Liberal Arts for Tomorrow 14-16 September 2020 Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya The Catholic University of Eastern Africa will host the 7th Annual GALA conference dedicated to the theme of preparing university students, faculty, and professionals for a changing and uncertain global future. It will explore how the values of the liberal arts—intellectual freedom, critical thinking, creative curiosity, reasoned debate, disciplinary diversity, public engagement, and a global outlook—can be reconfigured to empower students, teachers, and researchers in tackling global challenges. As this will be GALA’s first conference outside of North America and Europe, it will provide an ideal opportunity to explore truly global perspectives about teaching, research, and practice in the liberal arts. Topics for discussion include:

• Global citizenship and the liberal arts
• Diversity, equality, and inclusion in teaching, research, and practice
• Decolonising the liberal arts curriculum
• The liberal arts and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
• Working locally, thinking globally: universities as civic partners
• Public engagement and the liberal arts
• Building research capacity in the arts, humanities, and social sciences

The conference will feature Kenyan cuisine, music and dance and will include tours of Nairobi and the Nairobi National Park. Information about travel, housing and other conference logistics to follow. As in previous years, the conference will be open to undergraduates and postgraduates as well as faculty and university professionals at all stages of their career. The conference will also be preceded and followed by student-focused events and a writing workshop for African early career researchers. More information about these will be shared shortly. In keeping with GALA’s commitment to innovation and inclusivity, the conference will adopt a multi-format approach, mixing ‘traditional’ conference panels and presentations with lightning talks, posters, workshops, exercises, facilitated plenary discussions, and breakout activities. Consequently, we welcome individual ‘proposals of participation’ rather than formal abstracts. Please explain in 400 words why you wish to attend the conference and what insights or experiences relevant to the theme you would like to share; also indicate which kinds of presentation or participation formats you would be happy to engage with. Collaborative proposals are particularly welcome. Proposals along with a 100-word biographical statement should be sent to the GALA Academic Director, Ian Gadd (gala@bathspa.ac.uk) and CUEA conference chair, Samuel Nyanchoga (snyanchoga@cuea.edu) by 13 March 2020.