoming critical to helping provide diverse and disparate students with the education they need. Integrating technology into settings designed for face-to-face interaction can be challenging, but it offers a way to include others who might otherwise not be able to participate. Another benefit is that these different voices provide new perspectives that can increase applicability to broader audiences. Including specific opportunities for those with funding challenges based on travel needs can enhance the ability of the organization to find the right people. Thus, each component is linked and reinforces the others. International scholars bring their own networks and can help expand not only the membership but also the breadth of the organization. Schools dedicated to including and supporting students from a variety of backgrounds have more opportunities to hear the voices of these groups first hand and anticipate future trajectories for higher education.
Overall, registration and admissions issues presented by the conference-organizing process share many logistics facets with these functions in higher education. At a philosophical and practical level, such conferences provide insight into the vastly larger enterprise of higher education, as it is possible to see the intertwined nature of the structure and organization of critical activities. The main lessons I learned were not particularly new. These three areas have always been central to higher education. However, reminders of these critical pieces and the ability to see their importance in new ways can provide a fresh realization of the importance of working together for continuous improvement and the need to reimagine future possibilities.