Call for Papers:
Third Annual Elkana Symposium
Resilience and Regeneration in Higher Education:
Past, Present, and Possible Futures
Date and Location: June 24-June 25, 2025, Vienna (in-person)
Deadline for abstracts: May 4, 2025
The Yehuda Elkana Center for Teaching and Learning at Central European University (CEU) is accepting applications for a conference “Resilience and Regeneration in Higher education: Past, Present, and Possible Futures” to take place from June 24th to 25th at CEU in Vienna.
Universities are facing a collective crisis, marked by political attacks, funding cuts, and controversies — and this is not the first time. Against the background of pandemics, wars, protests, cultural conflicts, democratic erosion, growing skepticism of expertise, polycrises, and neoliberalization of higher education, university teaching and learning continue to be shaped by outward agendas and by internal ambitions that demonstrate capacity for both resilience and regeneration. For example, higher education now reaches more people than ever; universities have incubated more Nobel prizes and other award-winning research than ever in recent decades, while institutions are simultaneously introducing reforms that lead to more student-centered, intellectually stimulating, international, and inclusive curricula and learning experiences.
Teaching and learning are socially complex, involving many different persons and require organization to maintain continuity and meaning. For this reason, this conference focuses specifically on resilience in teaching and learning as one of the university’s core three missions. Societies facing crises require well-informed, active, and knowledge-resilient citizens who can collaboratively address both current crises and potential shifts in post-crisis landscapes and future crises. Higher education institutions, which historically train, socialize, build knowledge, and foster self-realization, have an important role in these societies and their futures.
Contributions to this conference may be historical, present-day, or conceptual. Contributions should focus on curricula, assessment, teaching, and learning, rather than on other aspects of the university, such as research and knowledge production, university management, or the student experience. While it is likely that discussions of university and academic freedom may inform contributions, they are not required and we explicitly welcome other frameworks. This conference aims, collectively, to generate frameworks, empirical findings, or conceptually rich and well-researched case studies that uncover and potentially guide universities navigating crises that affect teaching and learning.
Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following questions:
- How can university educators foster resilience and adapt teaching and learning on classroom-, institutional-, or system-levels?
- What curriculum (or classroom practices) do societies facing crises, emerging from crisis or transition, or anticipating future crises need?
- How have university educators historically demonstrated resilience, and how has resistance to crisis been practiced in the past?
- How are educators and students helping rebuild societies facing or emerging from crises as an extension, application, or alternative to university education?
- What forms of training, development, or support benefit teachers in higher education in enhancing resilience and regeneration?
- How can we identify risk drivers; predict possible futures; raise awareness of and mitigate risk; and particularly, proactively shape university education, particularly at institutional and systemic levels?
- What is a vision of a socially engaged, resilient university, and how can this be concretely realized?
We welcome abstracts on these and other pertinent themes via the application form.
By May 4, please submit your abstract of 300-400 words (approximately 3,000 characters, with spaces) for a presentation of approximately 15 minutes (followed by questions). We aim to inform applicants in early May.
The conference will be in-person only. There is no registration fee. Limited funding for rail/airfare and accommodation is available through the support of the Open Society University Network (OSUN) Developing Teaching Professionals program. Please indicate your needs and availability of other sources of funding in the form.
We anticipate editing a volume, with a selection of peer-reviewed conference papers. If selected, please plan on submitting your revised paper of 6000-8000 words (including references) for peer review by September 15, 2025.
Conference Background and Organization
Questions and comments to the conference organizers, Tamara Kamatović (CEU), Michael Kozakowski (CEU), Dominic Regester (Salzburg Global), and Ellen Saethre-McGuirk (VID Specialized University), are welcome at dtp@ceu.edu
The Annual Elkana Symposium is an international gathering in Vienna that brings together educational developers, theorists, and faculty, including early-career academics, to discuss the intersections of teaching in university settings and broader social contexts. This event is generously supported by the Open Society Foundation and the Developing Teaching Professionals Program.