Administrative staff position reporting to Assistant Provost for AcademicAffairs.  Full-time, 10 month contract per annum.  The director providesleadership and coordination through the University Writing Center (includingrecruiting, educating, and supervising undergraduate consultants and officestaff as well as a half-time adjunct) and participates fully in thedeveloping university-wide integrative writing program.  Teachingencouraged.  Experience in writing center or writing program administrationrequired.  Excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service expected.

Official job posting and application information found on the UNC Asheville Office of Human Resources website:
https://careers.unca.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1268067083960

*The University of North Carolina at Asheville* is the only designatedliberal arts institution in the 16-campus University of North Carolinasystem and home to the national office of the Council of Public Liberal ArtsColleges.  UNC Asheville serves students who are prepared for academicchallenges by offering an intellectually rigorous education that buildscritical thinking and workforce skills.  The university is committed toserving the people of North Carolina and to building strong partnershipswith our community that will enrich the quality of life of our region.

Opened in October, 2001, the Hume Writing Center (HWC) supports writing at Stanford University through individual writing consultations, workshops, and seminars.   HWC services are provided to all undergraduates, particularly those enrolled in Introduction to the Humanities (IHUM) and the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) courses as well as those in Writing in the Major (WIM) courses and those writing Honors theses.  For more information about these rich programs, please visit:

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/pwr/hwc/index.html

Primary responsibilities for this position include providing leadership in developing and sustaining the varied mission of the Center, managing day-to-day operations, overseeing an undergraduate peer tutor preparation course, supervising a large corps of undergraduate and graduate writing consultants, and working collaboratively with PWR lecturers who tutor in the Center.  In addition, the Center Director works closely with the Faculty Director of PWR and other senior administrators in SIS as well as with other units within VPUE.  This is a continuing senior administrative staff position, including administrative staff benefits and a salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Qualifications include:  Ph.D. in rhetoric and writing or a closely-related field, extensive experience teaching and tutoring writing, experience in writing program and/or writing center administration, experience with supporting Writing in the Disciplines programs, and a research agenda related to rhetoric and writing studies.  The Center Director must also have experience with computer-enhanced writing instruction.  As the writing and rhetoric requirement places increased emphasis on oral and multimedia elements, the Center Director should have experience and interest in these areas.

To view the complete job description and to assure your application information is captured in our official files, you must apply to http://jobs.stanford.edu/ and in the keyword search box, indicate 37485.

Additionally, please send your letter of application, curriculum vitae, at least three letters of recommendation, an example of writing related to scholarship or writing program administration, and a statement of philosophy regarding writing center pedagogy to:

Andrea A. Lunsford,
Director, Program in Writing and Rhetoric
Sweet Hall, Room 314
590 Escondido Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-3069.

Deadline for applications:  April 15, 2010.

Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity of staff.

Requires Masters degree in relevant field; Ph.D. preferred.  Requires established record of writing program administration and a record of
teaching excellence: at the minimum, two years experience teaching writing (online preferred) and two years experience working in a writing center with
supervisory responsibility or two years experience working in a WAC/WID program with supervisory responsibility.  Preferred experience includes
working with adult students in higher education settings, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and evidence of capacity to work across departments.

*For a more complete job description, download the full description from http://writingcenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/UMUC_WritingCenterDirector_Spring2010.pdf.  To apply online, please visit www.umuc.edu/facultyrecruit , click on
Collegiate/Full-Time Faculty Positions, then search for requisition number 003163.*

The Writing Center coordinates Yale’s program for writing across the curriculum, and also provides tutoring for undergraduate writers. We seek an Assistant Director who can contribute to both aspects of the Center’s mission, preferably one who can enhance our support of writers for whom English is a second language through tutoring, supervising other tutors, and designing workshops for ESL students. Responsibilities include leading workshops for writing tutors, teaching writing courses in your own discipline, and developing materials for writing teachers across the disciplines. Experience with a discipline other than English is a plus.

Ph.D. by start date and teaching experience required. Experience coaching writing teachers or tutors desirable. Salary commensurate with qualifications. Review of applications will begin April 2, 2010 for an appointment beginning Aug 1. This is a full-time, 10-month administrative position with full benefits and a teaching appointment as Lecturer.

