Updated 11/13/23
Hosting a CIRTL Network meeting can be a valuable opportunity to raise the profile of your participation in CIRTL on your campus. Equally valuable, hosting an in-person meeting provides a chance for your CIRTL Network partners to better understand your campus and all that your institution brings to the Network.
Hosting a CIRTL in-person meeting is a Category 1 in-kind contribution.
Information
Dates
Typically, CIRTL meetings are held on Thursdays-Fridays. As noted below, there may be some interest in a Saturday morning session as well. Spring meetings are usually hosted in March or early April, Fall meetings are usually hosted in October or early November.
Typical Logistical Needs
CIRTL Central staff, with the help of WCER administrators, will take care of as much of the logistics as possible, including such tasks as creating a meeting web page and managing registration. Still, there is considerable work to be completed by the local hosts and we sincerely appreciate those of you considering hosting a meeting.
The typical logistical needs for a Network meeting are listed below. We can be flexible on many of these options.
Expenses
CIRTL Central typically covers expenses for breakfast and lunch on both meeting days, as well as room and AV rental (please see details on Meals and Reception below). A typical in-person meeting costs around $10K-$15K total depending on location.
Main Meeting Timing
We typically meet for a full day on the first day of the meeting and end the meeting in the early afternoon of the second day so people can travel home on day two. Note: As we’ve moved toward alternating with virtual meetings, some attendees have suggested extending the length of in-person meetings. The Meeting Planning Committee will provide advice on this. One option may be to extend the meeting on Friday until 5:00 pm or even consider holding workshops on Saturday morning.
Planning Timeline
The hosts begin working with CIRTL Central up to 6-12 months before the meeting, with the majority of planning efforts concentrated in the 3-4 months leading up to the meeting.
Participants
We anticipate up to 60-80 participants for each in-person meeting, including 1-2 team members from each Network institution, CIRTL Central staff and local participants. As a point of reference, 79 people attended the Spring 2019 meeting at the University of California-Irvine, 70 people attended the Fall 2022 meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and 58 people attended the Spring 2023 meeting at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Registration
CIRTL Central will set up and track the registration of participants and will provide the host any necessary information.
Lodging
CIRTL Central will work with hosts to reserve blocks of rooms at nearby hotels for meeting participants. We typically ask for a list of 3-4 recommended hotels in the area and recommend reserving 50-60 rooms total. We try to avoid signing a guaranteed contract if possible. Please let us know if you, or your university, have an existing relationship with any hotels that might allow you to secure a courtesy block of rooms. Typically, hotel rooms are released 30 days before the event. Participants book and pay for their own lodging. If possible, one central hotel is preferred but we understand that that is not always feasible.
Transportation
We ask hosts to provide guidance on getting from the hotel to the meeting location and from the airport to the hotel/meeting as appropriate. Ideally, we would not need to arrange local transportation but in some cases we’ve had to rent buses or shuttles to move participants from the hotel to the meeting venue. Finding out the taxi pick up address for the meeting venue is very helpful. We will share parking information for the hotel and meeting venue on the meeting website.
Main Meeting Room
We would need to have access to a large meeting room that could comfortably hold all of the participants at round tables. CIRTL Central will work with the host institution to cover local costs associated with room rentals. Note: If a panel is scheduled, it would be useful to have a riser available. We typically have a panel of four people, so a riser large enough to accommodate the panel would be useful.
Accessibility
Meeting facilities need to be accessible to participants with disabilities. CIRTL Central will work with the host institution to arrange other accessibility accommodations as needed.
Breakout Rooms
Ideally, we would have access to 2-3 breakout rooms (accommodating 20-25 persons at round tables or conference set-up) for group discussions and/or workshops. Often one or two groups of participants can stay in the main meeting room during breakout sessions reducing the demand for separate breakout rooms.
Technology
CIRTL Central will work with the host institution to cover the cost of audio visual rentals. Examples of technology needed include one LCD projector and one or more screens in the main meeting rooms, laptop for presentations, slide advancer. Speaker and wireless audience microphones are also required. Typically it is best to plan for a podium mic, and 2 wireless audience Q&A mics. If we’re holding a panel, we would need between 3-4 table mics (or 1-2 additional wireless mics). It is also good to have outlets readily available in the main meeting room for participants to plug in their computers to charge.
Wifi
Participants expect access to wifi. The presentation computer will need to be connected to the internet.
Supplies
Access to typical meeting supplies are useful. We often used index cards (regular and sticky), and post-it flip charts with markers during brainstorming sessions. Painters tape is also handy to have on hand.
Handouts
Typically, CIRTL Central will handle the printing for the event. If there are last minute requests we do try and use a local Fedex office but we may still need the host’s assistance. We try to keep last minute requests for printing to a minimum.
Meals
CIRTL occasionally needs up to 3 comparative hosting bids (space / catering) – details on this will be provided to the host institution. CIRTL Central will work with local vendors to order meals. Institutions are welcome to make menu choices if they desire (adhering to the State of Wisconsin regulations regarding meeting costs and fee restrictions of $23.00 for breakfast and $24.00 for lunch all inclusive). See policy: Hosted Events for full details. Otherwise, CIRTL Central staff can manage the meeting menu in coordination with the host.
Reception
A reception is sometimes held on the first evening of the meeting. Typically, the host university covers the cost of the reception but local conditions may determine if that is feasible. Leveraging university space (e.g., grand foyers, large halls) can sometimes be a cost effective way of hosting a reception.
TAR Presentations
As noted above, hosting a CIRTL meeting provides an opportunity to showcase your graduate student and postdoc program participants. At many meetings, we schedule student Teaching-as-Research presentations over lunch or prior to a reception so Network partners have a chance to talk with program participants.
Building Local CIRTL Awareness
The host is welcome to invite local faculty, graduate students and staff to attend all or portions of the meeting. Likewise, you are strongly encouraged to invite a local administrator to give opening remarks or to participate in any aspects of the meeting. Hosting a CIRTL meeting provides you with an opportunity to showcase your participation in the CIRTL Network and raise awareness of local programs with the campus community and senior leadership. Asking deans or provosts to provide remarks (e.g., meeting kick off, reception) is an opportunity to inform them of your programs and their impact. If programs are still being developed, hosting a meeting can be used to showcase the strength of the CIRTL network and request needed funding.