Announcing AWAC Writing Groups!

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During this time of continued social distancing, campus closures, and remote instruction, you may be feeling disconnected from your professional communities. To help build community support for our members, the AWAC Research and Publications Committee is proud to announce a new initiative to match interested members together into writing groups! Writing groups typically take one of three forms, but of course group members can decide how they want their groups to run (e.g., synchronous versus asynchronous).

  • Concurrent Writing Group (Low time commitment, low interaction, little structure): Participants meet weekly and write at the same time. Participants might check in on their progress at the beginning and/or end of the session.
  • Accountability Writing Group (Low time commitment, high interaction, moderate structure): Participants meet weekly to discuss progress on last week’s goals, set goals for the upcoming week, and share.
  • Peer Response Group (Moderate time commitment, high interaction, moderate structure): Participants meet weekly to give feedback on developing drafts. Response Groups can choose for all members to share a bit of writing (about two pages) every week or focus on one member’s longer draft each week.

Writing groups are open to current AWAC members. Please visit the AWAC membership page to become a member.

If you are already a member and are interested in participating in a writing group, please fill out this registration survey by Sunday, August 30th. We will respond to participants with their group contact information and additional resources by Tuesday, September 8th. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Basgier, Interim Co-Chair of the AWAC Research and Publications Committee, at chris.basgier@auburn.edu.

Call for Mentors & Mentees: WAC-GO Cross-Institutional Mentoring Project

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The Writing Across the Curriculum Graduate Organization (WAC-GO) is pleased to call for mentors and mentees to participate in the 2020-21 Cross-Institutional Mentoring Project.

Because many graduate students interested in WAC do not have access to mentoring relationships or WAC coursework at their institutions, the Cross-Institutional Mentoring Project pairs graduate students interested in WAC/WID work with faculty mentors at a different institution.

Participants in the program define and develop their reciprocal mentoring relationship by setting their own goals, expectations, and activities over the academic year. Participants are encouraged to commit no more than 6 hours per semester on the mentoring project. This Best Practices guide details more ideas and expectations for mentors and mentees in the program. 

To become a mentor or mentee: Complete this brief, 8-minute survey (https://forms.gle/XbKm4Nfvs5zoHMWRA) by August 24, 2020. 

We will only use these survey results to best match mentors and mentees based on shared interests and goals. 

Email wacgo10@gmail.com with any questions you may have. We look forward to making connections across institutions!

2020 WACSI Has Been Postponed to August 1-4, 2021

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Those registered for the 2020 WACSI will receive first priority for what is now the 2021 WACSI.

2020 AWAC Annual Open Business Meeting via Zoom

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All are welcome to attend the 2020 AWAC Annual Open Business Meeting, which will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, June 9, 3:30-5:00 pm EDT.

At this meeting, the Executive Board will present the annual report and committees will lead small group discussions to share activities, ask for feedback, and gather ideas.

AWAC members will be emailed a Zoom link; non-AWAC members are welcome and may register here to receive the Zoom link.

Seeking nominations for AWAC/WAC Clearinghouse Awards

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The Association for Writing Across the Curriculum and the WAC Clearinghouse are seeking nominations for awards that recognize contributions to the WAC community through scholarship and achievements. 

Awardees will be recognized at the 2021 International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference (IWAC). Winners will receive an engraved plaque; winners will also be listed on the AWAC website and receive a letter for their promotion and/or tenure files.

Nomination deadline: March 1, 2021. Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged.

Originally, these awards were planned to be given at the 2020 IWAC Conference. As the conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new deadline was set. Nominations collected during 2019 will remain included.

Questions may be directed to Mike Palmquist (mike.palmquist@colostate.edu) and Michelle Cox (michelle.cox@cornell.edu).

See below for award criteria and nomination information for each award.

Publication Awards

These awards recognize significant contributions to WAC scholarship. All nominated publications must have been published in 2018, 2019, or 2020. To make a nomination, email a brief letter with the following information to the award committee chair: bibliographic information for the work being nominated; a brief (250 word) rationale for your nomination; if handy, the email address(es) of the author(s) of the work being nominated; if handy, a PDF of or link to an open-access version of the work being nominated. If the work is a non-open-access book, the award committee chair will contact the publisher for copies. 

Award Description Award Committee Chair
Best WAC Monograph This award recognizes the best authored book (including books by multiple authors) that makes an exceptional contribution to WAC scholarship, including (but not limited to) WAC programming, administration, pedagogy, and impact.  Susan Wolff Murphy
susan.murphy@tamucc.edu 
Best WAC Edited Collection This award recognizes the best edited collection that makes an exceptional contribution to WAC scholarship, including (but not limited to) WAC programming, administration, pedagogy, and impact.  David Russell
drrussel@iastate.edu 
Best WAC Dissertation This award recognizes the best dissertation that makes an exceptional contribution to WAC scholarship, including (but not limited to) WAC programming, administration, pedagogy, and impact. The dissertation must have been accepted by a degree-granting institution and the writer of the dissertation must have received the degree during 2018, 2019, or 2020. Joan Mullin
jmulli40@uncc.edu  
Best WAC Article or Chapter Focused on Research This award recognizes a research-based article or chapter that makes an exceptional contribution to WAC. Nominated work should primarily offer the methodology and results of a research study, even if the findings have programmatic, theoretical, or pragmatic implications. Mya Poe
m.poe@northeastern.edu
Best WAC Article or Chapter Focused on Pedagogy, Theory, or Practice This award recognizes the best article or chapter that makes an exceptional contribution to WAC scholarship in the areas of pedagogy, theory or practice. Nominated work should primarily offer us theoretical ways of approaching WAC work, discussions of program design and operation, or insights regarding pedagogy, even if this work is based in research. Heather Falconer
heather.falconer@curry.edu

Achievement Awards

These awards recognize significant contributions of scholars who have made significant contributions to the field of WAC through scholarship, service, or innovative program administration. To make a nomination, email a brief letter with the following information to the award committee chair: the name of the nominee; a brief (250 word) rationale for your nomination; if handy, the email address of the nominee.

