Call for Proposals

SIETAR-USA TWELFTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Navigating Complexity in an Intercultural World

October 17-20, 2012
Marriott City Center Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR-USA) invites you to submit a proposal to present at its twelfth annual international conference to be held October 17-20, 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The theme of the 2012 conference is Navigating Complexity in an Intercultural World.

The annual SIETAR-USA conference has always served as a forum for interculturalists from varied professions and disciplines to come together to share their knowledge, insights, and questions with other members of the intercultural field. Members of SIETAR-USA share a passion for deepening their understanding of cultures, increasing intercultural competence in themselves and others, and in continually fostering culturally respectful and inclusive ways of making the world a better place to live and work.

The 2012 conference program seeks to build on the theme of the 2011 conference, Risk and Resilience in an Intercultural World, with a focus on navigating complexity. We have chosen this focus for the following reasons.

As intercultural professionals, the realities faced by the communities, organizations, and people that we serve are increasingly complex. These realities include:

  • Rapidly changing technologies, with tremendous potential to improve the way we learn, connect, and conduct business
  • Shifts in global power and economic strength
  • Changing demographics in every region of the U.S. and around the globe
  • Growing diversity in organizations and educational institutions
  • Competing priorities which challenge our creativity to manage our daily interactions while maintaining the highest ethical standards
  • Fundamental and far-reaching changes to the way peoples govern themselves and others

As we look forward to the conference in October 2012, with the U.S. Presidential election taking place just weeks afterward, we know that we'll be moving into uncharted waters once again. These realities—and others—underscore the constant flows of change that interculturalists must navigate on a daily basis to be successful and effective in their personal and professional lives.

To continue with the nautical theme, interculturalists are, so to speak, all in the same boat. We attend to the interface between individuals, groups, and nations who do not speak the same language or have the same customs, and who have a different understanding of the ways the world works. Understanding a different perspective cannot be done from the crow's nest. It needs to be done on deck, face to face. People who face intercultural challenges need interculturalists who can provide the guidance they need to chart unknown waters and the skills to captain their own ships.

The 2012 SIETAR-USA conference provides presenters with an opportunity to explore the conference theme in depth. Two special program tracks will be offered which allow the intercultural community to focus on specific contexts or areas of practice. The special program tracks for the 2012 conference are Business and Education. SIETAR-USA is particularly interested in the ethical component of these two areas of practice.  

The Business Program Track:
The business context is one of the most vibrant areas of intercultural practice. Intercultural professionals are doing innovative work that includes helping leaders develop effective global managers, train and lead geographically dispersed virtual teams, and prepare employees to work respectfully with diverse workforces within the U.S. and across the globe. SIETAR-USA welcomes proposals that address best practices, innovative program design, and ethical considerations in all areas of business.

The Education Program Track:
In recent years, more and more intercultural work has been done in the educational sector at all levels from pre-school to university. This work includes addressing the academic achievement gap manifested in disparities in retention, special education classification, and graduation rates across diverse groups of students; expanding students' worldviews via the infusion of international and intercultural content into subject matter; providing learning abroad activities for students, teachers, and faculty; and increasing intercultural competence in teachers and faculty via training and other internationalization initiatives. SIETAR-USA seeks proposals for the 2012 conference that describe multiple facets of intercultural work in education, from early childhood education to graduate levels. Proposals that emphasize ethical components of this work are particularly welcome.

There is much to learn and there is much to create as we work together to navigate the complex realities of our intercultural world. We invite you to submit a proposal and share your perspectives, experiences, and insights with the SIETAR community.

About SIETAR-USA (www.sietarusa.org) SIETAR-USA is a non-profit, membership-based organization for educators, researchers, and trainers from a wide range of disciplines who share a common concern for intercultural relations. SIETAR-USA is part of a network of SIETAR organizations around the world. Through a broad range of activities SIETAR-USA provides a unique opportunity to learn from and share knowledge with colleagues in the intercultural arena and advance the body of knowledge and practice in the field.

Conference Location
The 2012 conference is being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota which is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area known as the "Twin Cities". The area has deep roots in the intercultural field in higher education, global business and in the non-profit arena. Minneapolis is nicknamed the "City of Lakes" and "Mill City". Why "City of Lakes"? The city has over 20 lakes within its city limits and is located along the banks of the Mississippi River. Why "Mill City"? It was once the world's flour milling capital and was a hub for timber. Today, it is home to 20 Fortune 500 companies including General Mills, US Bancorp, Target, 3M, Best Buy and Medtronic. Several well-known privately held multinationals such as Cargill and Carlson are also located here. The main campus of the University of Minnesota dominates the Minneapolis collegiate scene with more than 50,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students in attendance. The state has many well-known public and private schools, colleges and universities. In recent years, the state has become more ethnically diverse with a large influx of immigrants and refugees from all parts of the globe making Minnesota a hotbed of multicultural activities and discussions.

The 2012 conference hotel is the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, which is located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. It is easily accessible by light rail train from the Minneapolis St. Paul airport (MSP). October is a wonderful time in Minnesota with vibrant fall colors and crisp autumn air. Activities include strolling along Nicollet Mall, which is lined with restaurants and stores, and exploring the nearby historic Warehouse and Theatre Districts. Do not miss visiting the Mississippi Riverfront and walking along Nicollet Island. It provides one of the most scenic views of the city. All of these attractions are within walking distance of the hotel. The hotel conference rate will be $154 per room for single or double occupancy. More information about hotel registration will be available soon.

Are you an interculturalist? If you have gotten this far in reading the Call for Proposals, you definitely are! SIETAR-USA welcomes you to engage in dialogue about navigating complexity in our constantly changing world by submitting a conference proposal.

Submission Deadline
The deadline to submit a proposal for the 12th Annual International SIETAR-USA Conference is May 15, 2012. Proposals sent in after the May 15th deadline will be considered on a space-available basis only. Each SIETAR-USA conference proposal is reviewed by several experienced (and busy!) interculturalists. The quality of their work in reading and choosing proposals depends upon having sufficient time to give each proposal careful consideration. Early submissions are greatly appreciated.

After submitting the proposal, you will receive an initial acknowledgement of receipt. You will be notified of acceptance in time to pre-register for the conference by the September 1, 2012 early bird deadline. Reminders to register will be sent to all presenters well ahead of the early-bird and any other deadlines. Note: All presenters are required to register for the conference. SIETAR-USA is a non-profit organization and presenters do not receive any form of payment or reduction in conference fees in conjunction with their participation in the SIETAR-USA 2012 conference.

The conference program co-chairs for 2012 are Holly Emert, Ph.D. (member, SIETAR-USA Board of Directors) and Kara LaSota, both active members in SIETAR-USA. For more proposal submission information or if you have any questions, please email your questions to sietarusa2012proposals@sietarusa.org. For any questions not related to a session proposal, please contact the SIETAR-USA Office by email at info@sietarusa.org or by calling +1 (832) 746-3447.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
The following guidelines will assist you in completing and submitting a proposal. Proposals for concurrent sessions must include all ten elements described below to be considered by the conference program committee:

I. Presenter(s) Name(s) and Contact Information
II. Title of Session
III. Session Length
IV. Session Format
V. Session Description
VI. Target Audience
VII. Equipment List
VIII. Room Size & Set-Up
IX. Presenter(s) Biography(ies)
X. Brief Session/Bio Write-ups for the Program

Please submit your proposal by clicking on this link. You can find a Word version of the Call for Proposals here: SIETAR-USA 2012 Call For Proposals. Please note that your final proposal must be submitted using the online proposal system.