Relationships at the Core of Educational Development

We are excited to be in the windy city (Chicago) for the

2024 POD Network Conference on November 11–14.

Pre-conference workshops will be offered on Sunday, November 10.

Relationships matter (Felten & Lambert, 2020). At the close of the 48th Annual POD Network Conference, Isis Artze-Vega shared the compelling research and practice work she and colleague Peter Felten have been doing on relationships and connections in the undergraduate experience. As we consider the core mission, vision, and values of POD Network, we look to the four primary tenets she shared in our pursuit to develop an inclusive, constructive, and productive conference for 2024:

• All students must experience genuine welcome and deep care.
• Relationships are a powerful means to inspire all students to learn.
• All students must develop webs of significant relationships.
• All students need meaningful relationships to help them––and to challenge them––to explore the big questions of their lives.

The 49th annual POD Network conference celebrates the pivotal role of relationships within educational development. The success of our students and progress within our institutions are built on the foundations of meaningful connections in our world. As educational leaders, we experience the complex challenges of higher education daily. Addressing those challenges and advancing meaningful change requires the proactive engagement of educational developers who pursue strong partnerships, at various levels within and beyond our institutions, that promote deep learning (Smith et al., 2022).

Within the POD Network, there exists a web of relationships. And just as our pedagogy creates the potential for meaningful relationships, the way we design the experience invites the results (Felten & Lambert, 2020). As a Conference Team, our goal is to create a conference experience that serves to engage our membership and enrich the field of educational development. By centering relationships, we are acknowledging how our interactions and connections lead our work in a multitude of directions. With thoughtful planning, the conference aspires to cultivate a relationship-rich environment where we encounter new ideas, people, and experiences. These new relationships engage with those we already have established, and our web or network grows.

The following questions may help you reflect on how relationships are important to your work:

• What relationships are necessary and valuable to our work as educational developers?
• How have relationships enabled you to learn from others or positively influenced your own work in educational development?
• How do we build on our relationships to improve student learning and success?
• Who can we intentionally build relationships with to enhance our work as educational developers?
• What kinds of relationships are effective and productive at moving our work forward?
• How do relationships change over time in the context of our work?
• How might we re-envision our relationships for greater growth, creativity, and innovation?
• How have your relationships within the field of educational development influenced your career and/or work as an educational developer?
• How does the research we conduct as educational developers work in relationship with our practice to define, describe, and guide our work?

The POD Network supports more than 1,700 members who have an interest in educational and organizational development in higher education. While POD Network members come primarily from the USA and Canada, the membership represents more than 20 countries. Through its members, the POD Network leads and supports change for the improvement of higher education through faculty, instructional, and organizational development.

The POD Network seeks to promote the scholarship of teaching, learning, and organizational development that reflects a spirit of inclusion, where all members are invited to collaborate and interact with colleagues across disciplines and borders.

Find out more about POD’s vision, mission and values.

Land Acknowledgment

As we come together for this conference, celebrating the role of relationships at the core of educational development, we pause to acknowledge the rich history and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral lands where we will gather. This land, known today as Chicago, is the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe Nations, as well as the Ho-Chunk, Meskwaki, Sauk, and Miami Nations.

We recognize and honor the deep-rooted connection these Nations have to this land, a connection that has been sustained through countless generations. The region we now call Chicago remains home to diverse Native people whose cultures, traditions, and contributions continue to enrich the community.

As educators and professionals dedicated to shaping the future through higher education, we have a unique responsibility to reflect on the history of the Native peoples and the stewardship of ancestral lands in order to form more dynamic relationships in the teaching and learning environment. Through reflection, we can be called to action: to integrate Indigenous knowledge and diverse perspectives into our curricula, to support Native students and colleagues, and to advocate for the rights and recognition of Indigenous communities, and in doing so, open teaching and learning to a greater diversity of thought and cultivate a more supportive environment for our students.

