tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45891643856036113542024-02-06T21:14:15.877-06:00Writing Center Summer Institute 2008UW-Madison Writing Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05846366446076848833noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-87324727305182199592008-07-28T13:16:00.002-05:002008-07-28T13:22:27.657-05:00Link to information about the film Writing Across BordersHi there,<br />I just sent out an email with a link to the website for the film <em>Writing Across Borders</em>, but I thought I'd also post it on our website as well. This is a really terrific film that grew out of several staff meetings we had several years ago in our writing center. We invited a group of international students who frequently conference in our center to come to a meeting to tell us about their experiences. What they had to say to us was so powerful that we felt that others needed to hear these students' stories.<br /><br />Originally we imagined a low tech, low production value "talking heads" video that we'd use solely for in-house staff training. But my colleague Wayne Robertson, who now teaches and works in the writing center at Whatcom Community College (Bellingham, WA) had a vision of something much more powerful. Thanks to years of work and countless hours of labor, Wayne brought that vision to fruition.<br /><br />Here's a link to the video: <a href="http://cwl.oregonstate.edu/wab/">http://cwl.oregonstate.edu/wab/</a><br /><br />I'm so sorry that I neglected to get copies to the SI--somehow that just fell through the cracks. But it is available at cost via the website.Lisa Edehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859287818372243422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-73355175092261351842008-07-28T11:38:00.002-05:002008-07-28T11:44:23.191-05:00Post SI ReflectionsHi everyone,<br />It's hard to believe that the Summer Institute has come and gone! What an incredible, enriching, thought-provoking, friendship-forming and networking week it was!<br /><br />As in the past two SI's, I came away from the Institute feeling that I had learned more than I had given. All of the sessions were (literally) both productive and powerful for me, but some highlights do stand out: the session on diversity, on online tutoring, the webcast, the tutor education session, the breakout on student leadership positions in the writing center, the discussion of assessment.<br /><br />Hmmm. I seem to be on my way to listing all the plenaries and breakouts, don't I? I guess that's just the nature of the SI.<br /><br />I want to thank everyone who made the SI so successful--and that is literally everyone, leaders and participants. What an honor and privilege it was to be part of this wonderful week!<br /><br />Please do keep in touch, and as various leaders said in our closing lunch, if there's any way I can be helpful don't hesitate to write or call.<br /><br />All best,<br />Lisa<br /><br />PS Paula, I'm very impressed that you know how to post a photo. I still don't know how to do that (and, yes, I know it's supposed to be easy).Lisa Edehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859287818372243422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-86932053383417888562008-07-27T11:30:00.002-05:002008-07-27T12:03:25.883-05:00Post-Summer-Institute reflection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEK2IYR4a88RnYooICA1Tzc0N6JSN4FZqa25j6qVHuvOWOQgjpTZvESFw4WO8fpPYqPFFnqj2asFNquNi4JXS1qile8NfuCc17QoykqUDht-Tq55VMoY7U83RDDLoPXqHBVD6FNzoj1E8/s1600-h/PICT1396.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEK2IYR4a88RnYooICA1Tzc0N6JSN4FZqa25j6qVHuvOWOQgjpTZvESFw4WO8fpPYqPFFnqj2asFNquNi4JXS1qile8NfuCc17QoykqUDht-Tq55VMoY7U83RDDLoPXqHBVD6FNzoj1E8/s200/PICT1396.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227740518734086242" /></a><br />Hi. Today is such a quiet day. As I unpack, I've been reflecting on an intense week and I feel such gratitude to all the participants and other leaders. I knew I would learn from you all, and I have, I have. <br /><br />A new feature of the Summer Institute (and a new tradition?) is the open mic. We held this in the lounge of the SI hotel. They clearly understood open mic events and provided us with high stools and a microphone. Some participants and leaders read original poems and short stories. Others read favorites of theirs. Neal Lerner played an original bluesy piano compostion, and Zach recited O Captain, My Captain while standing on a table. We had poems from Namibian women fighting domestic abuse and AIDS and poems celebrating ceremonies of life and death for Lakotas and for Minnesota