For a more complete job description and to apply online, please visit www.yale.edu/jobs, referencing STARS ID 9225BR. Please include a letter of application, CV, and up to 5 pages of relevant teaching or administrative materials. Yale University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer, and women and members of minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School (NLCP) is a coed, public charter high school with two campuses located on the west side of Chicago that will be serving 900 students in grades 9-12 during the 2010-11 school year.

NCLP’s mission is to prepare young people from under-resourced communities for graduation from high school with the academic skills and personal resilience necessary for successful completion of college. To this end, NLCP will expect nothing less than high academic standards for all students; provide a challenging curriculum, extra resources and the support necessary to achieve those standards; assemble and support a superlative faculty, staff and administration to collaboratively accomplish this task; and serve the wider North Lawndale community.

NLCP is also committed to recruiting and retaining a stellar staff.  Specifically, we are looking for innovative, creative, and dynamic professionals who are unwavering in their quest to provide all students with an outstanding academic experience.

Read the full announcement here at  http://writingcenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/NLCP_director_description.pdf.

Deadline is April 11th, but interested parties are encouraged to apply immediately.  Email Nora Gross (ngross@nlcphs.org) with questions or resumes.

Awards Certificates and $200 cash awards will be given in two categories:  Outstanding Tutor of the Year and Tutor Leadership.  Details about the awards and the nomination process are posted on our website:

http://cms-stark.kent.edu/Academics/Writing/upload/ECWCA_2010_Awards_CALL.pdf

The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2010.

The College is pleased to announce an opening for a full-time Director of Writing Programs, reporting to the Dean of the College and working with the Director of Academic Resources. This academic administrative position is for twelve months per year, beginning July 1, 2010, and includes teaching duties during the three-week January Winter Study Period. Some evening and weekend work may be necessary.

The Director will oversee the drop-in writing center (known as the Writing Workshop) as well as the Writing Assistants program, which pairs student tutors with faculty who teach writing intensive courses. Duties will include recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training and supervising all Writing Workshop student employees and Writing Assistants. This position will assess and establish Writing Workshop policies and procedures, recognizing the needs of the diverse student population at Williams. The incumbent is also expected to identify and adapt ESL resources for the College.

In addition, the Director will work with faculty to help enhance writing instruction. The successful candidate will develop and provide outreach services to support faculty involved in the teaching of writing, will match faculty teaching writing intensive courses with Writing Assistants, and will consult with faculty on course development and enhancement.

Candidates should have a doctorate, preferably in Rhetoric and Composition, English or a related field. Considerable experience in the teaching of writing is required. Proven experience managing a writing center is preferred. Also required is a commitment to diversity, culturally relevant pedagogies, and innovative and effective teaching. Demonstration of sustained and significant professional development, service to their professional community, and computer literacy are also required.

Interested individuals should send a letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position, a resume and references. Applicants are encouraged to submit writing and other samples of their work. For full consideration, materials must be received by February 19, 2010. Job Group 2-C. The process will continue until the position is filled. Job #300601-P

Please email materials including Job # to:

Office of Human Resources, Williams College
100 Spring Street, Suite 201, Williamstown, MA 01267
Phone: (413) 597-3129, e-mail: hr@williams.edu
www.williams.edu/admin/hr

Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive.

The IWCA Collaborative 2010 program features sessions that are relevant to all writing center professionals and include topics such as:

• Making a case for centers in times of high stakes testing, assessment, and budget crises
• Identifying and rethinking best practices in tutoring and tutor training
• Understanding difference in writing center practice
• Implementing technology in the center

The Collaborative will also feature Carol Mattingly, founder of the Writing Centers Research Project, as the lunch-time speaker. Registration for the Collaborative includes morning coffee and tea service, lunch, and an evening reception with light appetizers and cash bar. Consider joining your colleagues for a  full day of thinking, talking, collaborating, and resource sharing on March 17, 2010 at the Galt House in Louisville, KY.

Please direct any questions to co-chairs, Nathalie Singh-Corcoran (Nathalie.Singh-Corcoran@mail.wvu.edu) and Karen Rowan (krowan@csusb.edu).

Registration

Registration is now open for the IWCA Collaborative @ CCCC 2010. Visit http://writingcenter.ou.edu/cccc10/ to register (credit card or download a registration form to send a check).

Program Now Available

IWCA@CCCC 2010 Collaborative Program Chairs Karen Rowan and Nathalie Singh-Corcoran are pleased to make available the IWCA@CCCC 2010 program. Download the program at http://writingcenters.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/IWCA_CCCC_2009_program1.pdf . The program is subject to change. Check back for updates.

