OURA Conference
February 15 - February 17
Join us for OURA 2023!
OURA’s annual conference has returned to in-person for 2023! Hosted at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre from February 15 — 17, the conference will include keynote speakers, sessions, workshops and roundtables from experts in the University Registrarial field. Our tracks for this year’s conference include:
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Innovation
- Health and Wellness
- Evolution of the Office
- Professional Practice
Flexibility is available for an affordable price — you can either attend the whole conference, or one or two days based on your institute’s budget. Mingle with peers in your field and network with the Registrar community. We look forward to seeing you at our 2023 conference.
| Registration Type | 2023 – Early Bird | 2023 – Regular (After January 20, 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Member – Full Conference | $748.00 | $805.00 |
| Member – Wednesday Only | $440.00 | $497.00 |
| Member – Thursday Only | $440.00 | $497.00 |
| Non-Member – Full Conference | $880.00 | $937.00 |
| Non-Member – Wednesday Only | $528.00 | $585.00 |
| Non-Member – Thursday Only | $528.00 | $585.00 |
Full conference registration includes:
- Access to all keynote speakers and sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
- Access to the exhibit hall
- Breakfast daily
- Twice daily coffee breaks
- Lunch on Wednesday
- Welcome Reception on Wednesday
- Awards Lunch on Thursday
Any cancellations received on or before January 31, 2023 are subject to a 10% administration fee.
Any cancellations received after January 31, 2023 are 100% non-refundable.
Please note —if you submitted an abstract, you should have received an email advising you of the judging results. That email also contained a personalized link for you to register for the conference. Please use that link to register for the conference, not the link on this page.
If you submitted an abstract and did not receive an email, please contact OURAConference@exposoft.ca.
*Preliminary agenda – subject to change. Check back regularly for updates.*
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
| Time | Grand Ballroom | Trinity Ballroom I | Trinity Ballroom II | Trinity Ballroom III | Trinity Ballroom IV | Trinity Ballroom V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 – 08:00 | Exhibitor set-up | |||||
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Breakfast Exhibit Hall | |||||
| 09:00 – 10:30 | Opening ceremony Opening remarks — | |||||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break | |||||
| 11:00 – 11:45 | Annual general meeting (All attendees welcome) | |||||
| 11:45 – 1:00 | Lunch Exhibit Hall | |||||
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Sessions-Block A | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Presenter: Shari Schultz, University of Waterloo EDI&D scholarships: How do we shift from merit to other measures | Innovation Presenter: David Marasco, An agile approach to innovative practices, Managing the Office of the Registrar | Professional Practice Presenter: Valerie Sarkany, Convocation best practices | Professional Practice Presenter: Sanchit Mittal, Using data to make SEM decisions | Professional Practice Presenter: Nicola Woods, Managing exceptions: Discretionary decision-making to resolve complex student issues |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Sessions-Block B | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Gavin Taylor Black, In person service in a post-COVID closure world | Infosilem | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Sandy Howe, Innovative evolution: Supporting University Governance through the Office of the Registrar | Professional Practice Presenter: Graham Donal, 20,000 voices: Understanding the diverse characteristics of today’s students | Professional Practice Presenter: Shannon Bracken, How do we balance recruitment going forward? |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Welcome reception Exhibit Hall |
Thursday, February 16, 2023
| Time | Grand Ballroom | Trinity Ballroom I | Trinity Ballroom II | Trinity Ballroom III | Trinity Ballroom IV | Trinity Ballroom V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Breakfast Exhibit Hall | |||||
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Keynote speaker, Ilona Dougherty | |||||
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Sessions-Block C | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Courtney Hern, Chat the Western way | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Monique Wise, Databee Exams Manager | Innovation Presenter: Kirk Kelly, Recruitment & retention: A collaborative approach to student success | Equity, Diversion & Inclusion Presenter: Tracy Al-idrissi, Increasing access & diversity: A financial aid transformation | |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |||||
