Strengthening Student
Success Conference 2026
Call for Proposals

For the criteria used to select submissions, including how we choose sessions, specific proposal questions, and detailed descriptions of the conference strands, please download the SSSC26 Proposal Submission Guide and list of Proposal Questions.

The theme of this year's conference is Reclaiming Joy: Reconnect. Refocus. Revolutionize.

A note for vendors: Only proposals that include college co-presenters and show how a college is using your product to advance student equity and success will be considered. This is not an opportunity for a sales pitch.

We will accept proposals for 60-minute and 75-minute presentations. Please note that a limited number of 60-minute presentations will be accepted; the majority of the presentations will be offered in 75-minute time slots.

We request that presenters design all sessions—regardless of length—for active learning. Through narratives, demonstrations, conversations, and/or hands-on activities, participants should be able to consider how concepts, models, and possibilities could be applied to their own practices and settings.

Conference Strands

• Sustaining Partnerships and Networks for Student Success
• Achieving Equity in the Classroom
• Creating Support Systems for Students and Employees
• Humanizing Professional Learning and Leadership
• Advancing Equitable Institutions
• Navigating Disruption in a Shifting System

For strand descriptions, please see the SSSC26 Proposal Submission Guide.

Each proposal will be evaluated using this scoring rubric.

We will select proposals using criteria that reflect the conference goals and theme. See the proposal scoring rubric for more details.

• • Data and evidence are important aspects of sharing your work.
    Data, particularly disaggregated data, can highlight a need and show the effectiveness of solutions addressing that need. Proposals should explicitly include local evidence. However, we also understand that sometimes colleges pivot due to newly discovered needs or events that impact your work in unanticipated ways, and therefore, you may not have significant data yet. If your proposal is about transitions, changes, or innovative ideas that you implemented in the last three to five years, please provide as much data detail as you have available. Some of your data points may include sharing the details of how you figured out what you needed to change or innovate based on surveys, focus groups, or some other evaluation tool. In addition, if your work is new, we ask that it be grounded in the most current research from the field.
  • Include co-presenters who bring different perspectives.
    Cross-functional teams are critical to college redesign. We encourage you to consider inviting the different voices—students, faculty, classified professionals, student support personnel, researchers, and administrators—who are part of your campus efforts and could add depth to describing your work. All proposals must include at least one presenter from a California community college. In addition, we will give special consideration to proposals with students as co-presenters.
  • A clear title and session description addressing learning outcomes help attendees select your session from the many that are “competing” for their attention.
    Creativity is welcome; however, attendees have limited time to decide which of the many sessions to attend. Your title and description should succinctly describe what they will gain from attending your session. Titles are limited to 110 characters.
  • You may have questions about which strand to choose for your proposal.
    You will have the opportunity to have your proposal reviewed in two strands. Because so much change work is interconnected, and because transformation efforts are often about making connections and breaking silos, we recognize that many strong proposals do not fall into only one area. Please identify a primary and secondary strand (if appropriate) under which your proposal will be reviewed.
  • When using the online form to submit your proposal:
    • If you wish to save your proposal and come back later, click “Save and Continue Later.” On the next screen, click “Skip Signing In.” Enter your email address, and you will receive an email with a link to access your saved proposal. You MUST use this link to access your partially completed proposal.
    • If you would like to start a new proposal, you can do so at any time using the original link (listed at the top of this page).
    • After you submit your proposal, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your proposal.