2020 Annual Conference Cancelled

Dear CUWFA Friends,

I’m sure this message won’t come as an enormous surprise, but still extremely disappointing. After deliberation among the Executive Committee and our wonderful 2020 hosts, Columbia and NYU, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our conference, scheduled for June 23-24 in NYC. WFRN has also moved to cancel their conference and therefore, our “bridge day” is duly cancelled.

The time and energy that numerous members of the host institution’s work-life teams, the CUWFA program committee volunteers, those who submitted proposals, and the CUWFA Board invested in this conference planning makes this an even more difficult note to send. Literally at the 2019 conference at UBC, Columbia and NYU jumped in with both feet to the task of coordinating a unique conference model. There was also the wonderful collaboration that developed between the WFRN Board President, the acting Executive Director, and several WFRN members that was shaping up a unique day of partnership between researchers and work-life campus leaders.

But we are in times unlike any other and it is requiring difficult decisions by many. While June was certainly a “long way” off in some senses, the travel restrictions, completely changed ways of working, COVID-19 response priorities many of us have had to pivot to, and our personal desire to reduce further spread of this disease, made this decision simple.

We are considering the possibility of some virtual member “gatherings” during 2020 to ensure that the comradery and friendship that marks our CUWFA membership for so many of us can continue to grow and sustain us through this troubling time. The first of these opportunities will be our CUWFA Conversation on Wednesday, March 25.  We will be updating our membership on additional opportunities as they are planned.

At this time, we are not ready to announce a 2021 conference. But we all will look forward to coming together to learn and grow, have a laugh, and raise a glass to each of us surviving and moving forward through this difficult time.

We will send instructions to those of you who have already submitted your conference registration and have registered with the hotel soon.

We encourage all of our members to continue to find ways to engage with their CUWFA colleagues and leverage their membership. Keep sharing resources during this unprecedented moment in time.

In partnership,

Karen Kille, MHRM, SHRM-CP
Senior Work-Life Consultant | Division of Human Resources