IWCA Collaborative Frequently Asked Questions

Proposals

How do I submit my proposal?

Please email your proposal as a Word document to both Karen Rowan (krowan@csusb.edu) and Nathalie Singh-Corcoran (Nathalie.Singh-Corcoran@mail.wvu.edu)

I won’t be able to attend the full day of sessions. Can I still submit a proposal?

We understand that many of us may have multiple and competing interests on Wednesday, March 17, so we certainly understand that some participants will need to be elsewhere for part of the day. That said, we welcome anyone to submit a proposal, even if you have other CCCCs obligations. However, if your proposal is accepted, and the time that you are scheduled to present does not work for you, we may not be able to change the program to meet your needs.  Because the morning and afternoon sessions for the IWCA Collaborative@CCCC will not follow similar formats, the sessions are not interchangeable.

What kind of technology will be available?

We will be working in the coming months to determine what kind of technology services and/or equipment we can provide. In the meantime, if you have specific requests or needs, please let us know so that we can be in conversation with you sooner rather than later.

Program

What is the “unconference” model and why is the Collaborative using it?

The IWCA Collaborative @ CCCCs borrows its form from recent writing center regional conferences like MWCA. Unconferences mandate that presenters and audience members collaborate, learn, and make knowledge together. In this way, the unconference is in the spirit of past Writing Center Collaboratives and CCCCs workshops, but we believe the unconference model will allow for even more peer-to-peer interaction. This year, we will be making use of some familiar formats, like roundtable sessions, and some less familiar formats, like knowledge cafes and fishbowl conversations.

I understand the “unconference” model, but I really just want to read my paper. Will I be able to do that?

The short answer is “no,” you will not be able to read your paper.  The IWCA Collaborative @ CCCC necessitates that you involve your audience in more ways than an end-of-session Q & A. Instead, we’re asking that you re-envision not just writing center praxis, but also the ways in which we come together as colleagues. Our use of the unconference model is in line with a long tradition of interactivity and collaboration in past writing center workshops; further, we believe we are offering a distinct experience at CCCC, where we will all have plenty of opportunities to participate in traditional panel sessions.

Registration

I’m trying to plan my travel request for the year. What will the registration fee be?

We anticipate that the registration fee will be around $100. We will have a final number once all details (e.g., contracts with food vendors) have been ironed out.

The registration fee has been finalized at $90.00 (updated 1-27-10 by CE, Web Editor).

What is included in my registration fee?

The IWCA Collaborative @ CCCC is part of a full day event. Your registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and an evening reception as well as the Collaborative itself.

I won’t be able to attend the full day of sessions. Can I get a discount on registration?

We will only be offering a full-day registration option. If you must leave for part of the day, we welcome you to return when you can.

Where can I go to register?

Registration information is forthcoming. The registration page is at http://writingcenter.ou.edu/cccc10/ (updated 1-27-10 by CE, Web Editor).

Other

Where will the IWCA Collaborative@CCCC be held?

We will be meeting in the Galt House, one of the three official CCCC hotels. We have three rooms this year—one large ballroom and two smaller rooms for breakout sessions—so we will have more elbow room than in past years.

Call for Proposals

(included for archival purposes)

International Writing Centers Association, Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC
March 17, 2010 – Galt House Hotel, Louisville, KY
Re-Envisioning the Writing Center

Tutoring pedagogy is nothing if not dynamic. Students who use writing centers expect that tutors/coaches/collaborators will adapt to meet their individual needs. Tutors, for their part, often pull from their repertoire of proven strategies but must also experiment with new approaches when facing a novel situation. Sometimes their revision of tutoring strategies is successful, other times not, but in each instance it’s necessary to reflect on, re-theorize, and re-envision tutoring practice and name the limits and possibilities.

