Registration is now open for the 2019 Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Meeting in the Middle, to take place at the UNC-Charlotte Center City campus on Friday, February 8, 2019.
Please visit this website to register. For more information on proposing to speak at the conference, please see the CFP at this website. Proposals are due by Friday, January 18, and the deadline to register for the conference is Friday, February 1.
CWPA announces its (lucky) Thirteenth Annual Spring Conference: Meeting in the Middle.
Wild, wacky weather in the Carolinas means that this year’s MitM will mark a full year since Carolinas Writing Program Administrators members and friends will have had an opportunity to gather. We have much to catch up on, and much to celebrate!
Our theme for this year’s meeting will be reflection—specifically, metacognition in the writing classroom. Metacognition—monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting one’s own approaches to learning—is essential for a writer’s development. Wendy Sharer and Kerri Flinchbaugh from East Carolina University will lead us in a workshop that focuses on two related areas: 1) strategies for helping students develop metacognitive awareness of their writing processes, and 2) promoting metacognitive pedagogy through WAC–based professional development. Time will be provided for participants to begin planning activities and assignments for their courses and/or to sketch out structures for metacognition-focused faculty workshops.
The lunch break will give you time to check in with colleagues about the “AP3 issue” in North Carolina, meet with others on tenure- or non-tenure track appointments about shared concerns, and any other special interests that span institution and state boundaries.
Other folks will have an opportunity to share their work during afternoon concurrent sessions. See the full CFP below.
And everyone is invited to celebrate our 15th anniversary and the transition to a slightly new executive team: Collie Fulford will be transitioning to past-president, Paula Patch to president, and Kevin Brock to president-elect.
Friday, February 8, 2019
10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with optional Friday evening events)
UNC Charlotte Center City Building
320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Theme: Reflection and Celebration: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Proposal deadline: Friday, January 18, 2019. We have a quick turnaround, and presenters will be notified by Tuesday, January 22, so they have plenty of time to make travel arrangements.
You are entirely welcome to attend without presenting, but those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda. This may help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals. We encourage individual or team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching or administrative positions related to writing. We also welcome creative interpretation – and deviation – from this year’s theme of Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom. Three different presentation types reflect members’ interests:
A proposal must include the following:
Please use this proposal form to submit your proposal.
Because of the shorter format of Meeting in the Middle, we are not able to accommodate all of the presentations we had planned for Wildacres. If you submitted a proposal that was accepted for Wildacres, we strongly encourage you to submit a proposal for Meeting in the Middle.
The Executive Board of Carolinas Writing Program Administrators invites nominations for three positions: 1) President-Elect, 2) At-Large South Carolina Representative, and 3) At-Large North Carolina Representative.
The Carolinas WPA serves as an affiliate of the Council of Writing Program Administrators. All Executive Board members should be members of both the Council of Writing Program Administrators and the Carolinas WPA (or be willing to obtain such memberships upon election to the board).
Review the open positions below. You may nominate yourself or someone else with their permission. Those elected are expected to attend our upcoming February “Meeting in the Middle” at UNC-Charlotte and the annual fall conference.
This nomination requires the nominee’s name, role at their institution (assistant professor, doctoral student, etc.), their institutional affiliation, the role for which they are nominated, and a brief biographical statement from the nominee to be included on the ballot.
The Executive Board will announce the new board members and their respective positions after the votes have been verified.
1. President-Elect
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021, and is expected to move into the President role upon completing a term as President-Elect.
The President-Elect is responsible for organizing the Meeting in the Middle (working with the host institution, developing the theme, inviting speaker/s, food, program, etc.) in collaboration with the President. Second, the President-Elect works directly with the President to encourage a Carolinas WPA presence at other conferences (such as CCCC, CWPA, TYCA, NCETA, SAMLA and/or NCEI). The President-Elect also helps in other capacities like contributing to the Annual Fall Conference each year.
2. At-Large Position: South Carolina Representative
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021.
