2016 Biennial Conference Registration Open!

Registration for the APT 2016 Biennial Conference is now open! Registration is here:
http://www.fordham.edu/info/25061/2016_apt_conference
We are excited to welcome you to New York City for a lively weekend of practical theology with a special focus on migration.
Lots of information is available at the registration website. I want to underscore a few basic things about the conference below, and we will be further highlighting certain aspects of it on our Facebook and website as we get closer to April.
Locations: Friday 8 April is at the Church Center for the United Nations; Saturday 9 April is at Fordham University; Sunday 10 April is back at the UN Church Center.
“Ram Van” transportation in NYC: At registration, you can sign up for “Ram Van” (Fordham University shuttle) transportation if you would like shuttle access from two Manhattan locations to the UN on Friday afternoon; from three Manhattan locations to Fordham’s Rose Hill (Bronx) campus on Saturday morning; back to three Manhattan locations from Rose Hill on Saturday night; and from two Manhattan locations to the UN on Sunday morning. Don’t expect luxury in this shuttle: the Ram Vans are an intimate seating experience most commonly used by undergraduates to get between campuses. But if you reserve a spot, it is free (for you) and is a relatively quick way to get around.
Getting around in NYC otherwise: We are preparing a “travel sheet” for those not familiar with NYC transportation. We will let you know how to get between the airports and Manhattan, and how to get to the UN and Fordham via public transportation if you would rather not take the Ram Vans. NYC taxis, of course, will always get you most anywhere. As a rule, yellow taxis operate within one borough, and green taxis are interborough. NYC also has Uber.
Plenary sessions: We are pleased to feature three important plenaries that will facilitate opening our theme in depth and giving a frame for our conference: On Friday, it is “Migration and Practical Theology,” on Saturday it is “Black Lives Matter and Practical Theology,” and on Sunday it is “Global Ecumenical Perspectives on Migration.”
Paper/presentation sessions: There will be several paper sessions on Saturday. These papers/presentations will be drawn from the proposals that have been submitted. (Firm deadline for proposal submission is this Thursday 17 December.) There will also be some invited presentation sessions related to our theme.
Special events: [1] We are trying to arrange a pre-conference tour of the United Nations for early afternoon on Friday. Due to an anonymous donor, this would be no extra cost for conference registrants. We are waiting for the UN to unveil their tour schedule for that day (this is something out of our control, and we cannot guarantee it), and we hope to have this settled by February. All UN tours require that you arrive one hour early for security screening. You will have the option of signing up for this tour when you register; [2] We are offering an optional lunch talk and tour of a local hip hop studio/tattoo-piercing-graffiti art parlor near campus on Saturday. No extra cost. You can sign up at registration. [3] Sunday morning at the UN Church Center there will be an optional meditation service in the chapel drawn from Zen and Christian heritages, led by Robert Kennedy, S.J., Roshi, from the Morning Star Zendo.
Conference questions: APTNYC2016@gmail.com
We are eager to welcome you to NYC!
Regular updates are at our Facebook page and website.
With hope for continued inspiration in your work,
Tom Beaudoin
President, Association of Practical Theology