Call for Proposals

URMIA is accepting proposals from high-quality speakers and writers for innovative, timely, and dynamic educational content around URMIA’s four core competencies for higher education risk managers. The content we offer our members and attendees provides comprehensive learning that enables every professional to improve their skills, expand their knowledge, explore innovative ideas, and solve challenges. We invite proposals for sessions in a variety of formats and encourage lively interaction among presenters and with the audience.

This call for content is for the annual conference and other professional development offerings as outlined below.

Annual conference proposals are due Friday, January 24, 2025.

Use Cvent System to Submit

URMIA is using the Cvent system this year for proposal submission. This is separate from the URMIA website and all submitters will need to create an account in Cvent to begin.

Share Your Knowledge and Experience!

We invite URMIA affiliate and institutional members – and others working in or servicing higher education risk management – to highlight best practices and innovative solutions for addressing challenges higher education risk managers are facing. Successful proposals will include diverse content providers delivering inclusive content for the advancement of risk management in higher education in an interactive format with actionable takeaways.

Opportunities are available for in-person conference presenters, webinar presenters, discussion facilitators, podcast guests, and newsletter article authors. Choose the educational channel(s) that best fit your topic, presentation style, and schedule.

Selection Process

Committees of URMIA peers and staff will review submissions and make selections based on how well each submission’s topic aligns with URMIA’s Core Competencies for Higher Education Risk Managers and Education Plan as well as current topics, questions, and concerns posted in the URMIAnetwork online communities.

While changes may occur to your submission between the proposal and the event, those are subject to acceptance and should not be assumed as approved.

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated on how they increase aptitude, compliance, respect, and organizational effectiveness within the higher education risk management community.

The selection of presentations will be based on the following criteria:

• Contribution to URMIA’s Education Plan and core competency curriculum

• Content and clarity of the title and description

• Use of interactive learning methods to communicate ideas

• Innovative approaches to identify, define, or solve current and emerging problems facing risk management professionals

• Inclusion of practical tools, solutions, management strategies, or innovative programs that members can adapt for their institutions

• Listed presenters' experience and connectedness to the proposed topic, including a campus perspective.

Know Your Audience

URMIA members are the primary audience for all education channels. They come from both institutions of higher education and businesses who serve risk managers in the higher education sector.

The institutional audience will be coming from two- and four-year institutions, some of which are large, small, public, private, and/or specializing in offerings around research, religion, medicine, or other specialties.

Audience members are in various stages of their careers and serve in multiple roles on campus and in the industry.

The audience is primarily English-speaking and from the United States with additional colleagues representing other global locations.

Conference Proposals

Annual Conference Sessions

The 2025 URMIA Annual Conference will take place October 12-16 in Las Vegas, which will include pre- and/or post-conference workshops. All presentations are expected to be delivered in person while attendees may be participating in person or virtually. There are three different formats for presentations during the annual conference:

• Breakout Session — a 60-minute presentation or panel

• Flash Session — a 30-minute presentation limited to one speaker only

• Pre- or Post-Conference Workshop — a 3-8 hour session exploring a topic in depth

Submission Guidelines

• Select only dates and locations you are willing to register for and attend in person.

• You are strongly encouraged to review the submission form and prepare your responses before you begin completing the form online. Additional tips, such as character limits for replies, are found on the proposal submission form.

• Sessions must include at least one URMIA institutional member as a co-presenter/panelist and listed on the submission form, except annual conference flash sessions. A session may have up to four presenters.

• A flash session is 30 minutes and is ideal for one URMIA affiliate member.

• If you use an acronym, please spell out what the acronym references in the first use.

• URMIA reserves the right to edit content for publication, brevity, clarity, and grammar.

• Presenters for accepted sessions must be available on all of the dates during the selected conference for which you want your proposal to be considered and will be required to register for the conference. We exercise the discretion to schedule your session on any of the dates during a selected conference to create a balanced schedule. Notification regarding the proposal’s acceptance and tentative scheduling information will be shared with the proposal coordinator along with a link to complete the required registration and to sign the content contributor agreement.

Choosing a Topic

Don’t yet have a particular topic in mind? Review the list of ideas for future sessions in the URMIA Education Plan, where you’ll find session ideas that address sub-competencies from URMIA’s Core Competencies for Higher Education Risk Managers. This is not an exclusive list of topics needed, but it may spark an idea of an area you have interest and experience to share. Hot topics and emerging risks will also be considered and can be presented with other sessions in mind to make a track.

The resources listed above are available to URMIA members. Non-members may purchase a printed copy of the core competencies workbook by contacting URMIA or add an URMIA member to their team of content providers to access the materials.

Proposals for Other Education Channels

Webinars

URMIA offers webinars throughout the year which can be on any topic of interest to higher education risk managers. Webinar presentations are typically 45 minutes of presentation with an additional 15 minutes for questions and answers. Webinars are hosted on the On24 platform to maximize interaction.

Webinar Submission Guidelines

• Webinars include PowerPoint/Keynote presentations with 1-4 speakers or panelists.
• Speakers are encouraged to use their webcams, conduct polls, and use both chat and Q&A during the presentation.
• Webinars must include at least one URMIA institutional member as a co-presenter/panelist.

Podcasts

URMIA Matters is our bi-monthly podcast series. Each podcast is hosted by an URMIA or staff member and is conducted in the form of a conversation about the topic with the podcast host.

Podcast Submission Guidelines

• Visuals are not used during a podcast, so keep this in mind as you think about a podcast proposal. Be sure your topic can be discussed/presented without reliance on visuals.
• Podcasts are 15-20 minutes in length.
• Podcasts are recorded in advance of release, making scheduling recordings fairly flexible.
• Podcasts do not require an affiliate member to record a podcast with an institutional member.

Community Conversations

URMIA hosts facilitated virtual discussion opportunities throughout the year, and the audience may be different for each offering. Peers gather to discuss emerging issues and topics of interest based on institution size and type as well as specific roles higher education risk managers are responsible for on campus, such as compliance and enterprise risk management.

Community Conversations Guidelines

• Facilitators are meant to start/keep a conversation going on a particular topic with the audience.
• These sessions are conducted via Zoom and breakout rooms can be used as part of the discussion.
• Sessions are offered throughout the year and can accommodate the facilitator’s schedule.

URMIA Insights Articles

URMIA Insights is an online news and topical resource emailed to the URMIA membership featuring original articles covering timely topics and emerging issues in higher education risk management, best practices and innovative tools, Q&A interviews with thought leaders, and URMIA updates. Articles are available to members on URMIA's website.

URMIA Insights Article Guidelines

• Articles should be between 500 and 1,500 words.
• Articles may be authored by a single affiliate or institutional member. Co-authorship is not a requirement for the submission of articles. Bylines are encouraged.
• We cannot accept articles that promote specific products or services.
• Graphics (e.g., graphs, illustrative photos, tables, etc.) are helpful to include.