Regional Meetings

Engagement Scholarship Consortium Sanctioned
Regional Meetings: Request for Applications for
ESC Sanction and Support

Overview

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) was originally founded to provide opportunities for faculty to disseminate their engaged research on the scholarship of engagement, primarily through a single national conference. Providing conference opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and community partners to gather, explore, highlight, and report on community-engaged scholarship remains an essential element of the ESC vision.

To embody the ESC vision, to stay connected to our regional roots, to address the needs of our membership, and to provide additional venues for faculty and staff to present and receive recognition for their scholarship, the ESC encourages its members to host regional conferences. Member institutions may apply to have their regional meeting sanctioned by the ESC and receive financial support from the consortium.

The ESC and its member institutions will realize several impacts from regional conferences including: 1) increased opportunities for faculty, students, and community partners to share their research, 2) increased opportunities for building local leadership, 3) increased local/regional recognition, institutional recognition, and 4) increased recognition of best practices by faculty, staff, and community partners.

Request for ESC Sanction and Support

Requests for ESC sanction and support of regional engaged-scholarship conferences will include:

  1. Cover Letter (One page)
    Provide a brief overview of the conference (theme, objectives, target audience, timeline) and a summary of request.
  2. Application for ESC Sanction and Support (Three pages maximum)
    In addition to cover letter, the host institution will provide an application of no more than three pages addressing the following:
    • Conference theme
      • Brief description of theme/focus of conference
    • Conference objectives
    • Host institution contact person
    • Target Audience
      • Detailed plan to market to regional area colleges/universities
    • Ways conference will advance community-engaged scholarship on campus and in region
    • Conference budget
      • Conference funding sources
    • Conference timeline
  3. Endorsement Letter (One page)
    Endorsement letter from college/university president or provost.

Criteria for ESC Sanction and Support

Host institution cover letter and application should meet the following criteria:

  • Host institution must be an ESC member (required)
  • Demonstration of support from college/university administration – president or provost (required)
  • Budget demonstrates adequate funding – or plan to secure funding – for regional conference (required)
  • Commitment to highlight and recognize the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (required)
  • Conference theme and objectives integrates with the ESC 2020 strategic plan, advancing community-engaged scholarship on host campus and region
  • Conference plan provides presentation opportunities for faculty, students, and community partners
  • Demonstration of host institution’s plan and capacity to organize and host regional conference
    • Availability of space, technology, and staff expertise in conferencing, etc.
  • Marketing plan includes outreach to regional institutions
  • Conference timeline appears reasonable and doable
  • Regional conference provides for an evaluation plan

Host institutions are encouraged to coordinate regional engagement conferences with other, similar conferences in their region (e.g., UPCEA, ACHE, Campus Compact, Extension meetings, Community Development Society, etc.).

By Sanctioning a Regional Conference, the Executive Committee of the ESC will:

  • Provide consultation services for the regional meeting
    • marketing, suggestions for conference events/tracks, etc.
  • Provide regional meeting endorsement letter from the President of the ESC
  • Provide suggestions for potential keynote speakers
    • Host institution will provide any honorarium required by keynote speaker, negotiated between host institution and keynote speaker
  • Provide $2,500 in support of the regional meeting. A maximum of four awards will be funded annually.

Regional Grant Application Review and Notification

Applications for regional conference funding will be accepted on a rolling basis until annual funds for regional conferences are committed. Regional conference inquiries and applications should be submitted to David Procter (dprocter@ksu.edu), Kansas State University.  Applicants will receive written notice of receipt of their application. Applications will be reviewed by members of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conferences Committee. A maximum of four awards will be supported annually. Grant applicant decisions will be announced within one month of receipt of application.