COE Policy Seminar Website
This year, the Council for Opportunity in Education’s annual Policy Seminar, Sunday, March 19 through Wednesday, March 22, includes three events: the Leadership Summit, the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, and the Legislative Conference. For individuals participating in Policy Seminar, COE strongly encourages online registration via the registration button below. Download the paper registration form here.
Testimonials from past attendees:
- “Policy Seminar is a game-changer, these advocacy skills are incredibly transferable. These kinds of experiences can totally enhance your professional development–even though they’re kind of intimidating.”
- “Your attendance at Policy Seminar makes a difference! Even if you are awed by the political process, take the step forward and be willing to use your voice for your students. TRIO has many mentors who would love to help you with the process.”
- “You will not be disappointed! Policy Seminar is true advocacy in action, visiting the Hill offices as a group is extremely valuable. My favorite COE event!”
- “Policy Seminar is where you experience firsthand the importance in personally advocating for and providing a voice on behalf of your students!”
Registration for the 2023 Policy Seminar is Now Open!
The Policy Seminar includes three events: Leadership Summit, Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, and the newly titled Legislative Conference.
Leadership Summit • Sunday, March 19, 2023
With new dynamic content every year, COE’s annual Leadership Summit provides high-quality professional development for all levels of leaders in TRIO. This year’s summit will focus on organizational capacity building and advocacy skills for leaders and include a case study poster session and presentations by state leaders who have completed this year’s Executive Leadership Institute. Whether you are new to TRIO or a seasoned professional, this day-long convening will heighten your skills and expertise at the local, state, regional, and national levels of leadership. For questions about the Leadership Summit, please contact Jen Rudolph at jennifer.rudolph@coenet.org.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Neither the Leadership Summit nor the Seminar on Relations with the Department of Education will involve any lobbying activities; however, certain aspects of the Legislative Conference will involve such activity. Therefore, federal grantees must allocate costs for these different activities appropriately and in a manner consistent with their institutional policies.
Please contact Angelica Vialpando at angelica.vialpando@coenet.org or Jen Rudolph at jennifer.rudolph@coenet.org if you have questions.
Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education • Monday, March 20, 2023
This seminar for college access and success professionals in post-secondary institutions and community agencies provides information about the following:
– U.S. Department of Educational fiscal and programmatic policies and reporting requirements
– The latest information on TRIO regulations and
– The outlook for upcoming TRIO grant competitions
For questions on the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, please contact Angelica Vialpando at angelica.vialpando@coenet.org.
Legislative Conference • Tuesday and Wednesday, March 20-22, 2023
The capstone feature of COE’s Policy Seminar is the newly rebranded “Legislative Conference,” during which the TRIO community educates Members of Congress, congressional staff, and others about the history and the success of federal college access and success programs. After a day of intense preparation, participants have a chance to represent the interests of low-income and first-generation students and students with disabilities through direct engagement with legislators in the policy arena.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All congressional meetings will be held in person on Capitol Hill unless no one from a Congressional District is physically present at the Legislative Conference. For questions, please contact Zach Farmer at zach.farmer@coenet.org.
Refund Policy: Registration fees paid in advance are refundable (less the processing fee of $250) if written notice of cancellation is received/faxed on or before Tuesday, February 28, 2023. No refund requests will be accepted after this date. All refunds will be made after the seminars. Return by mail or fax to: Council for Opportunity in Education; P.O. Box 742282; Atlanta, GA 30374; FAX: (202) 628-3726.
Special Discount — If you attended last year’s Policy Seminar and bring a newcomer to Policy with you, the newcomer can register for half off of his/her regular registration rate (Member or Non-Member). These registration forms must be submitted by fax at the same time. There is no online registration for this special offer.
Important Note — This half-price discount only applies if you register for Legislative Conference only. If you register for both the Legislative Conference and the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, then the half-price discount will only be applied to the Legislative Conference portion. If you bring a member of your institution’s Government Relations staff or campus/institutional leadership, their registration for Legislative Conference only is also half off their regular registration price. This does not include the Seminar with the Department of Education. Registration for this special discount must be submitted by fax — there is no online registration for this special offer.
Important Note — This half-price discount only applies if you register for Legislative Conference only. If you register for both the Legislative Conference and the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, then the half-price discount will only be applied to the Legislative Conference portion.
Refund Policy — Registration fees paid in advance are refundable (less processing fee of $250) if written notice of cancellation is received/faxed on or before February 28, 2022. No refund requests will be accepted after this date. All refunds will be made after the seminars. Return by mail or fax to: Council for Opportunity in Education; P.O. Box 742282; Atlanta, GA 30374; Fax — (202) 628-3726.
Are you a TRIO Alumni who would like to attend Policy Seminar?
Apply now to represent current TRIO participants and alumni in Washington, D.C. in March. Selected participants will advocate for continued funding for TRIO programs by sharing their TRIO story with members of Congress. Participants will also have the opportunity to be leaders in alumni engagement and advocacy efforts following the event.
Dates
- Policy Seminar March 19-22, 2023
Cost
Alumni selected to attend will have their round trip airfare, hotel, registration, and per diem meal expenses covered by their state’s TRIO association unless other arrangements are made with the association.
Eligibility
The applicant must:
- be a college graduate and past participant of a TRIO program(s) in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and/or Washington.
- be available to attend the Policy Seminar event in its entirety either in-person (including travel, March 20-24, 2022) or virtually.
Please note that preference will be given to applicants who reside and are employed in one of these four states, and who do not currently work for a TRIO program.
Application
The application is available online. Apply Here
Please note that as part of the application process, the applicant will be required to submit the following:
- A statement on how participation in a TRIO program(s) has impacted the applicant’s educational and professional achievement
- An explanation on why the applicant would like to attend this year’s COE Policy Seminar
Review
Completed applications must be received electronically by: Rolling Deadline
Applications will be reviewed by the corresponding state TRIO association(s). Additional information may be requested from applicants to aid in the selection process.
Questions
Please contact your state’s TRIO association president: