In 2021, when we last hosted COS, we were focused on the broader context of social injustice and climate change. Honoring the work that has been done and recognizing that these long-term grand challenges persist at home and abroad, we now think and act within a broader and perilous context of COVID-19, the increased likelihood of new and varying infectious diseases, and new threats to democracy and equity in an even more uncertain world. How do we turn the tide on these tremendous challenges we face and renew our energy to ameliorate them – urgently and for the long-term?

How do we revitalize ourselves in the face of higher education’s challenges to explore power, privilege and positionality, and inspire and mobilize action and advocacy to tackle grand challenges -- social, ecological, and economic - that we are all facing?

 As these challenges will likely increase over time, a big focus for the conference this year will be on cultivating sustainability and resilience, keeping ourselves grounded in place, and bridging across multiple social, biophysical, energy and capital dimensions for whole systems thinking and relationship building. From the campus to the community, from the mountains to the sea, turning the tides requires embracing complex systems and nurturing the ability to bounce forward, not back, after crises. At our conference this year, participants will have a chance to put this into practice both virtually and remotely.

Conference Goals

• Accentuate and expand knowledge and understanding that turns the tide on our greater challenges

• Identify campus and community collaborations and partnerships to address these greater challenges

• Share tactics and strategies for building intra-and inter-campus relationships and practices for individual and community resilience and renewal

• Share strategies, approaches, states of mind that renew ourselves and our partners in the face of the practical and greater challenges

• Build working relationships and networks for future collective action and durable partnerships