OCPA 2024 Annual Conference – Let's Do This!
On behalf of the 2024 Annual Conference Planning Team, we are excited to invite you to join us at the upcoming OCPA Annual Conference! The 2024 Annual Conference will take place on Monday, February 5 and Tuesday, February 6 at the Hilton at Columbus/Polaris. OCPA is branching out - we have new dates and a new venue that will continue the updates to the Annual Conference experience that began in 2023. As we engage students and the profession in new ways, our conference theme is simple and poignant: Let’s Do This! We face our work head on; “Let’s Do This” is our call to action to continue to innovate with our students and our OCPA membership.
If you have not attended an OCPA Annual Conference in a few years, this is the year to return! Some of the changes and updates in recent years include:
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New Hotel - Fresh off a recent renovation, the Hilton at Columbus/Polaris is still centrally located within Ohio but is now located near many other dining establishments and activities. We heard your feedback - it was time for something new!
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New Schedule Format - This year, we are shifting to a Monday-Tuesday conference. We heard your feedback that early starts are challenging when driving to Columbus, so we are moving the half-day experience to Monday afternoon and a full day on Tuesday with a beautiful closing dinner.
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New Educational Sessions - In addition to standard concurrent sessions, we now feature extended roundtable sessions and abbreviated learning lab sessions, as well as time for poster presentations and networking.
- Simplified Pricing Structure - We have two main registration rates: full-time professionals, and full-time students. If you do not fall neatly into one of these categories, just reach out to conference leadership for guidance.
- Group Registration Rates - We are also introducing group registration rates! If your department or institution would like to register a group of 5 or 10 individuals and have a reserved table at each meal, please reach out to Annual Conference Leadership for additional details.
- Graduate Student Job Search Workshop - A new venture taking place prior to the official start of the Annual Conference for graduate students preparing to enter the workforce. Learn from professionals about writing cover letters, resumes, and finding positions that match your interests, values, and look for the best “fit.”
The Annual Conference Planning Team is off and running to get ready for February. During our initial planning meeting, we developed a bit of a mission statement to guide our efforts.
“As OCPA Members and participants on the Annual Conference Planning Team, we are educators, academics, learners, leaders, and organizers who believe in collaboration, innovation, equity, wellness, and joy. We serve students, professionals, and people of all identities by intentionally creating opportunities to provide resources, growth, encouragement, and a bright future to our profession.”
Again, we hope you will consider joining us for this re-envisioned OCPA Annual Conference Experience on February 5-6, 2024. At this time, visit myocpa.org/conference where you can register for the conference and book your hotel. The call for proposals for educational sessions will go live by the beginning of September, so get your ideas ready to share! If there are any questions at all, please reach out to conference leadership.
Let’s Do This!
Zach Hooten, Annual Conference Chair
hooten.8@osu.edu
Andy Sokolich, Annual Conference Assistant Chair
andy.sokolich@tri-c.edu
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