Compact24 will take place over the course of four days and feature a wide variety of engaging, interactive sessions focused on civic engagement, community-engaged research, civic- and service-learning, institutional change, university-community partnerships and more.
Registration for the Compact24 conference has sold out! We’re so excited to have received such a robust response to this event. If you have any questions or concerns about the conference or would like to be added to a waitlist, please get in touch with us at conference@compact.org.
Below, find a list of all the sessions, community meetings, networking opportunities, receptions, and more that we have planned for you at Compact24. Scroll down to see the full agenda!
TRUCEN Members, join us on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 for the TRUCEN Annual Meeting!
Conference Agenda
Scroll down to find all the great sessions that Compact24 has to offer! Looking for something specific? Use the filter buttons to narrow down your agenda to the sessions you'd like to see.
Michael Smith, AmeriCorps Leroy (JR) LaPlante, South Dakota State University Eric Lugo, Campus Compact Janine Davidson, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Michael Murray, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Lara Schwartz, American University Manu Meel, BridgeUSA Eunice Nichols, CoGenerate Mia Strubel Iram, Carleton College Martín Carcasson, Colorado State University Suchitra Gururaj, The University of Texas at Austin
Bobbie Laur, Campus Compact Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Maricopa Community Colleges Terri Taylor, Lumina Foundation Timothy Eatman, Rutgers University-Newark Kristen Shahverdian, PEN America
Pre-Conference Institutes
Join a pre-conference institute for a deep-dive on a given topic before the official kickoff of Compact24 on Monday, April 8. Pre-Conference Institutes are offered at an added rate of $75 per participant. Lunch is included.
Anti-racism Community Engagement Principles & Practices
In this workshop, attendees will learn about and apply anti-racist community engagement principles and practices, based on the co-edited volume recently released this summer. Synthesizing the literature and input from focus groups of minoritized students and community partners at four Massachusetts universities, the facilitators of this workshop co-developed four principles for anti-racist community-engaged work with 21 components: (1) Counteracting the Persistence and Impact of Racism on our Campuses and in our Community Engagement, (2) Critical Reflection on Individual and System/Structural Racism, (3) Intentional Learning/Course Design, and (4) Compassionate/Reflective Learning Spaces. Through case studies, reflections, and research-based essays, the authors in the edited volume use the language of the anti-racist community engagement principles to discuss their own practices, show how the principles matter in their institutional and organizational contexts, and offer insight into unique experiences with anti-racist practices in community-engagement. As a collection, the contributions of 65 practitioners from across the country provide readers with shared language and a comprehensive toolkit to support informed action and ongoing conversations regarding anti-racist community engaged practices on campuses, within communities, and in the classroom. In this interactive workshop, facilitators will describe the four principles proposed in the volume and provide descriptive case studies from each book section to show principles in action. The models shared will provide attendees with techniques to (re)consider and (re)imagine their own practices in relation to colleagues, students, and members of the communities with whom they seek to partner. After each principle, attendees will gather in small groups to critically analyze the case studies and discuss how the principles and case studies apply to the work they’re currently doing or would like to be doing at their own institutions. Groups will report back to the larger session on how they might carry what they’ve learned during the session back to their institutions for consideration and implementation.
This Pre-Conference Institute, facilitated by Campus Compact’s 2023-24 Community College Research Fellows, will create a space for community college leaders, faculty, and civic and community engagement practitioners to build connections with one another, as well as share and acquire resources, ideas, and strategies to advance civic and community engagement work within and across our institutions and communities. During this institute, this year’s fellows will facilitate interactive discussions on issues raised in the recently released report, As The Dust Settles: A Snapshot of Civic and Community Engagement at Community Colleges 2022-23 and conduct sessions related to their fellowship projects. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network, share ideas for future Campus Compact community college programming, and collectively explore the challenges and unique assets of our institutions as sites for powerful civic and community engagement work.
Creating Inclusive Communities Together: Transforming Higher Education Through Refugee Integration
Get a sneak peek at “Creating Inclusive Communities Together: Transforming Higher Education Through Refugee Integration.” Developed by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) in partnership with the National Association of System Heads (NASH) and its Refugee Resettlement Initiative (RRI), this certificate-bearing training builds the capacity of champions in higher education to develop ecosystems of support for refugee resettlement and integration while deepening students’ community engagement through sustained place-based and hyperlocal experiential learning practices. This three-hour version of the training will enrich attendee knowledge on forced migration and refugee resettlement; empower attendees to see the possibilities for their institution in refugee resettlement and integration support and related transformative curricular and co-curricular programming; and equip attendees with the tools to create a resettlement campus, a campus that hosts refugees and supports their integration. Campus Compact members can sign up for the full 8-hour certificate-bearing training to be delivered virtually over two days in May.