Award Description Award committee chair
Early Career Contributions to the Field This award recognizes early career scholars (i.e. graduate students and scholars in the first nine years of their academic career) who have made significant contributions to the field of WAC through scholarship, service, and/or innovative program administration.  Bill Macauley, Jr.
wmacauleyjr@unr.edu
Distinguished Fellow This award recognizes distinguished scholars (i.e. scholars in field for 10 years plus) who have made significant contributions to the field of WAC through scholarship, service, or innovative program administration.   Brian Hendrickson
bhendrickson@rwu.edu 
Diversity and Inclusion This award recognizes scholars (i.e. graduate students, early career, and distinguished) who have promoted diversity and inclusion in the field of WAC through scholarship, service, or innovative program administration.   Maureen Ann Mathison
maureen.mathison@utah.edu

Virtual WAC Discussion Groups

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Given the cancellation of CCCC, the WAC Standing Group and the AWAC Mentoring Committee will hold a remote discussion about WAC on Friday, March 27th from 4:30-5:30 Eastern Time via Zoom. You can access the meeting using this link:https://auburn.zoom.us/j/336120768

We’re excited to have leaders prepared to facilitate discussion on the following topics:

  1. WAC in Times of Disruption (Laurie Ann Britt-Smith and Joan Mullin) 
  2. WAC Theory and Research (Dan Melzer)
  3. WAC Programs Just Getting Started (Jeff Galin) 
  4. Established WAC Programs (Michelle Cox and Joanna Johnson)
  5. WAC at two-year colleges (Mary McMullen Light)
  6. WAC Faculty Development (Jennifer Juszkiewicz and Lee Nickoson)

Chris Basgier be managing the main room for people who aren’t sure where they want to go first. That said, to aid in sorting participants into relevant breakout rooms via Zoom, we’re asking you to please register in advance using this link and indicate which breakout room you would like to attend first. (You can always switch breakouts later on.) Please register by 12:00 p.m. eastern on Friday! 

If you have any questions, please let Chris know (chris.basgier@auburn.edu). Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you at the end of the week.

Call for Proposals for an AWAC-sponsored panel at ALES

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The International Collaborations Committee is organizing an AWAC-sponsored panel for the Latin American Association for the Study of Writing in Higher Education and Professional Contexts (ALES), which will take place in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, November 9-11, 2020. They are seeking proposals from AWAC members who wish to be panelists. Read the full call here. Proposals are due by February 29, 2020.

2020 AWAC Election Results

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The AWAC Executive Board is excited to announce the results of the 2020 AWAC Election.

Ann Blakeslee, Eastern Michigan University, has been elected to the position of Incoming Chair of AWAC, effective July 1, 2020. She will serve for three years, rotating to the positions of Chair and Past Chair.

Pamela Flash of the University of Minnesota and Michael Pemberton of Georgia Southern University will serve as Co-chairs of the IWAC Committee. Until their terms start (July 1, 2020), they will serve as Interim Co-chairs, in place of Margaret Marshall, who has stepped down. We thank Margaret for her leadership as the inaugural chair of this committee.

Kristi Girdharry of Babson College will serve as Co-Chair of the Communications Committee. Until her term starts (July 1, 2020), she will serve as Interim Co-chair, alongside Lisa Tremain, as nominated by the Communications Committee and approved by the Executive Committee.

Also on the 2020 AWAC ballot was a change to the articles of incorporation to expand the Executive board from 19 to 25 members, to allow for co-chairs and the formation of new committees. This change passed, with 95.49% of voters in favor of the change.

We thank all AWAC members who took part in this election. The next election will be in January 2021, when the positions of Incoming Chair and Committee Chairs for all but the IWAC Committee will be open.

IWAC Graduate Student Travel Awards

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The Association for Writing Across the Curriculum and WAC-GO is excited to announce four graduate student registration scholarshipsfor the upcoming International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference to be held June 3-6, 2020 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO.

Only graduate students who are members of AWAC are eligible for these awards. Graduate students who are interested in AWAC membership should contact the Board (admin@wacassociation.org) to inquire about the availability of sponsored graduate student memberships.

Applications are due April 1, 2020. More details about the scholarship are available here.

Call for IWAC 2022 Hosting Proposals Released

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The IWAC Conference Committee invites proposals for hosting the 2022 International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference. The call can be found at https://iwac.colostate.edu/host/. 

Proposals should contain relevant information that will help the committee decide why the IWAC conference should be hosted by your institution or a consortium of institutions that you have organized; whether the proposed location is convenient and affordable for international travelers; and whether the hosts have sufficient space, institutional support, and the resources to help run the conference.

Proposals are due April 1, 2020 and should be sent via email to iwac2020@gmail.com. Proposers should be members of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum. 

For additional information, contact Mike Palmquist, IWAC 2020 conference director, at iwac2020@gmail.com.