{"id":8275,"date":"2018-02-05T15:36:07","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T20:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/faculty-engagement\/?p=8275"},"modified":"2019-02-17T13:18:40","modified_gmt":"2019-02-17T18:18:40","slug":"stetson-hosts-small-liberal-arts-colleges-writing-program-administrators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/2018\/02\/8275\/","title":{"rendered":"Stetson hosts Small Liberal Arts Colleges Writing Program Administrators | Stetson Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This story was reprinted in its entirety from\u00a0Stetson Today<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

By Leigh Ann Dunning<\/em><\/p>\n

The Stetson University Writing Program & Writing Center hosted the 11th<\/span>\u00a0annual Small Liberal Arts Colleges Writing Program Administrators (SLAC-WPA) conference Jan. 12-13, which brought 40+ writing administrators to Stetson from Dennison University, Pomona College, Davidson College and Bucknell University, among others.<\/p>\n

Discussion at the conference centered around this year\u2019s conference theme, \u201cReading and Writing with Agency in the Liberal Arts.\u201d The theme ignited meaningful conversation on how writing-intensive curriculums and courses, as well as writing centers and writing fellows programs, can empower student writers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Stetson, student agency\u2014autonomy, individuality and self-efficacy\u2014is probably at the top of the list\u00a0of\u00a0reasons we exist as a college. Like most SLAC schools, we intend to graduate students who can create and lead meaningful lives, who take our education out into the world to make it better,\u201d explained Megan O\u2019Neill, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Program. \u201cThe synchronicity of the conference theme and Stetson\u2019s own interests created a very productive and thoughtful space for us. I\u2019m going to be processing what I heard about for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>During the conference,\u00a0tutors Vanessa Petion, from left to right, and\u00a0Jeanette Jakupca gave tours of the Stetson University Writing Center. They are pictured with Megan O\u2019Neill, associate professor of English and director of Stetson\u2019s Writing Program, and Leigh Ann Dunning, director of the Writing Center and assistant director of the Writing Program.<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAt Stetson, student agency\u2014autonomy, individuality and self-efficacy\u2014is probably at the top of the list\u00a0of\u00a0reasons we exist as a college. Like most SLAC schools, we intend to graduate students who can create and lead meaningful lives, who take our education out into the world to make it better,\u201d explained Megan O\u2019Neill, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Program. \u201cThe synchronicity of the conference theme and Stetson\u2019s own interests created a very productive and thoughtful space for us. I\u2019m going to be processing what I heard about for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Director of the Writing Center and Assistant Director of the Writing Program, I was thrilled when O\u2019Neill suggested that we host the conference at Stetson. I was particularly interested in networking with writing center administrators from campuses across the United States who share similar institutional values, missions and curricula history as Stetson. I knew that much of what was being discussed about student agency could be integrated into our SU tutor education program.<\/p>\n

The conference\u2019s small size and collaborative activities, such as speed-shares of ongoing research projects and roundtable discussions, forged a close-knit group. Jill Gladstein, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Associates Program at Swarthmore College, described the impetus for this group\u2019s creation a little over 11 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were three of us who met at a larger writing administrator conference in Tempe, Arizona, and we felt like it wasn\u2019t talking to our specific context of small liberal arts colleges.\u201d She said, \u201cWe thought\u2014What if we got a group of administrators from SLACs together in the same room? What would happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stetson University hosted the 11th annual Small Liberal Arts Colleges Writing Program Administrators (SLAC-WPA) on Jan. 12-13.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

From its conception, SLAC-WPA was a success. Gladstein hosted the first SLAC-WPA conference at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in 2008. Since then, the group has written by-laws, established a rotating Executive Committee, and held yearly conferences. O\u2019Neill, who has attended several of the previous 10 conferences, said, \u201cI wanted to learn about what others have done in situations I face at Stetson. By\u00a0listening to colleagues at peer schools who work in the same SLAC world as I do, I\u2019ve been able to capitalize on existing strengths, hear about innovations that would probably not even get piloted at a larger school, and create a network of resources that benefit writing instruction at Stetson.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, a number of initiatives in the Stetson Writing Program came to fruition as a result of hearing from administrators at other SLACs: Writing Fellows, for example, is one such initiative. Fellows are embedded within writing-intensive courses across the disciplines, which is one more way the Writing Center benefits our students. After learning about the successful implementation of Writing Fellows Programs at other SLACS,\u00a0 Stetson piloted a small program in 2016. The program has continued to grow since.<\/p>\n

The conference kicked off on Friday night, Jan. 12, at the Daytona Plaza Resort and Spa with presentations, a reception and dinner. Attendees of the conference spent all day Saturday on Stetson\u2019s campus. As Megan and I reflect on the conference, we are very thankful for the administrators, faculty, staff and writing center tutors who supported us in hosting the conference.<\/p>\n

[This story was reprinted in its entirety from\u00a0Stetson Today<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This story was reprinted in its entirety from\u00a0Stetson Today] By Leigh Ann Dunning The Stetson University Writing Program & Writing Center hosted the 11th\u00a0annual Small Liberal Arts Colleges Writing Program Administrators (SLAC-WPA) conference Jan. 12-13, which brought 40+ writing administrators to Stetson from Dennison University, Pomona College, Davidson College and Bucknell University, among others. Discussion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[174],"class_list":["post-8275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-excellence","tag-stetson-today"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8275"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10069,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8275\/revisions\/10069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.stetson.edu\/brown-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}