The AALS Student Services Executive Committee is excited to continue a tradition spearheaded in 2017-2018 by Executive Committee member Trent Kennedy of Georgetown Law. We are seeking presenters for the 2019 Hot Topics in Law Student Services program at the AALS annual conference. The 2019 AALS conference will take place from January 2 through January 6 in New Orleans, LA, with Student Services programming occurring on Saturday, January 6. The Hot Topics session is expected to be the final session of the day-long Student Services programming.
The desired proposals would be short, dynamic talks about developing issues in law student services. As stated in last year’s call for presenters, insightful new voices emerge each year and not every would-be topic lends itself to a traditional panel discussion. The Hot Topics session is an opportunity for interested scholars and professionals to inject a new idea or practical innovation into the national conversation. Ideally, talks will address a developing issue in law student services (e.g., program assessment, marketing to millennial students, responding to significant off-campus events, the intersection of law student services and national or local politics, etc.), craft a clear take-away message for the audience, and fit a timeline between five and ten minutes. Use of an Ignite, PechaKucha, or similar presentation structure is strongly encouraged but not required.
Interested individuals or small teams should submit a proposal of no more than 800 words to Darren Nealy at nealy.1@osu.edu <mailto:nealy.1@osu.edu> and Melissa Berry at mmberry@uw.edu <mailto:mmberry@uw.edu> . Strong preference will be given to proposals received by September 7, 2018. Proposals should address the content of the talk, the amount of time needed for the presentation, and the speaker's qualifications for addressing the proposed topic in such a brief period of time. The AALS President’s theme for the Annual Meeting is Building Bridges <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fam.aals.org%2Fbuilding-bridges%2F&data=02%7C01%7Camy.jarmon%40ttu.edu%7Cb92f0767a889463ed87308d5fe49b9e1%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C0%7C636694515011155849&sdata=vmqZ5fWIpcywwxkMhgH76U6Qa12%2BefMo8dV%2F%2FJ3EeX4%3D&reserved=0> .
In reviewing proposals, the Committee will consider the overall quality of the program, including whether:
* The proposal is well written and thoughtfully constructed;
* The program is likely to be of interest to attendees;
* The program content lends itself to follow-up and ongoing conversation throughout the year;
* There is a diversity of presenters, including diversity of schools, viewpoints, and identity characteristics across the full Student Services program;
* The program connects to the AALS President’s theme of Building Bridges (NOTE: Not a requirement.); and
* The proposed topic is “hot” and provides insights about an otherwise under-discussed area of thought or practice.
Please direct any questions to Darren Nealy at nealy.1@osu.edu <mailto:nealy.1@osu.edu> or Melissa Berry at mmberry@uw.edu <mailto:mmberry@uw.edu> .
