Conference of Southern Graduate Schools

As we prepare to convene CSGS 2026 in Baton Rouge, LA, we are inspired by our location and culture. Cypress trees, found in bayous, play crucial roles in controlling erosion, improving water quality, filtering pollutants, stabilizing shorelines, and supporting habitats. The Bayou with its unique ecosystem and deep roots offers a rich source of lessons in resilience and adaptation for individuals, communities, and organizations seeking to thrive in the face of challenges to build a stronger and sustainable future. With this theme in mind and guided by the understanding that these are tumultuous times for higher education, the Executive Committee calls for proposals for the CSGS 2026 Annual Meeting that connect with our theme. We especially encourage proposals for concurrent sessions that engage and/or include multiple types of institutions (R1s, R2s, regional, master’s only, and private institutions) and that foster interactive learning and engagement. To promote wide participation, we recommend proposals to have more than one presenter, and the program review committee may pair individual submissions with similar proposals for a panel session. Proposals are open to anyone who works in education and/or with graduate students, faculty, and staff. Likewise, the targeted audience for each session does not have to be graduate education leaders but can also be recruiters, admissions staff, student support staff, among many others. Submissions should focus on the following themes:

Graduate Community and Culture:

• Placing students first, always.

• Fostering community in graduate education (case studies from all sorts of institutions).

• Sustaining and building networks for communication, self-reliance, and sanity.

• Nurturing integrity & ethics.

Resilience & Adaptation:

• Fostering the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, staff & administrators.

• Creating policy, procedures, and strategies for change and continuous improvement.

• Cultivating endurance for student success.

Weathering Challenging Times and Their Aftermath:

• Meeting legal challenges, state statutes, and regulations.

• Handling disruption, recovery, and change (i.e. budget stresses, sustaining status and aspirations, flexibility in budget planning).

• Surviving and thriving to innovate.

Facing our Biggest Challenges:

• Advocating for graduate education in all environments.

• Supporting free speech for students, faculty, and staff.

• Managing and leading with limited resources and finding creative solutions.