Before anything else, you will need to plan the who, what, when, and where of your Faculty Symposium.

In addition to the items below, we recommend that you include a spiritual formation emphasis in your Faculty Symposium. Nan Thomas with Faculty Ministry has written an article to help you think through spiritual formation at your symposium.

Organize Your Planning Committee

Organize a planning committee as early as possible. Include as many people as needed to cover all the responsibilities outlined in this planning guide. Include local InterVarsity staff as well as faculty from your campus and, perhaps, other institutions. (If you aren’t sure who the InterVarsity staff for your campus are, contact Howard Van Cleave to find out or click here to search our national database.)

Communicate regularly with InterVarsity leaders in your area so that they can help with any needs you might have. In some cases, there’s lots of history that you can use to your advantage such as format, what works and what doesn’t, etc. Also, remember that you’re the host, but the symposium is meant to serve others. If you consult with your planning committee (and other Christian faculty and InterVarsity leaders) to meet their objectives, your event will be much more successful.

Establish regular planning and reporting meetings to gather your committee, either face-to-face or by phone. Set up email lists. Always make it clear who is supposed to do what and when. Keep notes of your meetings and use them to follow up. The more you communicate with each other, the less likely you’ll have slip-ups.

Set a Date and Location

The symposium date, times, and location should be finalized by your planning committee in conjunction with other key players. Ideally, you should set a date and find a location one year in advance to allow maximum time for your committee to form and gradually plan out the details of your symposium. Often, your location and speaker will be difficult to obtain if not planned well in advance. This lead time also allows the committee to speak with peers to promote the event and to receive input from potential attendees during the planning process.

When choosing a date, consider these things:

• Traditionally, Faculty Symposia are held on Saturdays, from 8:30 or 9:00 am to about 5:00 pm.

• Look at your campus and ministry schedule to determine what dates will be best. Many choose to host these symposia in the late winter (early February) or early spring before spring break, but the time depends on you and your committee.

• Be sure you consider the academic calendar as well as the athletic event schedule of your university before selecting a date.

• Consider the size and scope of your symposium. Smaller groups can be hosted nearly any time. But larger groups will require greater attention to campus activities. The time between semesters or quarters may be better for a larger event.

Choose a Theme

Determine what theme would be appropriate for the audience you hope to attract (e.g. faculty only, mixed faculty and graduate students, local clergy, University leaders, research professionals, or theologians, etc.). The options are limitless. Your topic will most likely focus on local interests or national issues.

Here are a few things to consider when selecting a theme:

• Typically, symposia are attended by 15 to 40 faculty and graduate students, with about half of the audience coming from each of these two populations. A few others, such as local pastors, are also likely to attend.

• Your attendance will be directly related to the level of interest in your topic/speaker and your publicity (word of mouth, fliers, brochures, how far in advance distribution takes place, distribution locale, etc.).

Select Your Speaker(s)

When selecting speaker(s), consider the following:

• Secure a person of note or perhaps a team of two scholars.

• Ask the speaker(s) to also visit with faculty personally before and/or after the event based on the interest of local faculty.

• Consider planning a gathering for graduate students and faculty the night before the symposium and have the plenary speaker(s) address this group.