Likewise, writing centers must also be dynamic and adaptable. They must respond to new situations and to change in positive and productive ways. They must address internal and external forces that require centers to revise or re-conceive their praxis. The 2010 IWCA Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC focuses on that re-envisioning. As you plan to attend and to develop a session for the Collaborative, please feel free to use the following questions as starting points:

• How can we revise tutor education in ways that productively disrupt trenchant binaries in our praxis (e.g. non-directive v directive, HOC v LOC, etc)?
• How might we re-envision assessment?  How can we use assessment and research to revise praxis within our writing centers, our institutions, and our professional and scholarly fields?
• How are we responding to institutional, statewide, and national fiscal crises?  How might we respond to budget cuts and institutional reorganization in creative and flexible ways?
• How might we reach beyond the boundaries of our individual centers and professional communities to re-conceive our multifaceted disciplinary and institutional relationships?
• How can our various and unique centers (K-12, international, community, university, and college) support each other?  What can we learn from one another that might help us reconsider our praxis?
• How might we effect change in our writing center and in our local institutions with respect to crucial issues such as intellectual property and plagiarism?
• How are writing centers helping to reshape campus culture with respect to racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination?
• How are institutional emphases on technology requiring us to revise our centers?
• How should we revise our methods, our philosophies, and our missions to meet the needs of diverse learners?

Program Format

Just as we invite you to consider how we might re-envision writing center praxis, we also invite you to re-envision how will you conceive and execute your proposed sessions. Participants planning to attend CCCC will undoubtedly have ample opportunity to present and/or listen to traditional conference papers in panel sessions. Thus, this year’s IWCA Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC, following a growing trend in regional writing center association conferences and inspired by the “unconference” model in other fields and industries, emphasizes new models of collaborating and meaning making. In other words, we not only invite you to reflect on, re-theorize, and re-envision writing center praxis, but also the ways in which we come together as colleagues to learn from one another.

While more traditional formats, such as roundtable sessions, are available, proposals that explore new modes of collaborating and making meaning will be given priority in the review and selection process.

The 2010 IWCA Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC will consist of a variety of sessions, including:

• Fishbowl Conversation: A facilitated large-group discussion initiated by featured participants who rotate off the panel to allow for other attendees to join in and contribute. (1.5 hours)
• Round Robin Discussion: A series of facilitated small-group conversations on a particular theme or topic led by featured participants who begin and wrap-up the session. Facilitators will introduce a topic or theme (e.g., responding creatively to fiscal crises) and organize participants into smaller break-out groups to continue the conversation. In the spirit of “round robin” tournaments, participants will change groups after 20-30 minutes to extend and expand their conversations. After at least two rounds of conversation, facilitators will reconvene the full group for a concluding discussion. (1.5 hours)
• Roundtable Session: Discussion of a specific issue related to writing center praxis, including short presentations by/conversations between 2-4 presenters and active and substantive engagement/collaboration with attendees. (1.5 hours)
• Works-in-Progress Workshops: Facilitated small-group workshops in which participants present in-progress research or assessment projects and receive feedback from colleagues in attendance. Each participant will have 30 minutes to present and discuss his/her project. (2.5 hours)

Collaborative Overview

The all-day IWCA Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC has recently been incorporated into IWCA’s newly adopted conference schedule.  This will be an independent, annual IWCA event and will therefore not appear on the CCCC program.

Beginning in 2010, IWCA will host an annual Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC and Fall IWCA conferences in even numbered years. The new schedule reflects IWCA’s effort to respond to difficult financial circumstances, to reduce conflicts between spring IWCA conferences and CCCC, to strengthen writing center presence in conjunction with CCCC, and to encourage strong participation in regional conferences.

Given IWCA’s new conference schedule, the IWCA Writing Centers Collaborative @ CCCC is and will continue to evolve over the next few years. Throughout these changes, the Collaborative will continue to focus on providing an interactive, informal, and invigorating day for all comers.

Proposals will be reviewed by the co-chairs and their committee of reviewers.  This is a competitive process; not all proposals will be accepted.

This year the event will take place from 8 am to 8 pm at the Galt House Hotel.  In addition to the presentations, we will announce a social program and a members meeting to be held that day.  Whether you present on the program or not, the day will be well worth the registration fee, which will include refreshments, lunch, and a reception.

Proposal Format

This year’s chairs, Karen Rowan (California State University-San Bernardino) and Nathalie Singh-Corcoran (West Virginia University), will select proposals based on their relevance to the theme, their contribution to writing center work, and their articulated plan for participation and collaboration with attendees. Submissions should be no longer than 500 words, and they should include:

1. Contact presenter information: Please include name, title, institutional affiliation, phone number, and email address. List names/affiliations for all other presenters.
2. Description of session (proposal): Please include a description of the session topic, its importance and anticipated appeal to participants, and each presenter’s anticipated contribution. For works-in-progress proposals, please describe the nature of the project, methodologies used, anticipated stage of completion by March 2010, and types of feedback desired.
3. Format of session and rationale (roundtable, fishbowl, knowledge café, works-in-progress): Please include a brief rationale describing why the selected session format both best suits the topic and facilitates attendees’ engagement.

