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VI-15 Center for Conferences 

VI-15 Center for Conferences 

(President 12/10/76; amended 9/93; 10/04; 12/05; 3/10)

Effective July 26, 2021, the Center for Conferences has been closed. This chapter is reserved for future use.

15.1 General

The Center for Conferences is the principal agency of the University responsible for conducting, coordinating, and providing supporting services for conferences, institutes, short courses, and similar non-credit programs for nonresident adult groups. The staff of the Center for Conferences assists in planning conferences held locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally at the request of the sponsoring department. 

15.2 Conference Policy

The primary purpose of a University conference is to provide a learning experience or professional development at meetings of university level, not to conduct organizational business, hold conventions or sales meetings, elect officers, or pass public resolutions. The program must be essentially educational in nature and academically acceptable to the University sponsor. The conference must be sponsored by an academic division or administrative unit of the University or, if interdisciplinary, the Director of the Center for Conferences, and an appropriate part of the program should be conducted, organized or approved by faculty members or staff of The University of Iowa. The conference should be planned cooperatively by representatives of the group being served, the sponsoring academic division of the University, and, when requested, the Center for Conferences. In all instances, the program is to be designed specifically to meet the educational needs of select groups who desire to expand their personal or professional knowledge. Because of the academic and financial responsibility of the University, all agencies planning a University conference are to be guided by the following:

  1. The representatives of the group being served are responsible for identifying and describing the interests and purposes of those who desire to hold a conference.
  2. The sponsoring division of the University is responsible for the content of the program and for the recruitment of conference speakers and discussion leaders from the University faculty and other sources. The sponsoring unit is also responsible for developing a budget (see III-17.13), collecting fees, depositing fees and subsidies to appropriate University accounts; and making payments of conference costs. The Center for Conferences is prepared to assist departments in the performance of developing a budget (see III-17.13); collecting fees and depositing fees and subsidies to appropriate University accounts; making payments of conference costs; and in the planning and administration of the conference.
  3. The dean of the Division of Continuing Education is responsible for approving the conference budget and approving additional compensation for University personnel.
  4. Degree Credit, Certificates, and CEU Award. If degree credit is to be granted, the offering must be approved through the procedures of the college concerned, the Registrar, and others as appropriate. The Center for Conferences provides Certificates of Attendance when requested by the conference chairperson. Certificates of Achievement, Certificates of Merit, or other certification, if appropriate, may be authorized with the approval of the sponsoring academic division of the University. General CEUs may be applied for through the Center for conferences. CEU application, approval, award, and cumulative record-keeping are responsibilities held by the Center for Conferences.

15.3 Initiating a University Conference

Any University staff member or any representative of an outside organization wishing to hold a University conference for an off-campus group should contact the Director of the Center for Conferences, 250 Continuing Education Facility, conferences@uiowa.edu. Once it is established that the purpose, goals, and educational objectives of the proposed conference are in accord with the approved policies for a University conference, the Director of the Center for Conferences will initiate procedures for budgetary and additional compensation approval.