Our annual National Collegiate Recovery Conference is much more than an event. The experience is an orientation, a celebration, and a reunion. For the past 10 years we have hosted the conference to bring staff, students, and other stakeholders together to grow and develop the collegiate recovery field.
The immense effort that goes into the conference each year makes this announcement even more difficult. We will not be hosting our annual conference in San Diego this summer. However, in collaboration with our partners, we will instead host the conference digitally the same conference week: Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th.
I wanted to take the time to thank the individuals who have assisted us in this process: the ARHE Board of Directors, the 2020 conference planning and steering committees, the ARHE Advisory Council, the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS), the Association of Alternative Peer Groups (AAPG), the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery (HECAOD), and our contacts at Hyatt as well as UC San Diego.
I understand that there may be a lot of questions as to why we made this decision with the conference still a few months away. The answer is simple: health and safety. There are a lot of unknown factors that will influence our way of life for weeks, months, and years to come.
We could not in good faith risk the health of our ARHE members and collegiate recovery stakeholders across the country.
As a small nonprofit, we also had to consider the health of the organization. It is our responsibility to keep the organization alive and well to best serve ARHE members and the collegiate recovery field at large. After numerous calls and simulations, we felt that the pivot to a digital conference was also in the best interest of the Association’s longevity.
The Association’s longevity is a key reason we are asking individuals and organizations to not request refunds, if possible. Like many nonprofits, we too are directly affected by the economic fallout as our key revenue streams are events, membership dues, and donations. You can find details below about conference refunds and other pertinent information.
Over the coming weeks, we will be sending out these conference updates with information on key changes as those details become available. Here are some of the current updates:
- The conference will take place digitally the same conference week: Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th
- Presentations will be a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions on Zoom throughout the week. There will be an adjusted conference schedule available later in April.
- Lodging reservations made at the Hyatt under the room block will be automatically cancelled.
- Lodging reservations made with ARHE for the UC San Diego residence hall will be automatically cancelled and refunded.
- Conference registration/sponsorship options and pricing will be condensed and reduced. That information can be found on the conference website.
- Current registrations will be given access to the digital conference, a 50% off code for the 2021 conference, and recognition on various forms of ARHE media for their contribution.
- Current sponsorships and exhibitors will be given their current levels for both the 2020 and 2021 conferences.
We thank you all for your continued support and engagement during this process. If you have any comments or questions regarding the 2020 conference, please do not hesitate to email me directly at [email protected].
Tim Rabolt
Executive Director
Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE)