Welcome to GWI’s 2025 Call for Proposals

Deadline extended:

NACAC is accepting education session proposals through Monday, Feb. 24 at noon ET.

Thank you for your interest in presenting at the 2025 Guiding the Way to Inclusion conference. Your participation champions the needs of diverse students in the college admission process.

NACAC is accepting proposals that focus on multicultural recruitment, campus inclusion, and other DEI topics pertinent to secondary, postsecondary, and CBO college admission/counseling professionals. 

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What We Encourage

We always encourage proposals on collaborative strategies to provide equitable access to postsecondary education and intersectional session topics. This year, we are also focused on the following: 

  • Advising to and the enrollment of marginalized student populations (i.e. LGBTQ+ students, undocumented students, immigrant students, etc.) amid the current political climate. 
  • Working within anti-DEI systems.  
  • Reaffirming your values in your community. 
  • Advising and admission post-SFFA.  

Application Requirements

This year, GWI offers two submission categories based on content levels.

  • Education sessions are focused on content levels at the foundational/general level, which require little or no prior knowledge, or at the intermediate level, which require some prior experience or knowledge. Limit 4 Presenters.
  • Strategic leadership sessions are focused on content levels at the advanced stage, which are suited for senior-level staff who have 10+ years of knowledge, expertise, and experience in the profession. Limit 3 presenters.

In addition, applicants will need to provide the following information about their proposed session:

  1. Session Title (limit 12 words)
    • Click here to view a list of the sessions presented at GWI 2024.
  2. Session Description (limit 150 words).
    This may include your lived experience about the proposal topic.
  3. Intended Audience
    • Secondary, postsecondary, CBO, IEC, International
  4. Content Levels
    • Foundational/General: Presentation requires little or no prior knowledge.
    • Intermediate: Presentation requires some prior knowledge.
    • Advanced: Strategic leadership sessions
  5. Learning Objectives
  6. Education Content Strands
    • Select primary and secondary strands.
    • Click here for an explanation of each strand.
  7. Previous Presentation(s) of the Session (if applicable)
    • Please let us know if you have presented your submission previously, including when and where.

Best Practices

  • Plan your submission in advance. We suggest that you first collect your thoughts for your proposal before going to the online form.  
  • All proposals must be submitted using the online form, no exceptions. While there is no limit on the number of proposals you may submit, we are limiting the number of panels you may present on to two (2). Upon submitting a proposal, you will receive an automatic confirmation email for your records if it is submitted successfully. 
  • Use clear, error-free language. Proposals require clear and concise titles (limit 12 words),  descriptions that clearly articulate the topic being addressed, the voice(s) being presented (limit 150 words), and a well-defined set of learning objectives, key takeaways, or action items for attendees that answer the prompt “At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to…”. NACAC reserves the right to edit titles and descriptions during copy editing. 
  • Please ensure all proposals are complete. Incomplete proposal submissions will not be reviewed or considered for selection. 
  • All submitted proposals must observe intellectual property rights. Presenters must ensure that information, illustrations, images contained in presentations, related materials, or visual aids shall be factual and not be misleading and will not violate the intellectual property or copyrights of any third party. Written documentation of ownership or permission must be provided upon request and is required for all included media. 

Review Process and Selection

NACAC is committed to inclusivity and diversity in its review of session proposals, incorporating feedback from GWI faculty and professional staff. This collaborative approach ensures practitioners play a key role in shaping the conference programming. By working together, GWI faculty and staff ensure the content is timely, relevant, and aligned with attendee needs. 

All proposals are evaluated against the following selection criteria: 

  • Speaker(s)’ Professional Experience 
  • Session Summary 
  • Session Content 
  • Learning Objectives/Key Takeaways 
  • Actionable Tools and Resources 
  • Overall Session Rating 

Please click here for the GWI 2025 Proposal Rubric. 

How to Apply

NACAC’s Education and Training Team hosted a webinar reviewing the call for proposals process and how to complete your submission on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.

Important Dates

  • GWI Call for Proposals opens: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025
  • Webinar on Proposal Submission Process: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025
  • GWI Call for Proposals closes: Monday, Feb. 24, 2025
  • Review Period: Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 – Monday, March 10, 2025
  • Selection Notifications: Friday, March 28, 2025 (Tentative)
  • GWI Conference: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 – Thursday, July 31s, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to questions you may have as you prepare your proposal:

Click here to review the rubric that will be used to assess all GWI proposal submissions. 

This year, GWI offers two submission categories based on content levels. 

  • Education sessions are focused on content levels at the foundational/general level, which require little or no prior knowledge, or at the intermediate level, which require some prior experience or knowledge. 
  • Strategic leadership sessions are focused on content levels at the advanced stage, which are suited for senior-level staff who have 10+ years of knowledge, expertise, and experience in the profession.   

Notifications are tentatively scheduled to go out on Friday, March 28, 2025. You will also be able to check the status of your submission in the proposal submission portal.

We do not limit the number of proposal submissions; however, please note that you will only be able to present at two sessions maximum.

No, accepted speakers must attend the GWI conference in person in Atlanta, Georgia.

Yes, speakers will be responsible for their registration (with a $50 discount), travel, and hotel accommodations.

No, if you are interested in presenting your session at NACAC Conference 2025 in Columbus, you will need to submit a separate proposal submission. The call for proposals for NACAC Conference 2025 will open Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Please check back for the Submission Portal link. 

No, Incomplete proposal submissions will not be reviewed Draft submissions can be edited until the deadline. 

Have another question that was not answered here? Contact NACAC’s Education and Training Team.

Apply Now

Ready to submit your proposal application?