UNC Asheville is honored to host the 2023 COPLAC Annual Meeting from Sunday, June 11 – Tuesday, June 13, 2023. We are excited to welcome our colleagues to the mountains of western North Carolina and our campus in June.
This year’s theme is Moving from Ideas to Action, with opportunities to explore creative funding strategies for transforming our great ideas into achievable projects. We look forward to the opportunity to learn and share with our colleagues from across the country.
About UNC Asheville 
UNC Asheville offers an education that is adaptive, affordable, and endlessly relevant as the only liberal arts and sciences campus in the University of North Carolina System. Our small class size, award-winning faculty and a nationally acclaimed undergraduate research program foster connections between curiosity and critical thinking, courage and challenge, imagination and impact, opportunity and responsibility.
Learning at UNC Asheville expands well beyond the classroom walls. Focusing on undergraduate studies, we help students dig into learning, whether they participate in faculty-mentored research projects, undertake career-related internships, study abroad, or join service projects that make a profound impact at home and around the world. UNC Asheville is committed to living the core values of diversity and inclusion, innovation, and sustainability, and ensuring that they permeate everything that the university does. The university consistently rates in the top 10 of U.S. News & World Report’s Top Public Schools in the National Liberal Arts Colleges, and the Princeton Review has named UNC Asheville #6 in their new “Green Matters” list, #9 in LGBTQ-Friendly, and #17 for great Town-Gown Relations, among other high ratings.
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About Asheville
With a population of 87,000 in the city and 391,000 in nearby metro areas, Asheville is one of the most vibrant cities in the Southeast. The area’s inviting downtown, exciting outdoor adventures, and thriving arts community enrich our students’ educational opportunities. Click below for more information on dining, shopping, and other attractions.
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Preliminary Schedule at a Glance
Click here for the detailed schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
Sunday, June 11
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Registration
5:30 p.m. – Opening Reception
Monday, June 12
8 – 9 a.m. – Breakfast
9 – 9:15 a.m. – Welcome (in-person)
9:15 – 10:15 a.m. – Keynote (in-person)
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Collaboratory: Moderated discussion with attendees who are interested in future collaborations or resource-sharing on the theme.
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Board of Directors Working Meeting (Hy-flex, Zoom option)
12:00 – 1 p.m. – Lunch & Gift Exchange
1 – 2 p.m. – Collaboratory: Moderated discussion with attendees who are interested in future collaborations or resource-sharing on the theme
1 – 2 p.m. – Board of Directors Business Meeting (Hy-flex, Zoom option)
2 – 2:50 p.m. – Presentation Session A (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
2:50 – 3:40 p.m. – Presentation Session B (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
3:40 – 4:40 p.m. – Presentation Session C (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
4:40 – 5:45 p.m. – Presentation Session D (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
Dinner on your own
Tuesday, June 13
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. – Breakfast
9 – 11 a.m. – NSF Advance Workshop on advancing equity (in-person)
Many institutions are looking to update their tenure, promotion, and reward guidelines to reflect new expectations of faculty, to respond to new types of research dissemination, and to note the expansion of activities in which faculty are involved in mission-centric, high-impact practices. The NSF Advance grant team will lead this workshop to showcase efforts in reform, to learn what peer institutions are doing, and to offer participants the opportunity to work collaboratively in envisioning what positive change might look like on our own campuses. Open to all COPLAC leaders at all levels as well as faculty.
9 – 11 a.m. – NSF Advance Workshop: Roadmaps to Reform in Tenure and Promotion
9 – 11 a.m. – Optional mini-excursion: Edible Campus Foraging Tour (More details to come)
11 – 11:50 a.m. – Presentation Session E (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
11:50 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. – Presentation Session F (Hy-flex, Livestream option)
12:40 – 1:40 p.m. – Lunch
1:40 – 2:40 p.m. – Provosts’ meeting (Hy-flex, Zoom option)
Registration
Conference registration is now open! We hope to welcome you to our campus in person, but we will also offer Zoom options for the Board of Directors and CAO meetings, as well as the Sessions. Registration costs and deadlines are below:
In-Person Attendance: $160 (deadline: May 26)
When registering, we ask that in-person attendees also complete this form by the deadline.
Register
Virtual Attendance: $60 (deadline: June 3)
Connection information for virtual attendees will be shared via email closer to the event.
Register
Hotel Accommodations
The reservation deadline at the Aloft hotel has passed.
Other option for accomodations can be found on our About Asheville page
The Asheville Airport is conveniently located just 20 minutes from downtown Asheville and UNC Asheville.
Google Maps
Walking Tour of Downtown Asheville, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, June 11:
Asheville’s historic downtown contains many stories, as well as beautiful examples of late 19th and early 20th century architecture. Sharon Fahrer of History at Hand invites you to explore downtown Asheville’s rich history and architecture with her on this easy 90 minute stroll. Experience Asheville’s cosmopolitan roots and learn who and what has shaped the city. Grab a water bottle and comfortable shoes and join us on an adventure into the past.
$28.00 per person
Hood Huggers Driving Tour of Asheville, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, June 11:
The past, present, and future of African Americans in Asheville is a story of resilience and ingenuity. Learn about this powerful story on this driving tour. You will visit significant downtown sites and important historic spaces in various neighborhoods across the city. Hood tours are an intimate, interactive experience guaranteed to leave you looking at Asheville and its diverse history and culture with new eyes.
$60.00 per person
Transportation Information
UNC Asheville is approximately 2.5 miles from the Aloft Hotel. We will not be providing shuttle service between the hotel and campus. While public transportation is available between downtown and campus, we advise you to rent a car.
Contact
If you have any questions or need any additional information at this time, please email Laura LaGrone at llagrone@unca.edu.