As you prepare your proposals, we encourage you to contact either or both of the chairs with any questions or concerns you may have about session topics or formats.

Email proposals (WORD DOC) to both chairs by Friday, October 30. (This is a NEW deadline.) Chair emails are krowan@csusb.edu and Nathalie.Singh-Corcoran@mail.wvu.edu. Proposers will be informed of their program status by Tuesday, December 1. We look forward to joining you for a terrific day in Louisville.

Overview

Sunday July 25-Friday July 30, 2010

Lone Wolf, Oklahoma

Join co-chairs Michele Eodice (University of Oklahoma) and Lori Salem (Temple University), plus seven outstanding leaders, and 55 wonderful participants from across the United States and around the world, for in-depth and critical discussions of :

*       writing center philosophies, missions, theories, and literature
*       leadership in an academic culture
*       diversity and writing centers
*       tutoring pedagogy and tutor education
*       planning, growing, developing, and re-imagining a writing center
*       writing center assessment
*       research and publishing
*       writing center politics and administration
*       technology and writing centers
*       working with multilingual writers
*       facilities and space
*       WAC/WID and writing fellows programs
*       writing center support for graduate-level writers
*       community writing centers
*       funding, budgeting, fundraising, endowments

Contact Information

If you have questions about scholarships (or anything else related to the SI), please contact the SI co-directors.

Michele Eodice (co-chair and local host):
Email: meodice@ou.edu
Phone: 405-325-2937
Skype:  michele.eodice

Lori Salem (co-chair):
Email: lori.salem@temple.edu
Phone: 215-204-0709
Skype: lori.salem

The Noel Studio for Academic Creativity in collaboration with the Department of Communication at Eastern Kentucky University seeks to fill a 12-month Communication Coordinator position beginning Fall 2010. The Communication Coordinator will supervise graduate and undergraduate consultants, foster an integrated support environment with the writing and research coordinators, support the cross-training of consultants, ensure the efficient and reliable daily operations of the Noel Studio, coordinate outreach to the university, and support research and assessment. The position requires a 2-2 teaching load in areas determined by the department and at least 20 hours per week dedicated to coordinator responsibilities in the Noel Studio, with full-time coordinator duties in the summer. Teaching and/or experience working in a communication/writing center preferred.

Minimum Educational Qualifications
Masters degree in Communication or Communication-related field is required.

Review of applications will begin February 28, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled. Application materials should be submitted online and should include a cover letter and resume/curriculum vita. Applicants must apply online at http://jobs.eku.edu <http://jobs.eku.edu> (search requisition # 0607022).

Studio Coordinator – Writing

The Noel Studio for Academic Creativity in collaboration with the Department of English and Theatre at Eastern Kentucky University seeks to fill a 12-month Writing Coordinator position beginning Fall 2010. The writing Coordinator will supervise graduate and undergraduate consultants, foster an integrated support environment with the communication and research coordinators, support the cross-training of consultants, ensure the efficient and reliable daily operations of the Noel Studio, coordinate outreach to the university, and support research and assessment. The position requires a 2-2 teaching load in areas determined by the department and at least 20 hours per week dedicated to coordinator responsibilities in the Noel Studio, with full-time coordinator duties in the summer. Teaching and/or experience working in a communication/writing center preferred.

Minimum Educational Qualifications
MA degree in English is required.

Review of applications will begin February 28, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled. Application materials should be submitted online and should include a cover letter and resume/curriculum vita.
Applicants must apply online at http://jobs.eku.edu <http://jobs.eku.edu> (search requisition # 0607023).


Offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory criminal background check and educational credential verification. Eastern Kentucky University is an EEO/AA institution that values diversity in its faculty, staff, and student body. In keeping with this commitment, the university welcomes applications from diverse candidates and candidates who support diversity.

I’m writing to share the news that the new Writing@CSU site has been released. The site (http://writing.colostate.edu) features more than 35,000 pages of resources supporting writers and writing teachers and provides access to the Writing Studio, an open-access instructional writing environment that includes writing tools, research tools, and a course management system for writing classes. Of note in this new release are redesigned blog, wiki, and ePortfolio tools.