3. At-Large Position: North Carolina Representative
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021.
At-Large positions on the board serve multiple purposes. One is to ensure representation from both states (NC/SC). Another is to conduct outreach within the representative state to recruit other members from NC/SC and community colleges. At-Large positions help to organize both the Meeting in the Middle and the Annual Fall Retreat. At-Large positions are responsible for managing or otherwise putting together panels for conferences like SAMLA, TYCA, NCETA and/or NCEI. They may contribute in other ways as initiatives arise.
Please recall that only active Carolinas WPA members can vote! To renew your annual membership prior to voting, you can visit the Carolinas WPA website. The cost of annual membership is just $20.00 for tenure track faculty and $10.00 for all other positions.
The following is a message from Carolinas WPA President, Collie Fulford.
Dear Carolinas WPA members, conference presenters, and other participants:
It is with everyone’s safety in mind that the board and I have decided to cancel the conference at Wildacres that was planned from September 17-19.
We yield to the urgency of Hurricane Florence.
After the storm has passed we will determine whether we can attempt a new fall date at Wildacres or whether to wait until our spring conference to reconvene. We will reimburse all conference fees if we are unable to reschedule, and we will of course refund any who cannot attend during a new date.
I appreciate all of the hard work of the board, the presenters, our keynote and workshop leaders, and the Wildacres staff as we prepared for this conference. Right now it is simply more important to prepare for the storm.
Be safe, friends. I hope to have more specifics for registrants next week about new plans to learn from and support each other in writing leadership.
Collie
The Wildacres staff and the Carolinas WPA board are keeping an eye on the forecast for Hurricane Florence.
Please look for an email update by Thursday, September 13 regarding the status of our fall conference in light of this storm.
If we decide to cancel or postpone the conference, more details will follow on Thursday.
If we decide to hold the conference on the current dates, we will honor individual decisions about whether to travel or not. Those who cannot attend will receive a full registration refund. (Reminder: Monday, September 10 is the last day to register.)
Many thanks for your patience as we await more weather information.
Collie Fulford
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2018 Carolinas WPA fall conference at Wildacres is now open. You may visit the fall conference website to learn more about the conference and to find links to registration for single persons or up to five persons at a time.
Please note that this year’s conference fee is either $210 or $220 per person, depending on the registrant’s status, and long-sleeve T-shirts commemorating Carolinas WPA’s 15th anniversary are available for $15 apiece.
The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 10, 2018.
If you have questions about registration, please contact the Carolinas WPA President, Collie Fulford.
September 17-19, 2018 | Wildacres Retreat, Little Switzerland, NC (Directions) | $220/$210 (includes 2 nights lodging, 5 meals)
Monday Evening Keynote Speaker: Wendy Sharer, East Carolina University
Tuesday Workshop Leaders: Wendy Sharer and Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh, East Carolina University
Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom
Metacognition—monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting one’s own approaches to learning—is essential for a writer’s development. Our Monday evening interactive session will introduce participants to research about and fundamental practices for fostering metacognition.
Our Tuesday workshop will focus on two related areas: 1) strategies for helping students develop metacognitive awareness of their writing processes, and 2) promoting metacognitive pedagogy through WAC–based professional development. Time will be provided for participants to begin planning activities and assignments for their courses and/or to sketch out structures for metacognition-focused faculty workshops.
Conference Schedule and Format. The conference begins at 5:00 pm on Monday, September 17, and concludes at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 19. Wendy Sharer’s Monday evening interactive keynote session on metacognition will be followed by a full day Tuesday of workshops and presentations for and by writing teachers and program administrators. Non-tenure track members and attendees are invited to gather to talk shop and make connections during the NTT Network portion of the retreat. Paula Patch will convene that group. Unscripted time will be available, too, on the beautiful mountaintop of Wildacres Retreat, with a closing session Wednesday morning. All meals are provided.
Wildacres Retreat is a low-tech, informal setting conducive to relaxing, collaborating, and learning with friends and colleagues across the Carolinas. We welcome teams or solo participants from across our region.
