2022 CGC Summer Institute Call for Proposals

Expanding Perspectives in Graduate Communication 

Virtual | June 14-16, 2022

All proposals are due by February 28, 2022, 11:59 EST

Call for Proposals

In 2022, we invite the CGC membership to consider “Expanding Perspectives in Graduate Communication” during our annual Summer Institute. Expanding perspectives encompasses our perennial work to hold space for all those working to support graduate students as communicators and our ongoing individual efforts to respond to the challenges of a global pandemic. Expanding perspectives also gives us the exciting opportunity to use the online conference format to learn from and build relationships with our graduate communication colleagues beyond North America. We thus hope to maximize the involvement of our colleagues around the globe who may be in a better position to participate in a virtual program than an in-person Summer Institute. We also invite discussions of lessons learned and better practices that have emerged as silver linings during our pandemic experiences as we have taught and delivered graduate communication support in virtual, hybrid, and back-to-face-to-face formats. Finally, we expect to further important conversations in the graduate communication field around supporting increasingly diverse graduate student populations and aligning graduate communication support with socially just outcomes.   

The 2022 CGC Summer Institute invites graduate communication professionals to consider the full spectrum of our field’s research and practice. We are bringing back “works-in-progress” and introducing a research presentation format to cultivate our field’s research and theorizing. We envision an expanded schedule to accommodate more time zones and intend to have a more curated program. We offer the questions below as a starting point, but also welcome participants to propose their own issues and questions for expanding perspectives in graduate communication. 

• Given the many pandemic-related changes in teaching and graduate communication support, what changes will you incorporate long-term?
• What does the latest research on graduate student communication suggest for our work?
• How can we encourage the expansion of graduate communication research?
• How do diverse graduate student populations and changing demographics factor into your program design and pedagogical approaches? 
• How do you enact pedagogy and shape programs to overcome structural inequities in graduate education? 
• Which campus partnerships have been most successful and what innovative ones do we hope to develop?  
• How does the graduate communication field adapt to the changes and challenges of the job market for which we prepare graduate students?
• How do we assess and advocate for graduate student needs in a way that secures buy-in and resources from institutional stakeholders? 

The Virtual Summer Institute will include keynotes, workshops, research panels, work-in-progress, and special interest networking sessions (descriptions and proposal requirements follow). Participants are welcome to submit proposals for any of the formats except keynotes. 

Registration will open on May 9.

Research Presentations

Research Presentations will be scheduled on June 14, 15, and 16

Proposals due by February 28, 2022  by 11:59 PM EST

Submit here: https://forms.gle/jFEDpRcphZdgJuTeA 

This year we are introducing a limited number of research presentations to spotlight and cultivate research in the field of graduate communication. Introducing research presentations is also a recognition of the ways that our field continues to grow and mature. Successful research proposals will share findings from completed, methodologically sound projects that are of substantial interest to the CGC community. Research sessions will follow the traditional format of 3 presentations of 15 minutes each plus time for Q&A.  

Please note that there will be limited slots for research presentations, so it is likely that qualified proposals will not be selected as we prioritize presentations that speak to a wide range of topics. Research presentations that are not accepted will automatically be considered as Works-in-Progress presentations.

Research Presentations will be reviewed and selected based on the following criteria:

• Research Quality–Successful proposals will feature completed, high quality research with clearly defined purpose, method, and implications. 
• Research Significance–Priority will be given to research that has powerful implications for the work of CGC members.
• Diversity of Research—We aim to showcase research on a wide range of issues in graduate communication support.

Research proposals should provide the following information:

• Research title
• Names and institutional affiliations for all speakers
• Intended audience
  • Are the findings likely to be useful for participants who work with students from a wide variety of backgrounds (L1, L2, international, domestic), or is it designed for participants who work with a specific student population? 
• A brief description of the presentation that answers the following questions in no more than 750 words (250 words for individual submissions):
  • What was the impetus for the research?
  • What research questions were investigated?
  • Who were the participants?
  • What method was used?
  • What are the findings and implications of the research, particularly for CGC members?

Workshops

Workshops will be scheduled on June 14, 15, and 16

Proposals due by February 28, 2022  by 11:59 PM EST

Submit here: https://forms.gle/wtYL8HtgjVJnVcLx6 

Experienced practitioners will share nuts-and-bolts approaches to various topics in graduate communication support. Workshops will provide interactive, hands-on interactive professional development opportunities for all participants, including those who are new to the field or exploring new graduate communication initiatives or approaches. Workshop leaders are invited to propose 75-minute sessions on an area of graduate communication support.