Since the Writing Studio was launched in 2004, writers from more than 1500 schools have created accounts on the site and courses have been created by instructors at more than schools. Instructors who wish to create courses on the site should create an account and then send a message to me asking to have their accounts upgraded.

Thanks to Lynda Haas, Will Hochman, and Carolyn Handa, among many others, for their suggestions and support as Jill Salahub and I have redesigned the site.

All the best,

Mike Palmquist
Associate Vice Provost for Learning and Teaching
Director, Institute for Learning and Teaching | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO 80523-1052
Email: Mike.Palmquist@ColoState.edu

Academic Resource Center Manager

Queens College’s Academic Support Center seeks an Academic Resource Center Manager to supervise its Academic Support Laboratory, content tutoring program, and reading tutoring program, and to design and implement instructional interventions to help prepare students for the CUNY Assessment Test in Reading (a basic skills instrument) and CUNY Proficiency Exam (an instrument to assess readiness for upper division work). Duties include but are not limited to:

•  Managing program development and operations of a learning resource center.

•  Implementing and monitoring a comprehensive student support program based on targeted academic resources such as tutoring, remedial, and/or other related support services.

•  Preparing outcomes assessment to further develop center offerings; setting goals and objectives; and supporting strategic plan.

•  Creating, implementing, and delivering seminars, workshops, and other programs to meet the needs of students and faculty.

•  Collaborating with academic departments and other units to design, execute, and improve center offerings.

•  Overseeing promotional material development and center communications utilizing various media formats.

•  Preparing analytical and statistical reports for management.

•  Managing professional, instructional, and/or clerical staff.

•  May also administer department budget and seek additional funding by identifying new revenue sources and grants.

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and six years’ related experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree plus a minimum of three years experience working in a college learning center, writing center, and/or tutoring program; curriculum development experience at the college level in the area of reading, writing, and/or ESL; and college level administrative experience managing basic skills and/or academic support programs.

Compensation: $$55,602–$74,133, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits: CUNY offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees and eligible dependents based on job title and classification. Employees are also offered pension and Tax-Deferred Savings Plans.

How to Apply: Closing date is March 5, 2010. Applicants MUST apply online via www.cuny.edu/jobs/index.html; under the heading Additional Job Postings, click on CUNYfirst and search jobs at Queens College.

Please be sure to upload cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references as a single file.

Academic Support Center

Queens College, CUNY

Flushing, New York

AA/EOE/IRCA/ADA

By February 1, please nominate articles for the 2009 Outstanding Article Award.  The award will be given at the IWCA Collaborative at Cs.  Please note the policies, criteria, and nominating process below.

The following policies should be noted:
* Nominated publications must be dated within the calendar year for which awards are being considered (2009).
* Publications may appear in print or digital venues.
* The IWCA welcomes submissions from scholars and researchers at all stages of their academic careers, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and adjuncts, but notes that all submissions will be evaluated in the same way and with the same criteria.
* The IWCA welcomes single-authored and collaboratively authored works.

Criteria for the IWCA Scholarship Awards:
1. The publication addresses one or more issues of long-term interest to writing center administrators, theorists, and/or practitioners.
2. The publication discusses theories, practices, or policies that contribute to a richer understanding of writing center theory and practice.
3. The publication shows sensitivity toward the situated contexts in which writing centers exist and operate.
4. The publication makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of and research on writing centers.
5. The publication will serve as a strong representative of the scholarship of and research on writing centers.
6. The publication embodies the qualities of compelling and meaningful writing.

Process:
1.  Hard copy option:  Send five copies of the nominated article — along with a short rationale — to Roberta at the address below.
2.  Digital option (preferred):  Send an email to Roberta with your rationale and attach a digital copy of the nominated article.

Roberta Kjesrud
Western Washington University
Writing Center, CH 03
516 High St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-9124
roberta.kjesrud@wwu.edu

In this letter, I plan to

• Introduce IWCA officers and board,
• Summarize Board Biz, and
• Invite your thoughts and ideas.

If you are anything like I was before I got involved in this enterprise, you may be only vaguely aware of IWCA governance. Who does what? Why? Why should we care? Fair questions! So let me tell you more about Board processes. Although I can’t promise this information will transform your daily writing centered life, I can tell you that the Board very much wants to advance writing centers as an integral teaching and learning enterprise—and we invite your participation in dialogue around this goal.