Finns, celebrating the traditions of the sauna. We were taken to these places. Jeff ended the evening reading the poem "What Teachers Make," and I believe we were all moved by both the poem and Jeff's renditon of it. We had a very good audience, and as nervous-making as it is to stand up and perform, I think that everyone enjoyed it. <br /><br />I also want to reflect on Writing as Hard Labor. It's not easy to work intensely all day long and then write something. But it's what our students do, and part of the purpose of the exercise was to help us put ourselves in the shoes of the writers and tutors who make our work so meaningful and enjoyable. Lots of groups produced important short documents for their centers. Others worked on dissertation proposals. I brainstormed a note to the dean of residence life that I will finish this week. I got some great advice on it, even though I didn't actually write it. <br /><br />Nancy Grimm's writing group reported at the end (a session called Labor and Delivery), commenting on how exciting it was to be working with Nancy and how they had advanced their projects. We knew that we weren't alloting enough time to writing and consulting/coaching/tutoring sessions, but we had packed the schedule with so many exciting (and some really new) sessions, we didn't want to sacrifice any of them. Our question was always "What would we cut?" We didn't want to cut a thing. <br /><br />We had exciting breakout sessions of podcasting and on computer simulations, on community writing assistance, on student leadership positions, and on writing fellows programs. And we had a demonstration (an optional session) on a program called Transana developed locally that offers exciting possiblilities for coding and anayzing videotaped conferences. I hope that others will describe these sessions. Leaders had to miss some of them because other breakout obligations made it impossible for us to attend them. <br /><br />My conference notebook is full to the brim with useful documents. I'm not quite ready to shelve it with my 2003 and 2004 notebooks yet. Not yet.Paula Gillespiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090439963718809016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-18543507818117867542008-07-21T21:45:00.005-05:002008-07-21T22:13:18.178-05:00Transana at the Institute<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_ve0rFv1guBYQ4d4YNvzDl8DWEOSECUofGTTClhCKmyL_QxTapvEkI7Y7hqozd6zqq1VYiF-lwyDe9DnEfiqAn7c74uA_d6rhy2bqyx9reoPCdmacPBGMcs70-t7bwJrSmDEmL-YDdQG/s1600-h/david.woods.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_ve0rFv1guBYQ4d4YNvzDl8DWEOSECUofGTTClhCKmyL_QxTapvEkI7Y7hqozd6zqq1VYiF-lwyDe9DnEfiqAn7c74uA_d6rhy2bqyx9reoPCdmacPBGMcs70-t7bwJrSmDEmL-YDdQG/s400/david.woods.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225664953666196498" border="0" /></a>Another special session at this year's institute is coming up on Tuesday afternoon. We're very lucky to have David Woods, from the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, joining us to demonstrate a wonderful program that has great potential for writing center researchers and tutor educators. He'll introduce us to Transana, software for analyzing digital video and audio data. Widely used by educational researchers around the world, Transana is inexpensive and open source.<br /><br />It's relatively easy to collect audio and video from writing center sessions, but much harder to figure out what those data mean. David will demonstrate how this powerful program can help us organize and analyze audio and video data in ways that are invaluable for both writing center research *and* tutor education. For more information, see the <a href="http://www.transana.org/">Transana website</a>.<br /><br />More later . . .<br /><br />BradBrad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-24979356670928975102008-07-21T00:18:00.004-05:002008-07-21T09:17:28.689-05:00Smile! You're on Web 2.0!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcCMdffx2fXklHb_MYaSGuxjRzLlgcEEajNoIJgGhmmCEHLYch4Wf9laAUX-TayOv6skU7ArIew-lYJ79Go-33vsC4qW67kf-6ayEjYUqLGMz7scxYBejFRu6lsVfUEcr8ptrh9UpebRL/s1600-h/WCSI.7.20.2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcCMdffx2fXklHb_MYaSGuxjRzLlgcEEajNoIJgGhmmCEHLYch4Wf9laAUX-TayOv6skU7ArIew-lYJ79Go-33vsC4qW67kf-6ayEjYUqLGMz7scxYBejFRu6lsVfUEcr8ptrh9UpebRL/s320/WCSI.7.20.2008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225470794663590754" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >Welcome to Madison, WI, the Writing Center Summer Institute, and the World Wide Web! As you may have noticed, we're trying out some new technologies for the institute this