Community members are invited to the free academic conference "A Promising Start: Excellence in Scholarship" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, at various campus locations. The conference opens at 10 a.m. in Smith Hall on the second floor of Old Main, 30 N. Brainard St., with a welcome by R. Devadoss Pandian, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. Faculty members will host presentations of their scholarly work from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in various classrooms at Goldspohn Hall, 31 N. Loomis St. The conference continues with poster sessions highlighting faculty members’ academic pursuits from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Smith Hall at Old Main, followed by additional presentations from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. in various classrooms at Goldspohn Hall. An exhibit showcasing works by fine arts faculty will be held from 1:45 to 3:30 p.m. in the Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery, 31 S. Ellsworth St. President Harold R. Wilde will deliver the keynote address, "Confessions of a Non-Teacher/Scholar," at 2 p.m. in the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall. Visit http://northcentralcollege.edu/academics/academic-affairs/academic-conference-schedule to learn more.