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Sessions-Block D | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Dianne Norman, Building a culture of continuous improvement in organized anarchy | Studiosity | Equity, Diversion & Inclusion Presenter: Catherine Newell Kelly, University of Waterloo So we’ve collected some equity data…what’s next? | Equity, Diversion & Inclusion Presenter: Andre Jardin, University of Waterloo Admissions: Innovation through equity | Professional Practice Presenter: Gavin Taylor Black, Toronto Metropolitan University Moving fast when we need to — A retrospective on rapid changes in client service |
| 12:15 –1:45 | Awards lunch | |||||
| 13:45 – 14:45 | Sessions-Block E | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Robynn Parr, Waste identification through play | Innovation Presenter: Bernadette Belan, McMaster University McMaster University exam administration | WaitWell | Innovation Presenter: Joe Stokes, Ontario Tech University Study Ontario Canada: Results of the international study brand project | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Carla Hodal, McMaster University A clean slate for McMaster University’s Admissions team |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Coffee break | |||||
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Exhibitor tear-down Sessions-Block F | Equity, Diversion & Inclusion Presenter: Rachel Huang, Developing, engaging & mentoring RO staff | Follett | Innovation Presenter: Lindsay Lannan, A holistic approach to service review | OUCA Executive | Professional Practice Presenter: Joseph Minichini, University of Toronto Introducing domestic non-Ontario resident fees at the University of Toronto: An overview of the implementation process |
Friday, February 17, 2023
| Time | Grand Ballroom | Trinity Ballroom I | Trinity Ballroom II | Trinity Ballroom III | Trinity Ballroom IV | Trinity Ballroom V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Breakfast | |||||
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Sessions-Block G | Innovation Presenter: Haley Prentice, School Finder Group Form the right impression: Best practices in responding to prospective student enquiries | Standing Committee — Graduate Studies | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Presenter: Jennifer Ferdinands, York University Leadership and labour: Transcending the glass ceiling & enhancing employee experience | Innovation Presenter: Meryl Berato, Supporting student mobility through pathways and transfer: The role of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer | Standing Committee — Student Recruitments |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Sessions-Block H | Innovation Presenter: Kevin O’Brien, Queen’s University Stories the calendar can tell | Evolution of the Office Presenter: Hishmat Salehi, McMaster University Evolution of Business Intelligence (BI) at McMaster | Flywire | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Presenter: Andre Jardin, University of Waterloo It’s all about access | Innovation Presenter: Brian Ingoldsby, University of Guelph Centering student experiences: Creating the ‘one-stop 2.0’ at the University of Guelph |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee break | |||||
| 11:15 – 12:15 | Sessions- Block I | Professional Practice Presenter: Victoria Anderson, Queen’s University Let the numbers tell your story: Do it yourself reporting to lead your team to success | Innovation Presenter: Nick Valentino, York University How York University’s student virtual assistant helped students during the pandemic | Innovation Presenter: Nicolas Boileau, Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer Collaboration to increase access to post-secondary | Equity, Diversion & Inclusion Presenter: Chris Smith, Western University Candid conversations: Fostering community-based engagement through listening |
The Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre is the official OURA 2023 conference hotel. The following room rates have been negotiated at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre for single or double occupancy. Note, self-parking rate has been discounted by 50% for OURA attendees (regular is $45.00).
Standard Room (1 king or 2 double beds): $258.00 per night, CAD + taxes
These rates:
- are valid during the conference dates as well as three days before and three days after, depending on availability
- include complimentary basic internet in the guestroom
- complimentary fitness centre access
- double Marriott Bonvoy points
Reservations
Guests may also book rooms over the phone by calling the toll-free reservations line at 1-800-905-0667 and mentioning to the agent either the Group Name “OURA Annual Conference” or the Mini Hotel Code “OUI”.
Reservation Policies
The cut-off date for reserving rooms in the OURA room block is Monday, January 23, 2023. Reservation requests received after this date will be based on availability at the hotel’s prevailing rates.
Deposit Policy
All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card.
Cancellation Policy
Individual reservations must be cancelled at least 72 hours prior to the arrival date with no penalty. Any cancellations made after this time will be subject to a late cancellation fee in the amount of 1 night’s room & tax charged to the payment method on file.
Looking to be a sponsor?
If you are looking to sponsor our next event please contact: ouraconference@exposoft.ca
Please look at our OURA Exhibitor Sponsorship Prospectus (pdf)