Deep Dive: Preparing for the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement
The Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement application provides institutions an opportunity for self-assessment; accountability for institutional mission and commitment to public purpose; and the legitimacy of processes, institutional alignment, community partnerships, and outcomes. Join us for a deep dive pre-conference session designed to assist campuses in preparing for the 2026 Elective Classification for Community Engagement. The pre-conference session will demystify the application process by including an orientation to both the classification and reclassification frameworks, an explanation of additions and changes to the documentation framework, a review of the documentation framework and the complete application, and a discussion of strategies that have been effective for successful applications. Participants will meet with ACE Staff, scholars, and practitioners to discuss their experiences and best practices with community-engaged teaching and scholarship.
Keeping Our Momentum: Mid-career Professional Learning Community
Mid-career community engagement professionals often find themselves looking to the next steps in their chosen career, whether taking on a more senior role or a lateral move to a new department. Specifically, these individuals are in a dynamic time where they make an impact, are doing meaningful work, have the experience and network necessary for managing politics and systems, and want to be on the cutting edge of key issues in the field. To meet this unique population where they are, Campus Compact provides a unique cohort experience for people who have been in the field for over eight years and are not yet in a senior leadership position.
Our Compact24 conference will anchor this professional community cohort experience. By signing up for this preconference institute, you also commit to virtual meetings with this cohort in January, February, and March for an intensive experience and learning community. You will work alongside your colleagues as you discuss ways to stay connected on your campus and explore what growth looks like for you. We will determine as a cohort during Compact24 what level of interaction and community building is desired post-conference.
Leading Engagement Through Executive Leadership Transition
Turnover of higher education executives is high and expected to accelerate in the post-pandemic context. An analysis of applications from the most recent Carnegie Community Engagement Classification revealed that nearly 75 percent of institutions experienced turnover in presidential and/or senior academic officer positions.
Executive transition periods create uncertainty for leaders who seek to sustain and strengthen engagement as an institutional priority. Moreover, new leaders may take on strategic priorities that may appear to be misaligned – or even in competition – with the institution’s engagement agenda. Drawing on a curriculum created by the Engagement Academy for University Leaders, this workshop will help engagement leaders discern how to position engagement as a priority for new executives as they assume their roles.
Participants will engage with testimonies of engagement leaders, readings, and small group discussions that explore ways for engagement to thrive during executive leadership transitions.
This year, the TRUCEN Annual Meeting will take place in advance of Compact24 and end just before the conference kicks off on Monday, April 8. TRUCEN Members are highly encouraged to join us for the Annual Meeting and stay for the conference!
To encourage diverse opportunities for learning and exchange, sessions may take one of the following formats. Presenters must select their session type when submitting a proposal for consideration.
Roundtable
Roundtable discussions will be used to facilitate and workshop ideas, gather feedback, and work collaboratively toward solutions. In small groups of 8-10, participants will discuss an initiative, project, or program that is in development. 45 minutes
Poster
Poster presentations are intended to promote exchange between presenters and attendees on research and/or community-engaged projects. A physical poster must be provided that highlights the purpose, methodology, participants involved, findings, implications for the field, and outcomes. Poster presentations are displayed throughout the conference and have a dedicated session to promote dialogue and exchange. Poster presentations are an excellent opportunity to include undergraduate and graduate student collaborators.
Dialogue Session
Dialogue sessions provide facilitators with the opportunity to engage participants in a discussion focused on a critical issue or question in the field. During the experience, participants explore the topic area and get hands-on experience utilizing a dialogue practice/approach. 45 minutes
Author Talk
Author talks provide participants with an opportunity to engage with the author of an impactful publication (or book chapter) in the civic and community engagement field. The session should be a blend of presenting key takeaways from the publication and dialogue with attendees. 45 minutes
Knowledge-to-Action Workshop
Knowledge-to-Action sessions are focused on sharing specific knowledge, theories, skills, or methods for practical application. These sessions should be interactive, and participants should leave with actionable recommendations for practice. 45 minutes (regular) or 1 hour 45 minutes with a 15-minute break (intensive)
Promising Practice
Promising practice sessions highlight specific civic or community engagement projects, infrastructure, or approaches that are working effectively on their campus with the goal of informing and inspiring participants for potential replication and ideas. Two 20-minute sessions (15 minutes presenting & 5 minutes Q&A) per 45-minute block
Community or Network Meeting
Community sessions are held at the beginning and end of conference days. The format is open and can be designed to suit the needs of the facilitator and attendees. These meetings can support geographically focused groups, affinity networks, design teams, in-person meet-ups for communities of practice, and others. 1 hour