Event Durham

The Collegiate Way – Living and Learning for the Future

Abstract Submission:

• Conference Themes

  1. Student Support and Wellbeing
     Explores how colleges promote student mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing through tailored support services, wellness initiatives, and accessible resources. The aim is to create safe, nurturing college environments where students feel supported, enabling them to thrive academically, socially, and personally.
  2. Sense of Belonging
     Focuses on fostering inclusive college communities where all students feel connected, valued, and supported. This includes strategies for social integration, community-building, and mentoring that help students form meaningful relationships and develop a strong sense of identity within their college and the wider university.
  3. Wider Community Engagement
     Examines how colleges contribute to local and alumni communities through outreach, partnerships, and service projects. Highlights the role of colleges in building collaborative relationships beyond the university/campus, engaging students, staff, alumni, and local organisations in initiatives that enrich both student experience and community wellbeing.
  4. Personal Development, Enrichment, and Employability
     Covers how colleges prepare students for future success through skills development, leadership opportunities, and extracurricular involvement. Emphasises the value of sports, societies, and networking in building confidence, broadening horizons, and equipping students with the tools needed for lifelong personal and professional growth.
  5. Colleges as Gateways to Global Citizenship
     Explores colleges’ roles in attracting international students and fostering intercultural competence. Showcases initiatives that promote global awareness, dialogue, and engagement, preparing students for international careers and civic life in a connected world. Highlights the college as a dynamic space for global learning and exchange.

  We welcome submissions that address key equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) topics within each of these themes. We see EDI as cross-cutting issues that are essential to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, ensuring that everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources.

  Conference Sessions

  In addition to plenary speakers invited by the conference planning committee, the program will include 50-minute sessions formatted in one of three styles designed to encourage sharing of ideas in varying depths. 

  • Postersessions enable attendees to explore a wide range of initiatives, activities or services. These sessions will be grouped by conference theme.  Easels will be provided for posters up to A0 size.
  • Facilitated panel discussions support idea sharing in greater depth and involve 3 presenters grouped by conference theme.  Each presenter will share an initiative, service, research or strategy for 8-10 minutes leaving time for audience questions and discussion. The conference planning committee will group panellists by theme.
  • Full 50-minute presentations afford presenters and attendees the opportunity to dive deeply into a topic relating to one of the conference themes.  A single presenter or team will introduce their research or initiative, ideally in an interactive manner and inviting follow up discussion.

  Colleagues are encouraged to consider submitting a program proposal in any or each of the above formats.  The proposal submission form is intentionally brief to ensure a wide range of topics, activities, research and initiatives are shared.  Each conference meeting room will be equipped for an on-screen presentation should that be helpful.  Proposal submissions are welcome through 29June and confirmation of accepted proposals will be emailed by 31 July.