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Supporting Students of Color-NCFR Student Access Grant / Register for NCFR 2025 / Nominate or Apply to NCFR Awards / Submit to NCFR Nexus / In Memoriam / & More |
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NCFR Weekly Zippy News
Thursday, June 5, 2025 |
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• Let's Welcome Dr. Collins Sims to NCFR!
• Apply to NCFR's Student Access Grant
• Register for NCFR 2025!
• Apply or Nominate to NCFR Awards |
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Dr. Cherie Collins Sims Named NCFR Executive Director and CEO
The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cherie Collins Sims, Ph.D., to the role of executive director and chief executive officer, effective June 17, 2025. |
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Dr. Collins Sims is a nationally recognized family scholar, clinician, and executive leader with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of research, policy, practice, and systems change. She brings a strong familiarity with NCFR's mission and sees this opportunity as both a return to her scholarly and professional roots, and a powerful chance to help shape the future of the field.
Welcome, Dr. Collins Sims!
READ MORE |
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NCFR STUDENT ACCESS GRANT |
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2025 NCFR Annual Conference
NCFR Student Access Grant Now Open
Applications due Sept. 16
To ensure inclusion of Family Science students from racial communities that have been historically marginalized, NCFR will continue to provide support through the NCFR Student Access Grant. NCFR is committed to addressing systemic racism and opening doors where racial and ethnic barriers exist.
The NCFR Student Access Grant will cover the registration fee for the 2025 NCFR Annual Conference, and provide a $500 travel stipend to attend the conference. Additionally, grant recipients who have never been NCFR members will receive a one-year NCFR student membership.
Please share this grant opportunity with those in your network!
>>LEARN MORE & APPLY<< |
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REGISTER FOR NCFR 2025 |
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NCFR Annual Conference
Register Today for the 2025 NCFR Annual Conference
NEW Conference Registration System
Registration season is upon us—we hope to see you in Baltimore, Maryland, this fall at the reimagined 2025 NCFR Annual Conference, taking place Nov. 19-22!
★Register by Aug. 14 to secure the early-bird registration rate.★
The conference this year will provide the opportunity to develop meaningful connections, inspire intellectual thought, and engage in critical analyses of family research. NCFR 2025 will be a highly interactive experience for first-time and seasoned conference attendees—from panels, posters, plenaries, papers, presentations—the perfect gathering to encounter cutting-edge research, advance scholarship, and reconnect with friends.
We are thrilled to present you with a NEW conference registration experience. The process this year should be a timesaver!
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Upon clicking the registration link in your email, your information will autopopulate from your NCFR account
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If you are not an NCFR member or are new to NCFR, create an account in minutes
Please note: Updates will sync to the conference registration website the next business day. Therefore, member rates will be available for new or renewing members the following business day.
This year's conference is about you, it's about making an impact—Every Family Thriving. |
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| REGISTER FOR NCFR 2025 |
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After registering for the 2025 NCFR Annual Conference, reserve your hotel room at NCFR's conference hotel site, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. Once registered for the conference, you will be able to use NCFR's discounted conference rate. |
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RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE IN FAMILY SCIENCE |
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NCFR Awards and Recognition
Honor Outstanding Achievements with NCFR Awards
NEW Awards Submission System
Take an opportunity to shine a little light on the work of your students, colleagues, instructors, mentors, or even that of yourself—NCFR awards are the perfect way to acknowledge excellence in Family Science! |
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This year, we have a new award nomination and application process via the awards submission system, OpenWater. This streamlined approach allows users to apply in one convenient location!
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Login to the OpenWater awards system using your NCFR username and password
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If you are not an NCFR member or are new to NCFR, create an account in minutes
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Here are a few award examples available this year. Most awards have a deadline in June unless otherwise stated.
Affiliate Councils
Spotlight on Innovative Research
Alexis Walker Awards
Showing Appreciation to Mentors & Instructors
Spotlight on Those Advancing Family Science
★Also check out the NCFR focus group awards available this year!★
>>SEE ALL 2025 NCFR AWARDS<< |
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MEMBER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
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NCFR Member Opportunities
Strengthen Your Career Through a Mentor Relationship
Apply to NCFR's Mentoring Academy by July 8
Understanding how incredibly important mentoring relationships can be to professional success, NCFR and its Students and New Professionals (SNP) leaders are excited to present to you the NCFR Mentoring Academy. The goal of this special program is to advance the discipline of Family Science by supporting and encouraging the professional development of graduate students and early-career Family Science professionals.
Mentoring relationships can be equally valuable to the mentor and the mentee—it is a two-way street honing professional development, leadership and communication skills, the opportunity to add this unique service to your CV/résumé, knowledge enrichment, as well as gaining new colleagues and new perspectives.
This will be the seventh year of this member-only opportunity. And right now, applications are being accepted for mentors and mentees. Only NCFR members are eligible to participate in the NCFR Mentoring Academy | become a member
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Duration commitment: Mentoring term begins at this year's annual conference and will end at the following year's annual conference; of course, a mentoring relationship can extend further outside of the NCFR Mentoring Academy.
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Time commitment: Mentors and mentees should have contact at least once per month for a minimum of one hour.
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Mentor/mentee load: Mentoring may occur in pairs or in small groups of one mentor and multiple mentees, depending on preference and availability of mentor/mentee matches.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NCFR MENTORING ACADEMY
APPLY TO BE A MENTOR | APPLY TO BE A MENTEE
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NCFR SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
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NCFR Journals
Catch Up on the Latest Issue of JMF
Every week, we are delighted to share some of the latest research from all three of NCFR's scholarly journals advancing Family Science — Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF), Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science (FR), and Journal of Family Theory & Review (JFTR). This week, we also want to acknowledge the NEW June issue of JMF!
