Eighth Annual Carolinas WPA Conference at Wildacres
Call for Proposals
Grants: Finding and Applying for Funding Opportunities
September 19-21, 2011 | Wildacres Retreat, Little Switzerland, NC
*Proposal deadline: Friday, July 15th*
Conference Theme and Design
In these lean financial times, resources for innovative program development, curriculum design, and WPA-related research is very difficult to come by. As a result, WPAs increasingly need to take part in internal and external grant competitions. To help with this intimidating and often labor intensive process, the Carolinas Council of Writing Program Administrators will focus its annual fall gathering at Wildacres Retreat Center on “Finding and Applying for Funding Opportunities.” The meeting will provide information to help participants identify relevant funding sources and will provide instruction in and hands-on working time for writing grant proposals. We envision the meeting as a terrific opportunity for you and colleagues from your program to locate and begin to pursue grant money, and we hope that the occasion will also give rise to some cross-institutional funding proposals.
Conference Schedule and Format
The format of the conference will encourage full engagement of participants from a broad variety of institutions and programs. We will mix small, working group discussions with larger presentations about grant seeking and grant writing.
The conference will begin at 5:00 pm on Monday, September 19, and will conclude at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 21.
Featured session leaders include (more may be added)
- Michelle Eble, East Carolina
- Susan Miller-Cochran, NC State
- Tim Peeples, Elon
- Lynn Rhodes, USC Aiken
Proposals
We invite proposals from individuals or groups from schools across the Carolinas. Each proposal should be no more than 700 words and should contain the following:
1) A description of a project or set of related projects that you and your colleagues (if applicable) hope to secure funding to pursue.
2) A brief overview of the possible costs involved with this project or set of projects. Rough estimates are fine.
3) A list of grant-related concerns that you have and/or issues that you would like to discuss with others at the conference.
4) A brief overview of any fund-seeking successes–research or teaching/administration related–you have had in the past (if applicable).
5) The names and contact information (email and phone) for each person affiliated with the proposal.
Please be sure to title your proposal and submit it via email to Wendy Sharer (sharerw@ecu.edu) by Friday, July 15, 2011.
Titles and authors of accepted proposals will be included on the conference schedule as formal presentations/contributions. We hope this will open up travel funding for all participants.
NOTE: You do not need to present to attend the conference, but if presenting will help you secure funding, we hope you will consider submitting a proposal either individually or with some colleagues from your institution.
Registration and Cost
The registration price of $165 includes lodging and 5 meals at Wildacres, as well as all conference materials. The registration will open July 15, and the registration deadline is August 31, with no refunds after September 7. Prior to September 7, you may cancel and receive a full refund.
We anticipate that space will be limited. We will maintain a waiting list if you pay the registration fee, which will be returned in full if no openings become available.
Questions or Comments?
Contact Wendy Sharer at sharerw@ecu.edu or 252-328-6698.