Policy Conference 2.0 provides a collective space for social work students, faculty, and practitioners with a passion for social policy and policy practice to learn from each other, grapple with complex policy issues, and share research, practice, and teaching wisdom. We invite you to participate in the dialogue as we set our course and agenda for the future.
This year’s Policy Conference will again include exciting plenary speakers, workshops, presentations and posters, opportunities for networking, a special research panel showcasing rigorous scholarship, and recognition of the Influencing Social Policy (ISP) national contest winners. Confirmed plenary speakers include Tanya Rhodes Smith, Director of the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, and Denise Lieberman, a lawyer with the Advancement Project who is nationally known for her efforts to combat voter suppression.
The Conference will take place at The Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri from June 1-3, 2017. It begins on June 1st at 5:30 p.m. with an Opening Reception, followed at 6:30 p.m. by the Opening Plenary session.
Accommodations will be available at the Knight Center on the Washington University campus. Room rates are $119/night and include a complimentary breakfast. Reservations can be made by calling 866-933-9400 and asking for the “Influencing Social Policy” rate. Reservations should be made as soon as possible to ensure room availability. Other nearby hotels include the Moonrise (moonrisehotel.com, 866-202-1814) and the Cheshire (cheshirestl.com, 314-647-7300).
Transportation from the St. Louis Airport is available by cab or Metro-Link (exiting at Washington University, Big Bend exit).
A full-day Policy Teaching Institute (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) will precede the opening of the Conference on June 1st. The Teaching Institute will offer innovative, hands-on strategies and tools for teaching policy in the context of today’s changing political environment.
More information on both the Conference and Teaching Institute is available on the ISP website: www.influencingsocialpolicy.org
If you are not currently an ISP member and would like to become one, you can join by going to the ISP webiste listed above. One year memberships are $40; two year memberships are $75; and student memberships are $15.