AGHE's 43rd Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference is fast approaching (March 9-12, 2017 with the Pre-conference Tour on March 8). The meeting program has several exciting sessions and events. In addition to the highlights AGHE President Nina Silverstein provided above, we would like to bring your attention to some additional conference activities that you will want to consider as you plan your conference schedule.

When organizing your travel, please plan to stay until at least 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Start the morning with Workshop Sunday. We have several workshops planned for the morning that will help you wrap up the conference with many new take-away ideas. Following Workshop Sunday, we will wrap up the conference with the Closing Plenary, titled "Pitching to the Global Longevity Economy - Planning for the Global Business of Aging" which will feature Brittany C.S. Weinberg, Aging 2.0. The rapid aging of the world's population brings unprecedented and important changes in the global economic environment creating unique opportunities and challenges for businesses worldwide. Gerontological educators are uniquely positioned to take advantage of these challenges and opportunities because they can create multiple opportunities to introduce business issues related to corporate and public policy in their gerontological curriculum and career options for their students.

New this year for students: The AGHE Student Lounge will be a popular place for students to meet, recoup, plan session attendance, and partake in student committee offerings. Please make sure you stop by and check it out! Also, don't forget to attend the Mentoring with AGHE Fellows session and check out the various Sigma Phi Omega sessions and Annual Meeting.

Be sure and attend the Networking Luncheon: "Pecha Kucha - Build. Network. Discover. It's your Journey." It will take place Friday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Separate registration is required. Consider participating in this new and exciting AGHE Networking Luncheon. Attendees will learn about AGHE Committees through a set of slide performances. What is Pecha Kucha? Pecha Kucha is an exciting way to provide information at conferences. It is an image-based slide presentation style that is concise and fast-paced. It allows for speakers to share images on a variety of topics, and in this case, about AGHE committees and the various charges of the committees.

The Saturday evening event, Escape to the Tropics with AGHE, is a not-to-be-missed event! Wear your flip flops, tropical shirts/dresses, and plan to relax and enjoy a night below the stars while enjoying great food, drinks, music and conversation! Register for the event early to avoid disappointment!

We also have several highlights to feature within our thematic tracks this year. Notable sessions include:

Program Curriculum Development

1. Looking for tools, tips, and techniques to expand your course or program's impact on students' interest in aging studies and ability to "do gerontology"? Look no further than the Program and Curriculum Development track at AGHE 2017! Check out the Beach Campfire Resource Exchanges in Miami. Presenters, including Jenny Mendez, Elizabeth Bergman, Janet Frank, and Jennifer Kinney, among many others from a variety of institutions will share their best practices, helping us all build better courses and better programs.

2. How are the AGHE competencies changing the face of aging education? Come hear Barbara Harrison, Katie Ehlman, and others presenting in the Program and Curriculum Development track at AGHE 2017 as they share how they have integrated the competencies into their course and program offerings in the session "Employing Competencies to Enhance Gerontology and Geriatric Education."

 

Translating Research to Education & Training

1. Ever find yourself telling others that you're just not a policy person? Are you sure that's true? We think you might be a policy person after all. Come and find out by attending the GSA Presidential Symposium talk "Are You Sure You Are Not a "Policy Person?" Public Policy and Gerontological Education" featuring Tara McMullen, Rona Karasik, Amy J. Plant, Phyllis A. Greenberg, and Daniel Van Dussen.

2. Is your institution moving to more online teaching? Are you ready for the shift? Do you have questions about how to best create an effective learning environment online? Don't be intimidated! Come and learn resources and tools to help you translate your traditional face-to-face class into the on-line learning environment. Attend the resource exchange: "The Look Before You Leap: Learning About Translating Your Traditional Class Into the Online Classroom" (Kristin Cole, Hallie E. Baker)

3. We often discuss the importance of exploring the changing landscape of Long Term Care, but how can we do that through education and practice? Come join the following paper presentations for best practices and in-depth discussions on how to change through education and practice: Increasing the Knowledge and Agency of Certified Nursing Assistants: A Response to Serious Mental Illness in Long Term Care (Sara J. English); Recruiting Dementia Caregivers for a Stress Study: Lessons Learned Through a Master's Research Project (Courtney Hull, Tina M. Kruger); Ethics, Aging, and Social Policy: The Brave New World of Health Reform and Long-Term Care (Mary Carter); and Teaching Change Management in Long-Term Care: Using the "Force" (David G. Wolf). 

Workforce Development

1. Student Symposium: Resumes, Transcripts, and Interviews... Oh, My! Tips for Effective Career Planning and Job Finding (Katarina Friberg Felsted, Erica L. Hegland). Interested in learning the skills needed to prepare you for a career in gerontology? Then, please plan on attending this student led symposium on career planning and job searching. This symposium will teach students, fellows, and scholars about how to build your resume/cv, effective interview techniques, and identify your career path.

2. Workshop: Condition-Specific Assessment and Communication Tools Effect on Transfers, Hospitalizations, and 30-Day Readmissions From Long-Term Care to Acute Care (Terri Devereaux, Nancy D. Zionts). Want to learn about new tools designed to improve communication between physicians and nurses in long-term care settings that may decrease unnecessary transfers, hospitalizations, and 30-day readmissions? Then come to this workshop where you will learn about how to implement condition-specific assessment and communication tools in the long-term care setting where you work. 

Age-friendly Environments Track

Since 2006, the global age-friendly movement has continued to grow and AGHE has embraced the topic by offering sessions highlighting teaching, research, and practice. The 2017 Age-friendly Environments track offers workshops and poster sessions that cover a wide range of topics under the age-friendly umbrella. March 9, visit the poster by Drs. Montepare and Farah to learn about the 10 Principles for an Age-Friendly University. On March 11, learn about teaching and research strategies pertaining to healthy aging in a workshop titled Aging Well: Understanding the Importance of Initiatives and Research That Promote Well-Being for All Ages. Also, for the second year, AGHE will host a series of design workshops (aka "mini charrettes") that seeks to incorporate the expertise and knowledge of conference attendees into a local project. This year, in partnership with Florida International University, the Underline, and the Miami Dade Age-friendly Initiative, a two-part workshop led by Dr. Peggy Perkinson titled Charrette Planning for Age-Related Design: Miami Case Study (March 9 & 11) will focus on gathering age-friendly design recommendations from conference attendees for the Coconut Grove transit stop and adjacent community. If you would like to get involved in future age-friendly activities, consider joining the Age-Friendly Design Committee which meets Friday, March 10.

Students

Speakers reflecting on research projects may be of particular interest to students, including: "Reflections on a Doctoral-Level Research Practicum Course: Student and Mentor Perspectives" by Seojung Jung and "Recruiting Dementia Caregivers for a Stress Study: Lessons Learned Through a Master's Research Project" by Courtney Hull. Other sessions about job-search and the current job market may be helpful for students, including the Student Symposium, "Resumes, Transcripts, and Interviews... Oh, My! Tips for Effective Career Planning and Job Finding" by Katarina Friberg Felsted and "The Current Job Market for Gerontologists: An International Perspective" by Birgit Pianosi.

 

AGHE 2017 Annual Meeting was contributed by AGHE's Annual Meeting Program Committee.