Critical Edge Alliance

8th Annual International Conference

June 24 - 26, 2025
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA USA

2025 Conference Theme
Reimagining Critical Education:
Deepening Our Alliance to Meet Global Challenges

Critical Edge Alliance institutions were established to unsettle and reimagine higher education in their respective countries through innovative models of learning, teaching, research and social engagement. In a context of increasing challenges to critical education and global crises that demand new thinking, this conference seeks to create a forum to share the accomplishments, challenges and new initiatives of our respective approaches to critical education and deepen our work together through creating new avenues of collaboration and action. 

How are we evolving and innovating our critical models to address current challenges? How can we build skillful, sustained engagement across the Critical Edge Alliance that leads to learning and action? How can we support one another in challenging times?

Call for Participation and Submissions
by December 31, 2024

We invite participation from administrators, staff, faculty and students from Critical Edge Alliance institutions who would like to:

  • Assess the evolution of their respective approaches to critical education in light of current challenges,
  • Highlight new curricular or pedagogical initiatives as well as approaches to social engagement on or off campus,
  • Showcase new research projects and scholarship that advance or illustrate the promises of critical education in our current moment, and;
  • Submit creative proposals for 1) how Critical Edge Alliance institutions can work collaboratively to address current challenges; 2) deepen our connections, work together, exchange, and; 3) build our alliance further.

We ask all presenters to try to relate their work to an action that can be taken across the Critical Edge Alliance in 2025-26 and beyond. Some examples of those actions might be: student/staff/faculty exchanges, collaborations and research initiatives, student gatherings, projects and newsletters, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), shared speakers and resources and more.

You can propose a Panel discussion, Workshop, Paper, Activity, or Artistic production or expression.

Sign Up to Attend and Submit Your Proposals by December 31, 2024
Selected proposals will be announced by January 15, 2025

Submit a Proposal for Critical Edge Alliance 2025 (MS Form)

The Critical Edge Alliance is a global collaborative network for higher education institutions that focuses on student-centered learning, critical thinking, teaching and interdisciplinary research and social engagement. More information on the alliance and its member institutions at: www.criticaledgealliance.com

Important
Conference Travel Information

When

Tuesday, June 24 through Thursday, June 26, 2025

The conference events will begin on the morning of Tuesday, June 24; continue on Wednesday, June 25; and finish on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

We advise you to arrive in Olympia, WA USA by Monday, June 23 to find your accommodations so that we can start on the morning of Tuesday, June 24.

Where

The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA USA

All events will be held on the campus of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA USA:

2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW, Olympia, WA 98505

The College is located 47 miles (76 Km) from Seattle. The campus is located in a beautiful forest at the bottom of the Puget Sound inlet and within an hour by vehicle from the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean beaches.

Accommodations

On-campus housing included with registration

Accommodations, in student or faculty on-campus housing, will be included in the registration fee.

More information will be available by December 1, 2024

Travel

Local airports and ground transportation

Those coming from elsewhere will likely fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and can make their way south (1-2 hours) to Olympia by public bus, private airport shuttle bus or other means.

Another option is to fly to Portland International Airport (PDX) and then travel by bus or train (2-3 hours) to Olympia and ride-share to your accommodations.