The Call for Proposals
for WACUBO Institutional Members is OPEN!

Submit Your Proposal

Lead the Conversation. Share What Works. Shape What's Next.

The 2027 Annual Conference Program Committee is soliciting proposals from WACUBO members who are willing to share their experiences, lessons learned, innovative ideas, and practical solutions. Whether you've launched a new initiative, improved operations, strengthened your institution's financial position, implemented technology, managed risk, or led organizational change, your story can help colleagues across higher education.

You do not need groundbreaking research or a perfect case study. Attendees are looking for real-world strategies, actionable insights, and honest lessons from professionals who are doing the work every day. 

Curating a Program for Higher Ed Professionals

The 2027 Annual Conference program is organized around five themes that reflect the challenges, opportunities, and essential work shaping higher education today. The committee encourages you to think how your proposal may fit into one of these topics.

• Disrupt: The external environment challenging and reshaping higher education | Share insights on policy changes, economic pressures, demographic shifts, workforce trends, or other external forces that are redefining how institutions operate and serve students.

• Innovate: New models, tools, and creative approaches that transform legacy ways of working | Highlight technology implementations, process improvements, new service models, data-driven decision making, and other innovations that are driving positive change on your campus.

• Thrive: Long-range financial strategy and building resilient, sustainable institutions |Showcase approaches to financial stewardship, strategic planning, resource allocation, revenue diversification, and long-term institutional sustainability.

• Run: The operational, technical, and risk management work that keeps institutions moving forward | Share practical solutions related to business operations, compliance, risk management, facilities, procurement, technology, human resources, and other essential functions.

• Lead: Leadership and team building that make every other success possible | Present on leadership development, talent management, organizational culture, change management, mentorship, employee engagement, and strategies for building high-performing teams.

Returning Presenters: Keep the Momentum Going

Have you presented before? We encourage you to build on last year's momentum and submit your newest ideas, lessons learned, and success stories. Whether your previous proposal was accepted or not, your perspective continues to be valuable to the community. The challenges facing higher education are evolving rapidly, and members want to hear what's working right now.

 Your Experience Matters

 Every successful conference session starts with a professional willing to share what they've learned. If your work has improved an outcome, solved a problem, strengthened a process, or created a new opportunity, there's a good chance others can benefit from hearing your story.

Submit Your Proposal

Key Dates

• WACUBO Institutional Member Submission Deadline: Friday, September 25. Proposals may be submitted until 11:59 pm PT on that day.
• All submitters will be informed of their submission status no later than Friday, November 20.

The Business Partner Proposal Portal is not currently active.  You can submit your information by clicking the button above to be notified of when this platform is live.

Presenter Considerations

• Include all presenters who will participate in the presentation.
• Limit of 4 presenters per submission.
• Each proposed presenter must:
  • Be available to present in person during any of the program dates.
  • Is encouraged to be a WACUBO member but not required.
  • Agree to these guidelines via an electronic form in the submission portal before the proposal can be submitted.
• Each proposal must include a WACUBO member institution individual as the primary presenter. Once accepted sessions are confirmed, all presenters will receive direct communication from WACUBO on scheduling, preparation, and presentation requirements.
  • For panel proposals, other presenters are encouraged to be from WACUBO member institutions but not required.

  • If a panel proposal includes an individual who is part of an organization that would be considered a business partner, the proposal will be excluded from this process and re-classified as a Business Partner proposal.

• All presenters from accepted proposals must register for the 2027 WACUBO Annual Conference; no registration discounts are provided for presenters.
• Presenters will not receive any royalties, honorarium, reimbursement of expenses, or other compensation from WACUBO in connection with the program.

Session Details 

• Submission of a presentation does not guarantee participation in the program.
• Proposals cannot be changed after the submission deadline.
• WACUBO reserves the right to revise presentation titles or edit the session description of selected presentations for WACUBO promotional and program publications.