Please note that there will be limited slots for workshops, so it is possible that a number of qualified proposals will not be selected. For example, if we receive three proposals for oral communication workshops, we will likely only select one of them in the interest of providing a good range of workshop topics. 

Workshop proposals will be reviewed and selected based on the following criteria:

• Proposal quality—Clarity of goals and deliverables, as well as emphasis on hands-on activities, will be considered in the selection process.

• Diversity of topics—We aim to offer workshops focused on topics that are relevant to participants from a wide range of backgrounds. For this reason, it is possible that a high quality proposal will not be chosen if the topic is too similar to one already in the lineup.
• Suitability to the online environment—We look forward to workshops that effectively use online delivery, conversation, and participant collaboration.
• Experience—Because the workshops are meant to give participants who are newer to graduate communication support the opportunity to learn from those with more experience, professional experience will be considered. We are not looking for “stars” in the field so much as perspective on the topic gained through trial and error.

Workshop proposals should provide the following information:

• Workshop title
• Workshop topic
• Names and institutional affiliations for all workshop speakers/organizers
• A brief description of your qualifications for leading a workshop on this topic
• Intended audience
  • Is your workshop suitable for participants who work with students from a wide variety of backgrounds (L1, L2, international, domestic), or is it designed for participants who work with a specific student population? 
• A brief description of the workshop that answers the following questions in no more than 500 words:
  • What questions or issues will the workshop raise and address?
  • What (if anything) should participants bring to the workshop?
  • How will the workshop make effective use of the online environment?
  • What is the goal, outcome, or deliverable of the workshop?

Special Interest Networking Groups 

Special Interest Networking Groups will be scheduled for June 14, 15, and 16

Proposals due by February 28, 2021 by 11:59 PM EST

Submit here: https://forms.gle/38vw7K4L67tcBNMh7 

Many people attend the Summer Institute in order to interact with and learn from other practitioners who are engaged in similar projects. While the workshops, research presentations, and works-in-progress offer the opportunity for interactions focused on specific topics, there is also a need for less structured conversations. The purpose of these sessions is to fill this gap and allow for explicit time to network around issues and topics.

Participants who are interested in exploring a relevant topic in an informal setting are invited to propose a session of 60 minutes and to serve as the facilitator of the discussion. 

Please note that these forums should not include formal presentations. Instead, they should provide a semi-structured opportunity for open discussion. 

Special Interest Networking proposals should provide the following information: 

• Names of facilitators (limited to four)
• Session title 
• A brief description of the session that answers the following questions in no more than 250 words
  • What topic do you hope to discuss?
  • What is the exigency for this discussion, and what do you hope to accomplish?
  • Which other participants do you encourage to participate? (Information you might discuss here includes but is not limited to job descriptions, goals, and research, teaching, and or administrative interests.) In what ways might these participants benefit from the discussion? 
• A brief list of questions that you’ll invite participants to explore
• Strategies you might use to create an interactive discussion in an online environment 

Works-in-Progress Presentations 

Works-in-Progress presentations will be scheduled for June 14, 15, and 16

Proposals due by Friday, March 25, 2022 by 11:59 PM EST

Submit here: https://forms.gle/9fxmyXK3QjCo6BzM6 

Present a 10-minute synopsis of your work in graduate communication program administration, course design, pedagogy, tutoring, materials development, or research, and end with a problem or questions for discussion. Presenters will be grouped in strands according to areas of interest in order to listen to each other’s presentations and engage in substantive discussion.  Enter a short abstract (limit: 250 words) of your presentation on the registration form. You will also be prompted to choose the strand that best fits your proposal:

1. Research—share work-in-progress reporting scholarly and/or institutional research
2. Pedagogy—share course designs, writing assignment designs, and pedagogical approaches,
3. Theory—what does theory look like in our context?
4. Tutoring Approaches/Communication support outside the classroom
5. Negotiating Campus Politics—working conditions, finding campus allies, arguing for budgets
6. Materials Development—textbooks, professional development materials, materials for courses and tutoring programs
7. Co-curricular support 
8. X Strand—none of the above but important to the work of graduate communication support

Submitting Multiple Proposals 

Participants may submit a maximum of two proposals (no more than one in any one category type) as a presenter or co-presenter in a research, workshop, or special interest networking session. Anyone submitting multiple proposals will be asked to prioritize their proposals. 

The Summer Institute will be free with any CGC membership. For non-members, registration will be $55.

You can learn more about the CGC through our website: www.gradconsortium.org.