Call for Proposals. You are entirely welcome to attend without presenting, but those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda. This may help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals.
We encourage individual or team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching, research, or administrative positions related to writing. We also welcome creative interpretation – and deviation – from this year’s theme of Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom.
Three different presentation types reflect members’ interests:
Proposals include:
Submit your proposal by completing this online proposal form.
Registration and Cost. The registration fee of $220 for full-time tenure track faculty and $210 for other faculty and graduate students includes 2 nights’ lodging, and 5 meals at Wildacres, as well as all conference materials and annual voting membership in Carolinas Writing Program Administrators.
Deadline. Conferencegoers must register by 11:59PM Monday, September 10, 2018.
Plans changed? Registration will be fully refunded if we are notified by 11:59PM Friday, September 7.
Questions or Comments? – Contact Collie Fulford, cfulfor1@nccu.edu
Keynote Speaker and Workshop Leader: Wendy Sharer
Wendy Sharer is professor of English at East Carolina University where she directs the Quality Enhancement Plan, “Write Where You Belong.” Previously, she was ECU’s Director of Writing Foundations for six years. Her interests include composition pedagogy, writing program administration, feminist theory, and the history of rhetoric and composition. She has served as President of the Carolinas Writing Program Administrators and has just completed a term on the Executive Committees of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). Additionally, she is Vice President of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC) and a member of the editorial boards for the journals WPA: Writing Program Administration and Peitho (the journal of CFSHRC). Now that her term as QEP Director is wrapping up, she plans to return to a research project focused on writing instruction in the camps of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s.
Workshop Leader: Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh
Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh is a former high school English teacher who currently serves as the Assistant Director of East Carolina University’s University Writing Program while also working on a PhD in Rhetoric, Writing, and Professional Communication. As Assistant Director, she coordinates and facilitates faculty development on various aspects of teaching and utilizing writing in courses across the disciplines, develops and organizes programmatic assessment, and directs ECU’s WAC Academy and Advanced Academy – a series of workshops fashioned after the National Writing Project model of professional development for instructors from across the university. She also serves on the leadership team for the Tar River Writing Project. Her research and academic interests include writing studies, writing center & program administration, identity theory, transfer of writing skills, and threshold concepts in composition across the disciplines. At this time, she is focusing on finishing and defending her dissertation.
Friday, February 16, 2018
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
(optional Thursday and Friday evening events)
UNC-Charlotte Center City Building
320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Proposal deadline: Friday, February 2, 2018
Carolinas Writing Program Administrators is accepting proposals for its Twelfth Annual Spring Conference, Meeting in the Middle.
Connections, collaborations, coalitions. Effecting change—whether in working conditions or website resources—requires sustained and supported efforts of groups of people who share common goals, values, and vision. It helps if they also share disciplinary identity and language. In their chapter in the recently published collection Surviving Sexism in Academia: Strategies for Feminist Leadership, compositionists Jennifer Heinert and Cassandra Phillips describe the characteristics of effective coalitions: “A coalition has common goals, works purposely toward them, and shares credit and responsibility for the work. Creating a coalition begins with identifying, including, and supporting colleagues who share values, concerns, and goals. On the surface, this may seem like an easy task, but it involves establishing regular communication and developing trust over time” (“From Feminized to Feminist Labor”).
This year’s Meeting in the Middle is designed to give writing program administrators and faculty time and space to find the people who share their values, concerns, and goals. Acknowledging that the work in front of us, whether teaching, research, or activism, is more than one individual person, program, or school often has time or resources to tackle well, we encourage you to find partners to share the load. We are, as has been said, better together.
We invite proposals for brief presentations that might address the following:
You are entirely welcome to attend the Meeting in the Middle without presenting, but those who declare what they are working on in advance will be listed on the formal agenda, which may help with self-advocating for travel funding.
Your proposals also help us plan appropriate interest groups and design workshop activities around your goals.
