Dear Colleagues,

The Non-Conference Programming Committee was formed in 2022 with representation from each of the NCHC standing committees and the NCHC Board. Our charge was to create a standardized process for committees and individual members to propose non-conference programming, to ensure that there are a variety of offerings that will appeal to our diverse membership needs, and to make sure that the national office has the resources to offer the proposed programs.

Over the last three years, we have streamlined the proposal process, always with the idea of making it more accessible to NCHC members.

This year, we will introduce what we hope is our most user-friendly process yet, including hosting forums for committee chairs and members to ask questions and opportunities to get feedback on proposals as they are in process. Below are the enhancements that we've been working on and are included in this year's process:

• We've moved to a two-step proposal process that allows more time to refine and submit a budget—always the most difficult part of the proposal process.
• We've introduced a streamlined process for projects that are run on a regular basis.
• Finally, in recognition of the fact that the landscape of higher education is likely to chage rapidly, we have developed a "just-in-time" process for proposing online programs that will allow our members to respond to current issues in higher education and honors education.

Our 2025-2026 schedule is below:

• January 2025: Committee membership is announced; NCHC committee chair meetings
• March 2025: Call for proposals for non-conference programming in 2026
• March to June 2025: Proposal abstracts accepted on a rolling basis; Non-Conference Programming Committee members meet with facilitators to provide feedback and help with creating a budget
• June 2025: Drop-in office hours for facilitators
• June 30, 2025: Deadline for final proposals with budgets
• July 2025: Non-Conference Programming Committee meets to approve proposals; feedback shared with facilitators; revisions requested if needed
• August 2025: Proposals forwarded to Finance Committee for budget review and approval

Sincerely,

Jean-Paul Benowitz, Elizabethtown College, Chair

Melissa Berninger, University of South Dakota, Past-Chair