year, including this blog, <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/wcsi">the forum</a>, and a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwwritingcenter/">flickr photo-sharing site</a>. To the right, you can see a slideshow running photos from the institute. You may meet one of our friendly UW-Madison-based volunteers taking photos during the day. We'll be uploading photos from the institute every night, and then showing new photos the next day, both on the blog slideshow and during the morning announcements at the institute. If you'd like to see all the photos from the institute, you can go directly to our flickr site: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwwritingcenter/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwwritingcenter/</a> , or just click on the slideshow to the right.<br /><br />Thanks so much to our volunteer photographers: Andrea Benton (who took photographs from Sunday--now playing in a blog near you!), Rob Emmett (scheduled for Monday, and a special thanks to Rob for coordinating the photographers, directions and flickr site!); Maria Bibbs (Tuesday); Rik Hunter (Wednesday); Erica Van Steen (Thursday); Callie Hansen (Friday).<br /><br />Oh! And I should introduce myself: I'm Annette Vee, a Ph.D. candidate in the Composition and Rhetoric program at the UW-Madison. I'm the Coordinator of the Online Writing Center, and with Brad Hughes, I'll be talking about OWCs on Thursday. I'm also maintaining the institute website and doing general tech support for the institute this week. I'll be lurking around for many of the sessions, so please let me know how I can help you! You can also contact me via email at writing@wisc.edu.</span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">And I should note: If you'd rather not have your photo taken, please let our photographer know! We can delete it from the camera, or if you contact me directly (writing@wisc.edu) or let Brad know, we're happy to pull the picture offline and out of the slideshows.<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">One more note: If you're taking pictures and want to include them in the slideshows or the flickr site, you can follow the directions Rob, our illustrious photographer-coordinator, gives out on Monday morning. We'd love to include your photos, too!</span> </p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">Smile big for the camera! :D</span></p>UW-Madison Writing Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05846366446076848833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-24012883648558051752008-07-19T00:30:00.005-05:002008-07-19T02:02:18.165-05:00Please Don't Call It a Conference<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMD689S2T1WY3qyveDO2mYDz3jx09NnGbXqcmpf2LBb2jKphk6hv9nmWV1imf4cRcPdo5yzQZF-HCXVRLB7r2u5h0x1a8dhjwFQgTGMMm8Nl0UW11MaE_w8Yf30HcVD1pb7GIwB_ITYLsL/s1600-h/hcw.shoreline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMD689S2T1WY3qyveDO2mYDz3jx09NnGbXqcmpf2LBb2jKphk6hv9nmWV1imf4cRcPdo5yzQZF-HCXVRLB7r2u5h0x1a8dhjwFQgTGMMm8Nl0UW11MaE_w8Yf30HcVD1pb7GIwB_ITYLsL/s400/hcw.shoreline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224593370309467906" border="0" /></a>Thought it might be useful to clarify what an "institute" is and how that differs from a "conference." The Writing Center Summer Institute is actually more like a short-term course than a conference. <span style="font-weight: bold;">It's a shared, collaborative-learning experience over a sustained period of time. </span> We'll have discussions that last beyond any single session; we'll have a chance to initiate follow-up discussions over lunch or in the evening; we'll draw connections across sessions; we'll have some writing homework; we'll have readings of work in progress by participants; participants will be able to have consultations with leaders over breakfast or coffee or dinner or a favorite beverage on the terrace; participants will be able to initiate special-interest groups to share their own passions; we'll have shared outings; we'll have lots of fun; and we'll have a reunion at a future IWCA conference. Don't get me wrong--I love conferences. It's just that an institute is a deliberately different kind of learning experience, with some different goals.<br /><br />Months ago, based on all the information that the participants provided about their backgrounds and interests, the institute's leaders created a lineup of plenary sessions that match the participants' interests and varying degrees of experience. The leaders then teamed up in different groups of co-leaders to plan lively, interactive sessions (mostly plenary, with some concurrent breakout sessions on more particular topics). These interactive sessions are designed to value and draw from the "collective wisdom" of everyone in the room--participants as well as leaders.