For the first time ever, ARHE, ARS, and AAPG are partnering with the Higher Education Center to host the joint 2023 ARHE/ARS/AAPG Annual Conference & HECAOD National Meeting, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in keynotes and conference sessions focused across the continuum.

This year’s conference will take place in-person at the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio June 25 – 28. Additionally, during the same period a virtual conference will take place featuring live and asynchronous content. This virtual content will also be made available to in-person attendees. 

There are multiple options for submitting your proposal, along with two themes; one for the ARHE/ARS/AAPG Annual Conference and one for the HECAOD National Meeting. Please read the information below prior to starting your application.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 P.M. ET on Friday, January 27, 2023. The review committee will review submissions and you will be notified of a decision the week of February 20th.

ARHE/ARS/AAPG Annual Conference Theme:
Diverse Pathways: Honoring Individual Recovery and Building Inclusive Communities
This year's theme builds off of last year's "Evolving Recovery: Expanding the Spectrum of Care" by asking you to consider the fact that recovery is a highly personal process, but cannot happen without community. 

HECAOD National Meeting Theme:
Future Focused Prevention: Building a Deeper Bench to Address the Challenges of Tomorrow 
The past year has been one characterized by change. Changes in organizational structure and staffing, as well as the need to adapt our message for both administrators or students, have provided challenges for campus professionals. Although the year has had challenges, it has also brought with it new tools to support professionals. The Mid-America Prevention Technology and Transfer Center has released The Guide to the Eight Professional Competencies for Higher Education Substance Misuse Prevention, which provides guidance to AOD professionals on the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively prevent substance misuse on campus.

This year’s slate of sessions will focus on provided the knowledge and skills needed to increase the capacity at both the individual and organizational levels to effectively communicate our message to stakeholders and ensure of competent workforce. Therefore, the National Meeting seeks program proposals that align with one of the eight core competency areas. Priority will be given to proposals that address one of the following areas of expertise:

Building Organizational Capacity  
Example Proposal Topics: Recruitment and retention of new professionals, new employee training, professional development, promoting collaboration, managing both up and down, cross-training campus staff, etc.

Communicating Our Message  
Example Proposal Topics include: Utilizing data to influence others, using peer educators on campus, gaining administrative buy-in, developing and leveraging campus task forces and statewide coalitions 

Proposal Submission Process
Please be prepared with the following:

Information for all presenters (title, credentials, bio, and contact information)
Session Title
An Abstract 
Three Learning Objectives
A statement explaining how your session will integrate themes of social justice, equity, & inclusion
An in-depth program description (including a brief outline of your presentation)
Any accessibility needs for the presenters

Session Type (you will choose one)
Breakout Session (60 minutes)
Extended Breakout Session (90 minutes)
Keynote (90 minutes)

Conference Focus Areas (you will choose one)
Collegiate Recovery 
Recovery High Schools 
Alternative Peer Groups
HECAOD National Meeting

Content Area Options (you will choose one) *See below for more information
Community & Program Development
Professional Development & Standards
Connecting & Collaborating
Coaching & Clinical Support
Research & Technology
HECAOD National Meeting Track

Targeted Groups (you will choose up to two)
Students 
Treatment Professionals 
Faculty/Staff
Family Members

Social Justice, Equity, & Inclusion
All sessions submitted for this conference should work to integrate themes of social justice, equity, and inclusion. Themes could include, but are not limited to, issues of racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, incarceration/criminalization, ableism, and xenophobia as they relate to recovery in scholastic recovery and related services.
Sessions could also address this from a systems level, for example, colonization, racial trauma and oppression, or policies that affect subpopulations of students. You will be asked to identify how your session will include and integrate social justice, equity, and inclusion themes.

Accessibility
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all presenters, including presenters with disabilities, to engage fully. You will be asked if you have access needs and/or accommodation requests and to share them so that we can work to meet those needs.

Content Area Options
As listed above, there are six (6) potential content areas.

• Community & Program Development – sessions in this content area may explore the following: basics of starting and building programs, program growth and development, funding & sustainability, developing policy and procedure, supporting multiple pathways of recovery, programming in collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, and alternative peer groups.
• Professional Development & Standards - sessions in this content area may explore the following: professional development for staff, ethics, and standards in the collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, and alternative peer groups fields.
• Connecting & Collaborating – sessions in this content area may explore the following: building recovery ready communities or continuums of care within communities, outreach, bridging services within the continuum of care, family recovery programming, the role of treatment centers in collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, and alternative peer groups, or how to build and foster those relationships between treatment facilities and the programs mentioned above, collaboration among community agencies/schools/departments to support the continued growth of collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, and alternative peer groups.
• Coaching & Clinical Support - sessions in this content area will focus on treatment modalities, intervention, mental health/trauma-informed care, and recovery coaching.
• Research & Technology - sessions in this content area will focus on the relevant research to the field of substance use disorders and recovery, particularly in relation to collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, and alternative peer groups. Sessions may also explore how we are leveraging technology for the betterment of treatment, collegiate recovery, recovery high schools, or alternative peer groups.
• HECAOD National Meeting Track - Please see information above. 

For any questions regarding submission, please email the conference committee at conference@collegiaterecovery.org