Charleston
IL
The theme of this year’s conference is “Equity in Continuing Higher Education”. The conference will be held March 4-5, 2020.
“Universities have a long history of exclusion on the bases of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, orientation and identity, but have also been at the forefront of the movement to foster diversity, equity and inclusion in society. Continuing education units exist to support those students that traditional higher education has ignored, and for this reason, our units tend to be more diverse than others on campus. As continuing educators, we often find ourselves urging our colleagues to remember that a commitment to equity must recognize age, veteran status and the need to maintain full-time employment as significant factors of a diverse student body. We are proud to serve disadvantaged student populations. In doing so, though, do we risk perpetuating inequality by segregating “types†of students from one another, thereby creating a disadvantaged learning environment for some? Or do continuing education programs provide the tools to overcome historical injustice?
Recommended topic areas:
- Culturally responsive education practices
- Minority Serving Institutions in Illinois
- Developing special emphasis programs – moving beyond “history month†celebrations
- Technical and career connected learning
- Financial aid programs to bridge the equity gap
- Racial justice
- Unconscious bias
- Accessibility
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Supporting first-generation students
- Supporting low-income students
- Support services for adult learners
- Addressing equity gaps in higher education
- Increasing equity through academic practices”