<br /><br />"Collective wisdom" is a powerful phrase from my friend and colleague Frank Christ, whose work with Martha Maxwell designing and leading fabulous learning-center institutes at Berkeley, at Cal State-Long Beach, and then at the University of Arizona is legendary. I had the honor and privilege of being a leader at many of the Tucson and Phoenix-area institutes in the 1990s, and Frank's philosophy of what an institute is has deeply influenced my thinking. I'm deeply grateful to both Frank and Martha for so much, but especially for teaching me about shaping such a special learning experience. You really should read Frank's description of the <a href="http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/%7Elsche/wiarchives/about_philosophy.htm">philosophy of such a professional institute</a>.<br /><br />More later . . .<br /><br />BradBrad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-66831070690373342962008-07-18T07:40:00.007-05:002008-07-18T07:49:50.206-05:00A Webcast from the Summer Institute, July 23, 2008, 10:30 AM US Central Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMbKE3p_guQnCzW42tlDNKhFQuYYN2uAxve8NHgg7FbCYs5-nRvyWZB7R1Z3DhMN1x6MZLapNv3yqgR7NsHgF-HBtQ7hJWudSC4SWqXfQruBORBl_I59gJrqgx94aMqHO0mPSLQsHp2op/s1600-h/piedmont-marton.elisabeth.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMbKE3p_guQnCzW42tlDNKhFQuYYN2uAxve8NHgg7FbCYs5-nRvyWZB7R1Z3DhMN1x6MZLapNv3yqgR7NsHgF-HBtQ7hJWudSC4SWqXfQruBORBl_I59gJrqgx94aMqHO0mPSLQsHp2op/s200/piedmont-marton.elisabeth.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224335418779191138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62vAhRqXTb0_yJ4GJvYdQ5jSIbFSueCIGAofGYc8a9izuoUYtFLIUfmcxsAiqEkuYZSrMkjqVi194ft3pVT0fxmm-H-j80kPZvv9GOzSgJ6tjCecEuYbf7PmBhnwrXHWvt4zD-9EMD8mU/s1600-h/lerner.neal.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62vAhRqXTb0_yJ4GJvYdQ5jSIbFSueCIGAofGYc8a9izuoUYtFLIUfmcxsAiqEkuYZSrMkjqVi194ft3pVT0fxmm-H-j80kPZvv9GOzSgJ6tjCecEuYbf7PmBhnwrXHWvt4zD-9EMD8mU/s200/lerner.neal.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224335308993417602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">Those of us organizing the 2008 IWCA Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are eager to share a small part of this year's institute with the wider writing center community. We're delighted to announce that we'll be webcasting one of the plenary sessions, so you can sample the summer institute from the comfort or your office or home. You are all invited to join us--<br /><br />Wednesday, July 23, 2008<br />10:30 AM to Noon (US Central Daylight Time--the same time zone as Chicago)<br />Webcast live from the University of Wisconsin-Madison<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> "How Did We Get Here? Finding and Mapping Writing Center Literature"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Led by Neal Lerner (MIT) and Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton (Southwestern University)</span><br /><br />Description: In this interactive webcast session, we'll survey the field of writing center literature, identifying and discussing key texts and ideas that helped define and continue to shape the field. We'll do this, in part, with game playing to examine participants' knowledge of writing center literature. Next, we'll move beyond surveys and games to take a critical look at writing center literature and consider such questions as these: have some of our founding texts become codifying and limiting, and how can our scholarship reach wider audiences? Finally, we'll walk through the process of using search engines to locate relevant literature that you'll need either to support the claims you make to colleagues about your work or to pursue your own research.<br /><br />Here's the URL just for this webcast--<br /><br /><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/pyle4/Catalog/?cid=918b448e-8417-4e20-aea6-f58a1d44a7b3">http://mediasite.ics.uwex.edu/pyle4/Catalog/?cid=918b448e-8417-4e20-aea6-f58a1d44a7b3</a><br /><br />The webcast is available free to anyone who's interested and who has a computer with an Internet connection and a standard media player installed, as well as a sound card and speakers or headphones. It will be webcast using Mediasite software from Sonic Foundry, software widely used by universities to broadcast interactive video on the Internet. It's very easy to view, on a Mac or Windows computer, even if you've never watched a webcast before.