Virtual Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education — Monday, March 22, 2021

Take advantage of this opportunity to hear from the new Biden Administration and learn about its higher education priorities. This seminar for administrators in postsecondary institutions and community agencies provides information on:

• U.S. Department of Education policies;
• U.S. Department of Educational fiscal and programmatic regulations and reporting requirements;
• The latest information on TRIO regulations; and
• The outlook for upcoming TRIO grant competitions.

For questions on the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education, please contact Angelica Vialpando at (angelica.vialpando@coenet.org).

Virtual Policy Seminar — Tuesday and Wednesday, March 23-24, 2021

TRIO United for a New Era — COE’s 40th Annual Policy Seminar affords the TRIO community the opportunity to help educate Members of Congress, congressional staff, and others about the history and the success of federal college access and success programs. This event gives participants a chance to represent the interests of low-income and first-generation students and veterans, adult learners, and students with disabilities in the policy arena.

Important Note — The TRIO Alumni Leadership Forum and Seminar on Relations with the Department of Education will not involve any lobbying activities; however, certain aspects of the Policy Seminar will involve such activity. Therefore, federal grantees must allocate costs for these separate activities appropriately and in a manner consistent with their institutional policies. Please contact Angelica Vialpando at (angelica.vialpando@coenet.org) or Kimberly Jones at (kimberly.jones@coenet.org), if you have questions.

Bring your TRIO alumni to the Policy Seminar! — Alumni participation at this event will give graduates the skills they need to be TRIO advocates at the local, state, and national levels. COE staff are delighted to help TRIO directors provide fulfilling policy experiences in Washington for their students when they are on school breaks. Students should not miss school in order to attend the Policy Seminar.

Registration Instructions and Deadlines

For individuals participating in the Policy Seminar and/or Department of Education Seminar, online registration at coenet.org is strongly encouraged. Online registrants will receive an immediate receipt. Click here to register online.

All registrations not completed online must include a credit card payment, check, or purchase order to be accepted.

Special Discount — If you attended last year’s Policy Seminar and bring a newcomer to Policy with you, the newcomer can register for half off of his/her regular registration rate (Member or Non-Member). These registration forms must be submitted by fax at the same time. There is no online registration for this special offer.

If you bring a member of your institution’s Government Relations staff or campus/institutional leadership, their registration for Policy Seminar only is also half off his/her regular registration price. This does not include the Seminar with the Department of Education. Registration for this special discount must be submitted by fax — there is no online registration for this special offer. Download the paper registration form  (.pdf).

Important Note — This half-price discount does not apply if you are registering for only the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education.

Paper Registration — Registrations not completed online must be postmarked or faxed with purchase order, check, or credit card payment by Monday, March 1, 2021, to receive the pre-registration discount. For questions about registration and payment, please contact COE’s business and finance department via e-mail to (finance@coenet.org) or phone at (202) 347-7430.

Refund Policy — Registration fees paid in advance are refundable (less processing fee of $250) if written notice of cancellation is received/faxed on or before January 31, 2021. No refund requests will be accepted after this date. All refunds will be made after the seminars. Return by mail or fax to: Council for Opportunity in Education; P.O. Box 742282; Atlanta, GA 30374; Fax — (202) 628-3726.

Important Dates

Deadline for Early Bird Discount — January 31, 2021, Deadline to Register for Alumni Forum — Friday, March 19, 2021

TRIO Alumni Leadership Forum — Saturday, March 20, 2021
Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education — Monday, March 22, 2021
Policy Seminar — Tuesday and Wednesday, March 23-24, 2021

As you know, the pandemic known as the coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread to communities across the globe, yet, the needs of our students — particularly during this time of crisis — never cease.

Because the health and safety of our community is paramount, COE has moved portions of the 2020 Policy Seminar to an online format. More specifically, the Seminar on Relations (.pdf) with the U.S. Department of Education (“ED Seminar”) will take place virtually on Monday, March 23, and the two-day event officially known as the Policy Seminar (.pdf) will take place virtually on March 24-25 as initially planned. Unfortunately, our National College Opportunity Programs Leadership Summit (“Leadership Summit”) and TRIO Alumni Relations Forum, both scheduled for Sunday, March 22, are cancelled for this year.

Because of the virtual nature of the event, COE is re-opening registration for the Seminar on Relations with the U.S. Department of Education and Policy Seminar through Thursday, March 19, so that unregistered attendees may sign up to participate.

If you have not already, please click here to register online for the virtual ED Seminar and Policy Seminar. You may also download the registration form by clicking here (.pdf).

Click here (.pdf) for a list of Policy Seminar 2020 frequently asked questions.