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The new issue of JMF brings readers literature about parenting roles, parenting experiences, relationship transitions, policy reform and families, work and families, and more.
Additionally, several new early-view articles are available, published between May 11 and May 31 across NCFR's journals, some of which were authored by NCFR members, to include Kyong-Ah Kwon, Ph.D., Seulki Ku, Ph.D., Kwangman Ko, Ph.D., CFLE, in FR.
VIEW ALL NEW EARLY-VIEW ARTICLES
If you are an NCFR member subscribed to one of our journals, you can access articles by logging into your NCFR account. You can also sign up for email alerts. Seize the opportunity— get your manuscript published in an NCFR journal! Check out these tips & strategies beforehand.
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CALL FOR ARTICLES |
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Beginning fall 2025, the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) quarterly publications, Family Focus and CFLE Network, will transition to a new, quarterly, digital-only publication, NCFR Nexus. This publication will serve NCFR’s transdisciplinary community of researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. Further, NCFR Nexus will be accessible to both NCFR members and CFLEs, who will receive priority consideration for authorship. become a member | become a CFLE |
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NCFR Nexus: Fall 2025 Call for Practice & Teaching Articles
Submission deadline: Aug. 1
The fall 2025 issue of NCFR Nexus will explore the impact of privilege. Family life experiences are influenced by one’s social address, which includes intersectional characteristics of one’s identity (e.g., race, gender, religion, sexuality, class, ability). Social address is associated with social advantages or disadvantages that influence family life experiences leading to many potential questions:
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What are the effects of privilege on the ability to maintain healthy relationships?
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Does recognition of privilege potentially lessen negative impacts?
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Can individual power and privilege be used to advocate for others?
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Can the power of privilege be utilized as a tool to advance social justice?
Research-focused articles on this theme have already been collected. The editor specifically invites authors of teaching and learning-focused articles and practice-focused articles that explore these questions. How do teachers in higher education classrooms explore these topics with their students? How do these topics come up for practitioners working with individuals and families in the field?
Prospective authors should submit their articles through the NCFR Nexus Article Submission Form by Aug. 1, 2025. Before submission, please review the author guidelines. Contact the NCFR Nexus editor, Beth Magistad, Ph.D., CFLE, with questions, ideas, and intentions.
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NCFR Nexus: Winter 2026 Call for Articles
Submission deadline: Nov. 1
The winter 2026 issue of NCFR Nexus will explore later adulthood. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the median age of the United States population is increasing. Growing numbers of older adults presents both opportunities and challenges. Many older adults live healthy, independent lives while others require significant care, often by unpaid family members.
Examples of potential topics include the following and more:
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What does the research tell us about the well-being of later-life adults?
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How can communities support healthy aging?
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What kind of support do families need when they are caring for elders?
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How are colleges and universities preparing the next generation of family professionals to serve older adults and their families?
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How do Family Life Educators support older adults and multigenerational families in their practices?
NCFR Nexus seeks to bring together the voices of researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers, fostering a diverse knowledge exchange. The NCFR Nexus editor invites authors to submit applied research-focused, teaching and learning-focused and practice-focused articles that explore later adulthood.
Prospective authors should submit their articles through the NCFR Nexus Article Submission Form by Nov. 1, 2025. Before submission, please review the author guidelines. Contact the NCFR Nexus editor, Beth Magistad, Ph.D., CFLE, with questions, ideas, and intentions.
READ MORE |
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IN OTHER NEWS |
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SAVE on NCFR Classroom/Organization Licenses
Are you aware that you can use NCFR's content with your students, colleagues, or constituents? Members, CFLEs, and CFLE-approved programs get an exclusive discount on classroom and departmental licenses for NCFR webinars and NCFR Annual Conference sessions (2023 and 2024, for example).
Webinars and conference recordings can be an excellent educational resource for your clients, co-workers, or students by which you can foster enriched learning experiences.
NCFR's classroom licenses can be purchased for use in individual classes or for entire departments or organizations.
Just 3 steps!—View ALL webinars on our website + use the request form to order your classroom/organization license today + get ready to use NCFR's content!
PURCHASE A WEBINAR FOR CLASSROOM/ORGANIZATIONAL USE |
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In Memoriam
Thomas W. Blume
We sincerely regret to inform the NCFR community that Thomas W. Blume, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT, passed away on April 20, 2025, at the age of 80. He was chair of the Family Therapy Section, was co-chair of the Theory Construction and Research Methodology (TCRM) Workshop, published many articles in NCFR's journals, was on the editorial board of the Journal of Family Theory & Review, and held membership for nearly 40 years.
READ MORE |
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Video of the Week
Kermit the Frog's Commencement Speech to 2025 University of Maryland Graduates
What can we say—it's Kermit! University of Maryland graduates are congratulated and offered sage advice from the amphibious Muppet. "Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together."
WATCH VIDEO
Do you have a video of a local news story from your area, or something notable? Email a link to Kristal Johnson and perhaps we will feature it in Zippy News!
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NCFR JOBS CENTER |
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Employment Opportunities
Employers: Get your job opening included in Zippy News by posting it in
NCFR's online Jobs Center! Get started here. |
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Professor and Head, Department of Human Development and Family Science
Auburn University
The Department of Human Development and Family Science is seeking applicants for a department head at the professor level. The overarching responsibilities of this position are to provide visionary leadership and promote excellence in teaching, research, and Extension/outreach for the department. The department head will be responsible to manage academic and administrative functions; recruit and retain faculty, staff, and students; direct program accreditations; advocate for the department; develop community and business partnerships.
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Required Education: Doctorate in human development, Family Science, or a closely related field
Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin Aug. 15; open until filled
SEE FULL DETAILS & APPLY |
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