<br /><br />Well in advance of the webcast (so you have time to get some local help to connect or so can try a different computer), you should try out your connection. Go to the URL listed above (click on it, or copy or paste that URL into your web browser). You should then see a screen from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a title and description for Neal's and Elisabeth's institute session. Click on the title ("How Did We Get Here?"), which will open up a new window for this webcast, announcing (unless you're viewing during the live webcast) "waiting for presentation to begin." You should definitely check the technical requirements for viewing the webcast--to do that, click on the "help" button on the upper right. Then click on "viewer requirements" from the menu on the left. You'll find requirements for viewing on a Mac as well as a Windows computer. Be sure to read the important information about configuring pop-up blockers so that your browser allows site pop-ups; otherwise, you won't be able to view this presentation.<br /><br />This webcast is interactive, and we hope to hear from you! During the actual live webcast, you'll be able to send in a question or comment (in text) just by clicking on the "Ask?" icon on the upper left, which will be active during the live webcast. Please send something to us in Madison, Wisconsin! We'll read some of the questions and comments during the webcast itself.<br /><br />We hope that you’ll try to have your local IT support help you if you run into any problems. We’d love to be able to help with those problems, but we’ll be tied up with the broadcast, so we urge you to check it out beforehand and make sure all systems are go.<br /><br />The institute wants to thank <a href="http://www.therichco.com/wconline.php">the RiCH Company</a> for their generous support which is making this webcast possible.<br /><br />Please join us on the 23rd! It would be great to know that you're watching. And if you can't watch at that time, the webcast will be archived and available for later viewing. Thanks so much for your interest in the 2008 IWCA Summer Institute!<br /><br />More later . . .<br /><br />Brad<br /></span></span>Brad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-16090558100185431532008-07-16T18:54:00.000-05:002008-07-16T18:55:29.724-05:00Two of my favorite plenaries in the Summer Institute are Trading Spaces and Learning With and From Our Tutors. And they’re not my favorites because they are fun – they are! But rather they combine the best of fun and opportunities for some real learning. <br />Trading Spaces is fun not only during but before the session. Participants and leaders alike work in the meeting room putting their posters together, some with scissors and tape and others by firing up their Powerpoints. Then the session begins, and the Ooohs and Aaahs mingle with the Awws. Some spaces are enviable, painfully so. Some people have parklike grounds just outside their windows, giant oaks; even the acorns are venerable. One participant in 2003 had a river running just alongside the writing center. Imagine! Some will show us plans of remodeled spaces. Others show us spaces they are struggling to adapt to their work. Some members of this year’s group have no writing center at all.<br />And that’s the fun of this kind of sharing – we allow ourselves to imagine how our space might approximate the elements others show us and explain so generously. We make wish lists, real and outlandish. And we envision ways we might improve even our own good spaces. Why does the space, the details, the ethos of a place work for us? We ask those questions around the session.<br />Learning With and From Our Tutors falls just before lunch on Thursday. By then we enjoy the pleasure of the company of tutors and writers. This year an undergraduate writing fellow from UW-Madison and an undergraduate writing center tutor from Marquette will join a literature graduate summer director from Marquette and a graduate tutor from UW-Madison. In addition, there will be two writing center users, a graduate and an undergraduate writer. These experts sit amidst us, and we chat with them, asking them questions, engaging them in conversations, learning from them. Participants rank this as one of their favorite sessions, and it’s one of mine, too. <br />We’ll have hard labor at the Summer Institute all right, but we’ll have fun, too. Just you wait.Paula Gillespiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090439963718809016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-79391931562478374052008-07-14T06:07:00.005-05:002008-07-14T07:59:24.968-05:00Deborah Brandt at the 2008 Summer Institute<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNMxJrwakJcXeH6g1i5hJOuqwYUBr_NwV5p_bAoDZxZshvgKdzFTNF5lnmlkqFI10SQVSwX8yijgW1vnH4DzkU1bRjte2TbqZxsYlgz52ruOb-1-iSFF0GVF_okGPQ3pn2q4B1YK9tGfJ/s1600-h/brandt.deb.