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The second virtual NCFR Annual Conference was another success! The annual conference continues to be an amazing experience with fabulous sessions and networking opportunities, whether in person or virtual. The 2021 conference theme, The Science of Families: Nurturing Hope, Happiness, and Health, established by the 2021 NCFR Conference Chair Dr. Tammy Henderson, addressed important and timely topics such as systemic racism. The overall quality of the research at the 2021 conference was rated at 4.27 out of 5, with 83.5% of respondents (out of 225) saying the quality of research was very good to excellent. Well done, everyone!

To continue with the series of updating NCFR Report readers on planning for a virtual conference, this column shares information on how the awards were presented and how the Annual NCFR Membership meeting and memorial service were held. 

Awards Ceremony

When the conference is held in person, awards are presented, and Fellows are inducted at the beginning of the four conference plenary sessions. The new Fellows and awardees receive greater individual recognition by receiving the awards during these highly visible sessions. How Fellows were inducted and awards presented during the past two years was drastically changed for the virtual conference.

NCFR staff, specifically Maddie Hansen, NCFR’s membership manager, researched how other organizations were reenvisioning award presentations in the virtual world. The answer was to create a virtual Awards Ceremony and a prerecorded Fellows induction.

In 2020, the Fellows induction was prerecorded by NCFR Board President Leigh Leslie. The recording was played during the Thursday plenary session and the Awards Ceremony. The Awards Ceremony also was prerecorded, with award committee chairs announcing the award, its history, and the recipient. The awardee’s name and picture—both professional and personal—were presented along with the awardee’s merits while the award committee chair presented the award. The recipient of the NCFR Olson Grant: Bridging Research, Theory, and Practice was also announced during this recording.

An exciting benefit emerged from this new format: Awardees were able to invite their family, colleagues, and friends to attend the ceremony and see them being presented the award. We learned, though, that there was still room to increase engagement among participants. Another benefit of the Awards Ceremony is that each two-minute video segment could be shared in our weekly e-newsletter, Zippy News, and on social media following the conference. This provided award recipients additional recognition and the ability to share the awards ceremony for those who missed it.

The 2021 Fellows induction and Awards Ceremony followed the same concept as in 2020, with an additional focus on engagement. For 2021, Fellows and awardees were asked to be live on camera when being inducted or being presented their award. We saw many excited family members with the honorees this time! Participants were also able to provide congratulatory remarks in the chat feature and respond with Zoom emojis (graphics such as clapping hands, hearts, and thumbs up). Congratulations again to all of our awardees and new Fellows!

The NCFR Annual Member Meeting

Although the pandemic prevented us all from meeting in person for the NCFR Annual Conference over the past two years, one silver lining of the shift to virtual meetings is that NCFR's Annual Member Meeting—which usually takes place in person at the conference—was available for all members to attend online for free. This created the opportunity for many more members to participate, as typically only about one-third of NCFR members attend the annual conference in person. Given the potential for many more members to log on for the virtual member meeting, we elected to use part of the meeting in both years for member feedback and discussions around a key issue for NCFR: advancing and promoting the Family Science discipline. In 2020, more than 70 members attended to offer their feedback and ideas for NCFR's new Advancing Family Science Initiative, an effort to strengthen the identity, visibility, and perceived value of Family Science. The format proved a great way both to hear from a greater number and diversity of members and to allow members to participate in multiple ways—sharing thoughts aloud or using the written chat feature—so it felt fitting to repeat in 2021.

In 2021, the virtual member meeting covered what NCFR's role and work should look like in setting standards for Family Science academic programs. More than 120 people attended the meeting! Another excellent discussion was held that focused on standards for Family Science doctoral programs.

The Memorial Service

Every year, NCFR members must say goodbye to cherished colleagues who have passed away. Time is held during each annual conference to recognize any NCFR member or CFLE who died over the previous year. Members who were awarded NCFR Fellow status, served on the Board of Directors, or held the role of NCFR journal editor are eulogized by an NCFR colleague, who might share pictures, stories, and memories. After these eulogies, attendees share memories and stories for any other colleague lost during the year. Cindy Winter ends the service by reading a poem. The memorial service is very personal and full of emotion and support—a beautiful celebration of life.

When the NCFR conference moved virtually, NCFR staff had to determine how to hold an authentic memorial online. It was decided to prerecord eulogies. The memorial was held over Zoom and a video played colleagues eulogizing those who had passed. Family members of the deceased were invited to attend, and more people were able to participate given the virtual format. However, attendees were reluctant to talk and share stories in this format, so there was less emotional connection during the celebration of life.

During the 2021 memorial service, it was especially important to bring back the ability to share memories of our dearly departed. The format of the memorial service was the same as in 2020, but in 2021 the entire service was live. Family members were again invited to attend the memorial service in a celebration of life. Some of those who participated commented that the memorial service was powerful, emotional, and personal.

Closing

It has been a rough two years around the world, and the pandemic does not seem to be ending anytime soon. Despite all the difficulties, NCFR members and staff rose to the challenge of organizing and participating in two virtual annual conferences. Well done, everyone! As we look to the 2022 NCFR Annual Conference, we are planning for an in-person event. NCFR is committed to creating a safe and healthy environment and is closely monitoring COVID-19 and its variants to ensure the safety of presenters, attendees, and staff during the in-person event. We truly hope to see you again in person!