Host an NNN Meeting at Your Institution

Our organization is always seeking institutions that are interested in hosting our annual meeting. At present, we have institutions for both the 2023 and 2024 conferences; however, if you are interested in hosting a meeting in a future year, we are happy to talk with you. Please see below for information about hosting.

Why host?

Questions for your college:

• Do you have a numeracy-related story to tell?
• Have you received a numeracy-related grant that requires you to publicize your work?
• Do you want to encourage your faculty to focus on improving student numeracy?

What are some of the benefits?

1. Display your college's interest or progress in advancing quantitative or statistical literacy
2. Bring together scholars in your geographic area for Q/L related discussions
3. Acquaint local faculty with NNN's journal Numeracy: the premier outlet for QL publication 
4. Facilitate the involvement of the host college's faculty and students in presentations
5. Uphold and display the host college's commitment to improving general education.
6. Support the AAC&U in advancing Quantitative Literacy as a part of general education.
7. Support the National Numeracy Network (NNN) and its journal: Numeracy.
8. Be featured as a host college on the NNN website. 
9. Be recognized as a national leader in Quantitative or Statistical Literacy

What does hosting look like?

What the NNN provides:

• Broad-scale organization of a three-day conference with 25-40 speakers
• Bringing in 50-120 members from across the US
• A nationally-recognized numeracy-related keynote speaker
• Advertising the conference in a wide variety of venues
• Registration and payment management
• An opportunity for your school to
• • select a speaker to give the Friday-evening Numeracy-related keynote
  • organize sessions involving your faculty and administration
  • present posters of work being done on your campus
  • use your sponsorship of this numeracy conference for publicity

What NNN looks for from a host college:

• Location: In a big city, close to a nationally-accessible airport
• Timing: We normally have the meeting in October or November, so would expect the host institution to be able to accommodate that.
• Evidence that your school encourages or wants to encourage numeracy
• Evidence that your QL faculty and staff will be actively involved in the conference
• Logistical support for a three-day conference (Friday night, Saturday and Sunday) that can accommodate individuals participating remotely:
• • Provide at least three presentation rooms with projection, web access, and Zoom/hybrid participant technology; one should be large for keynote speakers
  • Provide an area for registration and reception prior to presentations
  • Provide a space for dinner on Friday, as well as a Board Meeting (with lunch) on Sunday
  • Provide appropriate signage for registration and rooms; campus announcements
  • Provide tables for walk-in registration and distribution of conference information
  • Provide a local organizer who is responsible for logistics and school involvement (in the best case scenario, there is an administrative support professional who helps the faculty members involved)

These varies a lot. The nature, amount and allocation of these costs is based on negotiations between NNN and the college. The NNN tries to keep the conference registration low ($75-125) to encourage attendance and participation. The lower the level of support by the host, the higher the registration fee must be. Historically, the registration fee goes to the NNN to cover costs of organizing and marketing the conference. For those registrants who choose to attend the Friday night dinner, NNN charges a separate fee. The host estimates the fee and provides the supper. The NNN collects this fee and reimburses the host.

Below are examples of out-of-pocket costs that the host would–in an ideal scenario–cover:

• Meeting space (if needed) for rooms, including AV and clean up costs if required by the institution
• Honorarium and travel for Saturday keynote speaker
• Refreshments for reception on Friday, as well as breakfast refreshments on Saturday and Sunday
• Saturday lunch catering for all participants (e.g., boxed sandwiches or salads)
• Costs of advertising and printed materials (e.g., flyers, programs, name tags)

• Honorarium and travel for Friday keynote speaker
• Maintenance of registration and payment operations
• Web advertising for conference
• Sunday lunch catering for Board Meeting
• Free registrations for up to ten local participants (e.g., undergraduate or graduate students, conference organizers) 

Interested in hosting?

Here are your next steps:

• November: Talk with an NNN officer in the Board Meeting (or afterward) about possibilities.
• December: Talk with conference organizers at other host schools on their experience. Let the NNN know that your school is interested by writing a brief (no more than two pages) proposal outlining your interest, what your school could cover, and why your institution would be a good fit for hosting the conference. 
• January through March: NNN will make a decision based on your abbreviated proposal.
• April: Submit a detailed written proposal identifying your level of support to be reviewed by NNN
• May: Obtain signatures from NNN's president and your school's relevant Dean or Provost

Timeline for accepted hosts:

• Throughout the year: The NNN officers meet with hosts to discuss logistics and provide relevant updates with one another. 
• Late spring: NNN announces meeting site & dates six months in advance. Repeat at three months. The NNN (in collaboration with the host) sets deadline for proposals (title and abstract) four months before meeting (July), then sends the call for proposals to various venues. 
• Summer: NNN regularly advertises meeting via MAA QL-SIG, ASA, Isolated Statisticians, StatLit.org, etc. The NNN also opens up registrations. 
• Late July: The NNN accepts conference paper from proposed titles and abstracts, then the NNN prepares the conference schedule. 
• September: The NNN updates conference schedule with final logistics information (Buildings and rooms).
• October: The NNN monitors registrations. Make sure all presenters/authors are registered.