By way of introduction, on November 21, 2009, at NCTE, we saw the passing of the IWCA gavels (there are two, one for each hand, maybe?). Before I introduce the new officers, let’s acknowledge those stepping into a well-earned break—Clint Gardner (Past President) and Dawn Fels (Secretary). If you see these people in your travels, please thank them for their stellar work—they deserve our enthusiastic appreciation! Continuing in leadership will be Michele Eodice (now Past President, but I call her the Queen Mum), and Harry Denny (Treasurer). As fortunate as we are to rely on their leadership for another two years (yippee!), we also have new officers amongst us (huzzah!), Vice President Nathalie Singh-Corcoran and Secretary Kerri Jordan. And I’ve stepped up from VP to President. If you’ve ever wondered just who represents you on the IWCA Board, visit http://writingcenters.org/governance to find out.

Given this new decade brings some intense challenges for sustaining writing centers, we started our December Board meeting by throwing out our usual agenda. Instead we enjoyed dialogue around two talking points: summarizing past successes and brainstorming priorities for a new decade. Nineteen board members participated in the discussion via virtual classroom. Here are some of our thoughts.

Successes from Decade 2000

Strong regionals: Regional representatives to the Board, including Europe, report strong and growing participation. Although some may feel national conferences are more rigorous, in fact the strong presence of students at regional conferences really fires up the level of engagement and encourages professionals to embrace “unconference” innovations (see the MWCA for more on the unconference philosophy). Particularly challenged by the weak economy, SWCA leaders are planning multi-site mini-regionals, so that professional development remains affordable for both peers and directors.

Student voices: Given students’ generative role in our scholarship, the initiative to plan conjoined IWCA/NCPTW conferences is a previous success we will carry forward into at least the first conference of the new decade, IWCA/NCPTW 2010, Baltimore.

Professional development: The IWCA actively supports professional development in multiple ways, including awarding research grants, acknowledging outstanding scholarship, supporting the Summer Institute, sponsoring the now-yearly IWCA Collaborative at Cs and the now-biennial IWCA conference, and offering materials through the website.

Priorities for Decade 2010

Advocacy strategies: Given threatening economic pressures, many expressed a need for research and models directors can leverage to advocate for programs amongst university, community college, and K-12 campus communities. Some ideas include program assessment using external evaluators, political action strategies, a collection of assessments and results, and an advocacy section on the website.

Expanding the Summer Institute (SI): Two ideas surfaced for expanding the SI: run two tracks, one for new-career and one for mid-career directors, or, use the Institute to equip regional scholars to facilitate Institutes in multiple regions. Doing the latter would make this extended professional development opportunity accessible to more people.

New website server: Although the new website design is highly attractive, functionality has been limited by server difficulties. Migrating to a full-service server is a top priority for the web editorial committee.

Policy on honoring multiliteracies: The IWCA should develop a policy advocating a pedagogy of multiliteracies honoring the linguistic differences of multilingual and multicultural writers. The NCTE Board recently passed a resolution we may be able to endorse.

If by now you are thinking the IWCA is a vibrant organization with impressive accomplishments, I heartily agree. And how wonderful that our Board representatives aren’t content with laurel-resting but instead have a rich vision for moving ahead! Although I’m tempted to say “let’s get to it,” I want to linger in this new-decade envisioning space long enough to allow the membership a voice in shaping our agenda. For a moment, let’s just pause from our doing and reconnect with what this work means to us.

May I set the stage with a seeming non sequitur (I’ll connect, I promise)? Does anyone remember the children’s TV show Romper Room? For those who aren’t of a certain age (and no, I won’t be specific about what that age is), the hostess, Miss Nancy, used to peer through an imaginary mirror into her TV audience, saying: “Romper, bomper, stomper, boo; tell me, Magic Mirror, do: have all my friends had fun at play? I see Suzie, and Sammy, and Antonio, and Kelly….” Even though she never called my name, I was convinced Miss Nancy could see me.

So this is your Board, asking you to imagine we see YOU, because we really do want to know if you’ve had fun at play today. Given new pressures created by challenging times, many of us have more difficulty than ever associating “fun” and “play” with writing center work. Of course frustration has its place in goal-setting. But I’d really like to anchor our envisioning in fun, because I think goals that emerge from play fuel our passion for this work. And I’m convinced that as we sustain ourselves, we also sustain the heart of our pedagogy.

So here’s Miss Roberta asking you: “How have you had fun at play today? In what ways can the IWCA make your work more fun, more playful, more fulfilling, more sustainable?”