ROC Annual Conference (ROCAC)

Call for Abstracts and Panel Proposals

Join us at the 2026 ROC Annual Conference (ROCAC) in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the ROC chapter at CMU.

When? Saturday, April 11, 2026
Where? Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Refugee Outreach Collective (ROC) is excited to announce its first Annual Conference to be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. To celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the founding of ROC chapter at Central Michigan University (CMU), the conference will take place in-person at CMU main campus in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Press Here to Submit Your Proposal!

Topics: We invite you to submit an abstract of your ongoing or recently completed research in the field of forced migration. The field is broadly defined to include refugees, internally displaced persons, human trafficking, immigration, migrant health, educational access to forcibly displaced students, and so on. While our focus is on empirically driven work, we recognize the significance of critical roles humanitarian actors, journalists, academics, artists and volunteers play in the field of forced migration. Hence, we welcome abstracts from scholars, students, practitioners, humanitarian organizations, and people with lived experience of forced displacement to engage in interdisciplinary research and critical dialogue. Some examples of topics (but limited to) are: conflict-development and climate-induced displacement, forced-displacement and health, mental health and trauma, access to care in refugee camps and post-resettlement contexts, education and wellbeing, and the structural conditions that shape everyday life during displacement, post-resettlement integration processes, challenges and so on.

More Information

  • Duration: 1-day (Friday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.)

    Program Components: Keynote / Plenary by leading scholar (s) in forced migration | Academic panels (policy, health, education, governance) & faculty-moderated sessions | Poster reception for student research | ROC practice roundtables on student leadership, campus partnerships, storytelling and innovation | Reception and networking session

  • We accept submissions for both panels and poster abstracts.

    Panel Proposal Submission Guidelines

    • Session title and abstract (350-word limit),

    • Name, affiliation, and contact information of session organizers,

    • Titles and abstracts of proposed papers (350-word limit each)

    Abstract Submission Guidelines:

    • Title of Paper/Presentation

    • Authors’ Names (including co-authors) and Affiliations

    • Email address of Corresponding Author

    • Maximum 250 Words (longer abstracts will be rejected).

    Your Abstract must address:

    • Problem Statement/Research Question

    • Data & Analysis Methods (Qualitative or Quantitative)

    • Preliminary Results

    • Policy Implications

  • We would love to hear from you, please contact us directly!