This conference will emphasize the importance of relationships and relationality in our work. Relationality reminds us that our connections to the land, to each other, and to our shared history shape our present and future. We must commit to fostering these connections, recognizing that our actions today have ripple effects and impact the generations to come.

Let this acknowledgment be more than a thought. Let it inspire us to build meaningful relationships with one another, to listen and learn, and to contribute to a future where education serves as a bridge to understanding, respect, and equity.

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
2233 S Martin Luther King Dr
Chicago, IL 60616

Phone; +1 312 567 1234

Hotel Information:

Sustainability at McCormick Place
McCormick Place has a comprehensive sustainability and community impact program.
View the McCormick Place Sustainability Program Report

Accessibility at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place are committed to providing equal access and opportunity for individuals with disabilities. The features aim to make this hotel more accessible for older individuals with changing abilities to ensure a seamless experience.
View Accessibility Features

By Plane
Chicago has two major international airports O’Hare International Airport (ORD), 21 miles away from the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), 9 miles away from  the hotel.

By Car
There are a number of options for parking at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.

Valet Parking. Valet Parking is available for overnight guests for $54.00 with in/out privileges. 

Self Parking. Self parking is available at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place’s covered garage for a $28 daily rate with in/out privileges. Easily pay for self-parking at kiosks near garage elevators, with parking available for vehicles up to 6’3. For information on parking rates visit the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place parking and transportation website.

By Train
Chicago’s Union Station, serviced by Amtrak, is approximately 3 miles from the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. For more travel information, visit the Chicago Union Station website.

The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is readily accessible via public transportation. For detailed information on getting around Chicago from the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place visit the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place parking and transportation website.

Choose Chicago offers detailed information on their website about transportation from the two international airports and Union Station.

The POD Network remains committed to providing accessible learning experiences. While there will not be a concurrent online conference this year, the Conference Committee has developed opportunities for virtual participation that are integrated with the conference experience on the ground in Chicago. Over thirty (30) sessions will be presented in a hybrid format. In addition to hybrid sessions, the Presidential Address, Keynote Session, on-the-ground PODTalks, Awards presentations, and Anchor Session will be live-streamed.

Registration fees below include breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks Monday through Wednesday, as well as breakfast on Thursday before the Anchor Session.

Virtual participation includes access to view the Presidential Address and Awards Presentation, participation in the Keynote and Anchor Session, and a selection of hybrid sessions.

The POD Network Annual Conference offers an exciting platform for organizations to share our commitment to transforming teaching and learning in higher education. As a sponsor, you will gain visibility amongst a highly engaged audience of scholars, professionals, and administrative decision-makers.

We are offering various sponsorship packages to help you meet your engagement goals with higher education institutions and professionals.

If you are interested in sponsoring the 49th Annual POD Network Conference, please contact Danielle Gabriel, Executive Director, at [email protected].

Our conference refund policy aligns with our twin commitments to provide flexibility to participants and to protect the financial security of the POD Network. Please submit all cancellation requests to [email protected]. Refunds may take 4–6 weeks to process.

All transfers or cancellations will be assessed a $30 processing fee.

Cancellations or Transfers On or Before 11:59 pm PST, October 7, 2024.

Cancellations
The conference registration fee will be refunded minus a $30 processing fee. Virtual participation will not be subject to a processing fee for cancellation.

Transfers
Transfer from one member/attendee for the conference fee or the virtual participation fee will be assessed a $30 processing fee.

Cancellations or Transfers from October 8 to November 11, 2024

Refunds for cancellation or transfer requests will only be processed in case of a personal emergency, minus the $30 processing fee.

Notice of Presenters
If you are scheduled to facilitate a session in Chicago, you will not be able to change your presentation to a virtual presentation if you need to cancel your Chicago registration or transfer your registration to another individual.

Note that travel expenses cannot be refunded by the POD Network. Please consider the option of purchasing flight/travel insurance.