Are you planning to attend the 2020 HI-TEC conference, July 27-30, in beautiful Portland, Oregon? If you are involved in preparing America's skilled technical workforce, this conference is for you!

HI-TEC offers three opportunities to present: preconference workshops and special interest groups, main conference sessions, and poster sessions. Preconference workshops and special interest sessions run about three and a half hours each and will take place July 27-28. Main conference session presentations are 45 minutes in length and take place on July 29-30. Poster sessions will take place only on July 29 between 3:00-5:30 pm.

The conference organizers are now accepting proposals for HI-TEC 2020 presentations. Preconference workshop forms are due by January 15. Main conference sessions and poster sessions are due by February 5. If you are interested in presenting, fill out a proposal form by the applicable deadline.

If you have any questions about the proposal content, contact Greg Kepner or Bob Geer. If you have questions about the form, contact Sheila Wilson.

Interested in learning more about retention programs and practices geared toward community colleges? Mark your calendars for this upcoming webinar from NISOD. The techniques covered in this webinar are based on a literature review and qualitative data on community college faculty practices and designed to foster  an “environment of mattering and validation for community college students.”

Presented by Kim Russell, a professor of English and chair at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, this webinar will call upon Schlossberg’s (1989) Mattering Theory and Rendon’s (1994) Validation Theory. The goal is to equip participants to help students at community colleges feel like they are being prepared for career success and ensure that students feel recognized and affirmed by their institution.

The webinar runs Thursday, December 12, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT. It is free for those at NISOD Member Colleges and available for $25.00 to those at non-member colleges. If you’re not sure if your college is a member check the Member College page. Those interested in participating can register for the webinar here.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone from the ATE community October 23-25 in Washington DC at the 2019 PI Conference.  For up-to-date information on the Conference, follow @ATECentral and @Comm_College on Twitter or visit ATE Central staff at Booth #001 during the showcases on October 23^rd and 24^th!

As always, we are pleased to announce the release of the 2019 ATE PI Conference mobile app. The app and companion website are designed to help you make the most of your conference experience. Use your phone, tablet, or Internet browser to create a personal schedule, stay up-to-date with the agenda and speaker lineup, search the attendee directory, and more! The app is available for iPhone or iPad and Android devices. To download the app, search your app store for “ATE PI 2019" or simply follow the appropriate link from your mobile device.

Many in the ATE Community are well-versed in the importance of accessibility when it comes to higher education, but even the most experienced among us may benefit from new perspectives. Those looking to further develop their resources and skills in this area should take note of this unique professional development opportunity provided by the DeafTEC Resource Center in partnership with the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD).

The Equity & Excellence in Higher Education Conference will give participants the chance to discuss “challenges that they face in working with students with disabilities and how they can collaborate to overcome these challenges.” Participation and sharing are encouraged, with a focus on teaching and supporting “students with disabilities, particularly deaf or hard of hearing students and student veterans with hearing loss.”

Teams from up to 20 community colleges will be selected to participate in the conference. Each team will consist of a STEM faculty member and a staff/faculty from disability services. All team member will receive a $1,650 travel stipend to attend the conference.

The conference will take place in Palm Springs,...