Retention 2008 is now accepting proposals for presentations. Proposals may be submitted by individuals, school districts, institutions, organizations, foundations, associations, and education service providers.

For 2008, we are encouraging proposals in the four following themes:

• High School
• Two-Year
• Four-Year
• Proprietary

Subjects may include, but are not limited to:

• Evidence-based practices and strategies for high schools, two- and four-year institutions, and proprietary institutions;
• Student tracking and monitoring;
• Institutional change;
• Program planning and implementation;
• Students with disabilities;
• Solutions for HBCUs, HSIs, and Tribal Colleges
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM);
• International program/strategies;
• Research, evaluation, and impact analysis; and
• Best practices in financial aid, student services, academic services, recruitment and admissions, and teaching and learning

Guidelines for Proposals

Materials
Presenters are encouraged to bring handouts summarizing the key points of their presentation and contain information that participants should remember once they have returned to their institution. Printouts of power point presentations are also encouraged. Each breakout session will be attended by approximately 60 people. For an updated estimate of the number of participants that will attend your session, please contact EPI at info@educationalpolicy.org.

Audio-Visual Requirements
EPI will provide a data projector for each presentation but participants should be prepared to provide their own laptop.

Conference Registration and Expenses
All presenters are responsible for their conference registration fees as well as their own travel and hotel expenses. Participants will be charged the Early Bird Registration Fee of $595. Hotel reservation information is available on the Retention 2008 website. The deadline for hotel reservations is April 20, 2007.

Presenters retain all rights to their materials, except that, if a proposal is selected for Retention 2008, EPI reserves the right to publish either the full text or a summary of the presentation in an EPI publication, such as the EPI’s newsletter Student Success, website, or other monograph.

Proposal Format
Proposals should be submitted as a Word document or PDF file in an e-mail attachment, equivalent to an 8.5" x 11" sheet. Each proposal must consist of two items:

1. A cover page with the following information:
   
   • Title of Presentation
   • An abstract of the presentation to be no longer than 125 words
   • Presenter Name
   • Title
   • Institution/Company/Organization
   • Address
   • Email address
   • Phone Number
   • Name and email address of all co-presenters
     
2. A proposal for a presentation no longer than two pages, single spaced, describing the issues you will address, summarizing your main perspectives on those issues, and identifying how the audience will be able to use the information presented when they return to their own campuses.

Mail, fax, or email your session proposal to:

RETENTION 2008
c/o Educational Policy Institute
2401 Seaboard Rd, Suite 104
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Fax #: 757-430-2300

Email: info@educationalpolicy.org

Deadlines
All proposals are due by January 31, 2008. If your proposal is selected for Retention 2007, you will be notified by February 29, 2008.