We welcome creative interpretation of the theme and goals. This forum is appropriate for work that would benefit from feedback and focused workshop time. Carolinas WPA welcomes individual and team projects at any stage of development and from people working in any teaching or administrative positions related to writing in the Carolinas.
Conference Format
A featured talk on strategies for cross-institutional collaboration led by Carolinas WPA member Jessie Moore will be followed by small breakout interest groups and writing activities. Those presenting should prepare for 15-20 minutes per person to discuss their work-in-progress and seek feedback from those with shared interests.
Proposals
Each proposal should be 250 – 500 words including the following:
Submit it via email to Collie Fulford (cfulfor1@nccu.edu) and Paula Patch (ppatch@elon.edu) by 12:00 midnight Friday, February 2, 2018, using the subject line “MinM Proposal yourlastname.”
Questions or Comments? – Contact Paula Patch at ppatch@elon.edu.
Registration
The registration price of $40.00 includes lunch and the opportunity to bring a guest for free. Carpooling encouraged. Recommended: Add $6.00 per car to prepay parking.
Registration opens soon on the Carolinas WPA website.
Parking
UNC-Charlotte Center City charges Carolinas WPA $6 for each event parking pass. Passholders have access to a lot very close to the conference building. If you prepay for a parking pass, we will email guidelines for printing your pass the week of the conference. If you choose not to prepay, you will need to find an alternate parking location.
Hotels
We are delighted to announce the results of the most recent election of Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Executive Board members! The following folks will join the Board for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2018:
Congratulations to the new Board members!
To Vote: If you are on cwpa@lists.carolinaswpa.org, you will receive an email with a ballot link. Voting closes Sunday, November 26 at 11:59 p.m.
Representatives serve two year terms from January 2018-January 2020.
Candidate for South Carolina At-Large Representative (vote for one)
Jessica Ulmer is an instructor of English at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC and a doctoral student in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Though she began teaching at the middle and high school level back in 2006, as she was completing her second master’s degree, Jessi began teaching at the two-year college level in Massachusetts and Rhode Island while searching for full time work. She soon joined the Two-Year College Association of NCTE and realized her love for all things two-year college. As such, Jessica has been working on an article for Teaching English in the Two Year College called “Writing about Writing at the Two-Year College,” stemming from her master’s thesis on the same topic. She has presented about this at the annual conferences for the Two-Year College Association – NorthEast chapter, the Two-Year College Association – SouthEast chapter, the Two-Year College Association – West chapter and the Council of Writing Program Administrators. An avid proponent for quality composition instruction across the Carolinas, Jessi presented at Wildacres in September 2017 about “Building Bridges” across both states in terms of English department collegiality and composition pedagogy. Since returning to Columbia, she has begun researching WPAs and department chairs at all of the colleges across South Carolina, in the hopes of bolstering SC attendance at CarWPA events as well.
Candidates for North Carolina At-Large Representative (vote for one)
Cat Mahaffey is the Associate Director of First-Year Writing and a Senior Lecturer in the University Writing Program at UNC Charlotte. She also serves as a Quality Matters Faculty Fellow for the Distance Education Department at UNC Charlotte. Cat has been an active member of Carolinas WPA for five years. Her research interests include online writing instruction (OWI), digital composition, technical and professional writing, and accessibility. Her list of professional affiliations includes the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA), the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE) and the OWI Standing Group of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC).
Jan Rieman is a Senior Lecture in the University Writing Program at UNC Charlotte where she currently serves at First-Year Writing Director. She has taught First-Year Writing for over twenty years at a number of different institutions, from small, private colleges to large, public universities like UNC Charlotte, where she has been since 2007. Her research interests include writing program assessment, translingualism, and anti-racist writing assessment. She is co-editor of Next-Steps: New Directions in Writing about Writing, forthcoming from Utah State UP. Jan has been an active member of Carolinas WPA for five years and is interested in continuing to build on the collective power of the group to affect change for good in the current landscape of higher education in the Carolinas.