CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
83rd Annual MAGS Meeting
March 24-26, 2027
The Graduate by Hilton, Minneapolis, MN
Conference Theme:
Frameworks for Success: Redefining Graduate Research Milestones
Join Team USETDA in Minneapolis for the MAGS 2027 Conference! We encourage you to submit a proposal on an ETD-related topic in the MAGS Call for Abstracts detailed below. Please submit your abstracts by October 28, 2026.
Graduate education is evolving rapidly, demanding adaptable, transparent, and sustainable pathways for student achievement. At the 2027 annual conference of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, Frameworks for Success: Redefining Graduate Research Milestones will focus on actionable strategies to modernize degree progression, empower the staff who guide these processes, and elevate the reach of graduate scholarship through support from resilient administrative systems. Implementing such thoughtful frameworks has the potential to transform complex academic requirements into clear, achievable triumphs.
We welcome abstract submissions that demonstrate evidence-informed responses to change: redesigns that improved outcomes, pilots that scaled, policies that increased access, technologies that truly helped, and collaborations that held up under pressure. Share what you tried, what you learned, and what others can adopt.
Submission can include:
- Presentations
- Panels
- Facilitated Discussions
Priority strands and topics: [Please note that abstracts on recruitment, admissions, professional. development, and other areas of graduate education will also be considered.]
Publishing, Dissemination, and Repositories: Focusing on the lifecycle of academic output, open access, institutional visibility, and sharing student scholarship with the broader world.
- Modernizing the Thesis and Dissertation Process: Streamlining formatting, submission, embargo policies, digital workflows for institutional repositories.
- Navigating Academic Publishing: Equipping support staff to guide students through peer-review, open-access fees, copyright considerations, and predatory journal avoidance.
- Beyond the Traditional Manuscript: Integrating digital humanities, multimedia projects, and alternative scholarship into standard repository frameworks.
- Maximizing Research Impact: Utilizing institutional repositories and academic networking platforms to boost the visibility of graduate student scholarship.
How to Submit:
Please complete the submission form with the following information:
Session Title
Session Description (200-250 words): This will be used for the conference website and promotional materials.
Session Leader Contact Information: Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, Phone
Additional Presenter(s) Contact Information: Name, Title, Affiliation, Email, Phone
EXTENDED DEADLINE: October 28, 2026
Abstracts will be reviewed by the planning committee, and notifications of acceptance will be sent in mid-November.
Questions? Contact Sarah Huffman MAGS 2027 Conference Chair, at shuffman@iastate.edu.
For complete details about the MAGS 2027 Conference, visit https://mags-net.org/
Download a PDF of this Call for Abstracts
MAGS is an affiliate of the Council of Graduate Schools