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNMxJrwakJcXeH6g1i5hJOuqwYUBr_NwV5p_bAoDZxZshvgKdzFTNF5lnmlkqFI10SQVSwX8yijgW1vnH4DzkU1bRjte2TbqZxsYlgz52ruOb-1-iSFF0GVF_okGPQ3pn2q4B1YK9tGfJ/s400/brandt.deb.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222827257867768002" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to the sessions planned by institute leaders and the special-interest group sessions that will be initiated throughout the week by institute participants, we've planned several special events during the institute. Here's a preview of one of them.<br /><br />On Wednesday afternoon, Professor Deborah Brandt, a renowned literacy researcher in the composition and rhetoric program in the English Department at UW-Madison, will be with us at the institute to present an exciting talk about her current research. She was a featured speaker at the 2003 institute in Madison, and we're delighted that she'll be joining us again this year. She will also join us for informal conversation over lunch on Thursday. Here's the title and description of her talk:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Writing over Reading</span><br /><br /><ul><li>From a pedagogical perspective, writing and reading are usually seen as mutually sustaining processes. But historically and culturally, mass writing and mass reading have developed through radically different sponsorship networks and rationales. These differences have become especially palpable of late given the changes in the kind of work Americans do and how they do it. For the first time in the history of mass literacy, writing is joining--and perhaps overtaking--reading as a basis of routine literate experience among a broad population. How do the competing legacies of reading and writing manifest themselves in the experiences of workaday Americans? How does "writing over reading" upset not only how we read but how think about and value literacy?</li></ul><br />We're all in for a treat on Wednesday afternoon!<br /><br />If you'd like to learn more about Deborah Brandt, see the featured <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing/institute/people.html#local">local speakers</a> section of the institute website and listen to a series of podcasts from our writing center, featuring interviews with her. Just go to the <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing">UW-Madison Writing Center</a>, and click on podcasts.<br /><br />More later . . .<br /><br />BradBrad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-37170647245687218442008-07-09T16:05:00.003-05:002008-07-11T16:23:26.139-05:00We're in the chute!Hi everyone,<br />We are definitely, as event planners like to say, “in the chute” in terms of the Summer Institute. See you in beautiful Madison soon!<br /><br />In the meantime, I thought you might like to have a preview of the breakout sessions that will be offered at various points throughout the Institute. And, yes, you’ll have the difficult task of choosing just one of each concurrent breakout session to attend. Should you have to miss a session of interest, know that leaders (and other participants) will be happy to fill you in during a meal, SIG, etc. So one way or another you should have an opportunity to discuss all topics of interest to you.<br /><br />Tuesday, July 22 <br />A1--"Open Discussion About Diversity and Writing Centers" (Rasha Diab, Beth Godbee) <br />A2--"Show Me the Money: Funding a Writing Center" (Lisa Ede, Paula Gillespie) <br />A3--"Making a Name for Yourself: Constructing and Promoting Writing Center Identity Through Publicity and Partnerships" (Terry Maggio, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton)<br />A4--"WAC and the Writing Center: Exploring the Connections" (Brad Hughes, Jenny Jordan, Neal Lerner, Beverly Moss, Jill Pennington)<br /><br />Wednesday, July 23 <br />B1--"Big Brother, and Survivor, & The Real World: Defining and Building Community Within the Writing Center" (Jenny Jordan, Jill Pennington)<br />B2--"Tenure and Promotion: Demystifying the Process" (Lisa Ede, Nancy Grimm, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton) <br />B3--"Good Neighbors: Offering Writing Assistance in Our Local Communities" (Beth Godbee, Melissa Tedrowe, Chris Wagner) <br />B4--"Why Would Anyone Want the Writing Center on Their iPod? Designing Effective Writing Center Podcasts" (Brad Hughes, Nancy Linh Karls)<br /><br />Thursday, July 24 <br />C1--"Extending the Center--Or Not: A Look at Writing Centers and Writing Fellows Programs" (Emily Hall, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton)<br />C2--"Developing Effective and Sustainable Collaborations" (Sharifa Daniels, Nancy Grimm, Jenny Jordan, Beverly Moss) <br />C3--"Student Leadership Positions and the Writing Center Mission" (Andrea Benton, Mitch Nakaue, Michelle Sizemore, Erica Van Steen)<br />C4--"Writing Center Research: Creating New Knowledge by Counting, Digging, Observing, and Talking" (Paula Gillespie, Brad Hughes, Neal Lerner)<br /><br />D1--"Feast, Famine, and Everything in Between: Classes, Workshops, and Institutional Outreach" (Paula Gillespie, Nancy Linh Karls)<br />D2--"Situating the Writing Center: Life Outside the English Department" (Sharifa Daniels, Lisa Ede, Beverly Moss) <br />D3--"You're Using WHAT to Train Tutors? Developing Guided Video and Computer Simulations" (Brad Hughes, Melissa Tedrowe) <br />D4--"Strategic Planning: Identifying Institutional Values and Forging Alliances" (Nancy Grimm, Neal Lerner, Jill Pennington)Lisa Edehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859287818372243422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-65913769727406828092008-07-09T11:12:00.013-05:002008-07-10T22:47:08.479-05:00A Preview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMnvCN5YhYhgvH45VB4i8z8rhMHjGdCj865I0ZnYrjthF09Vk5kg0vS2ifon4lOczeX9dgQxg50Fvbk0I_BQT7qTQqrKaDmidGku8o2N5Z6a5kACgsv-_iPC4Wko_FzJfIHO8gsiaKNL6/s1600-h/Union_terrace_day1_96.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMnvCN5YhYhgvH45VB4i8z8rhMHjGdCj865I0ZnYrjthF09Vk5kg0vS2ifon4lOczeX9dgQxg50Fvbk0I_BQT7qTQqrKaDmidGku8o2N5Z6a5kACgsv-_iPC4Wko_FzJfIHO8gsiaKNL6/s400/Union_terrace_day1_96.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221048684060175186" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Greetings from sunny Madison! We're finalizing the last details of the institute schedule, and we'll publish the full schedule, with descriptions of all sessions, on the institute website soon. Here's a teaser, a listing of the titles and leaders for **the plenary sessions**. Lisa will share a list of the concurrent breakout sessions soon. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In case you're wondering, this photo is of the terrace behind the main student union at the University of Wisconsin--a favorite gathering spot in the summer, where much institute learning will take place after sessions are over for the day. The Pyle Conference Center, where we'll be meeting, is in the middle of the photo, on Lake Mendota.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Plenary Sessions, IWCA Summer Institute 2008, UW-Madison</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" ><br /><br />Sunday, July 20</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Writing Centers 101: An Introduction to Writing Centers' Key Terms, Issues, and Questions" (an optional pre-institute workshop for participants new to the profession and/or new to directing a writing center) (Lisa Ede, Paula Gillespie, Brad Hughes, Neal Lerner)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Optional Tour of the UW-Madison Writing Center (repeated on Thursday) (Melissa Tedrowe)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Opening Reception and Dinner</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" ><br />Monday, July 21</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>"Establishing Common Ground, Recognizing Differences: A Conversation Begins" (Sharifa Daniels, Jenny Jordan, Beverly Moss, Jill Pennington)</li><li>"On the Uses of Theory" (Lisa Ede, Nancy Grimm, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton)</li><li>"When Your Ass-essment Is on the Line" (Neal Lerner, Jason Mayland, Jill Pennington)</li><li>"Writing As Hard Labor" (Monday and throughout the week) (Paula Gillespie)</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Tuesday, July 22</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>"Writing Centers: A Home for All?" (Sharifa Daniels, Nancy Grimm, Beverly Moss)</li><li>"Training Is for Dogs, Seals, and Two-Year Olds: Re-envisioning Tutor Training as Tutor Education" (Paula Gillespie, Jenny Jordan, Jill Pennington)</li><li>"Trading Spaces: A Poster Session" (all of the institute participants)</li><li>"Making Sense of Video and Audio Data Using Transana" (David Woods)</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Wednesday, July 23</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>"Preparing Tutors to Work with Multilingual Writers" (Sharifa Daniels, Nancy Grimm)</li><li>"How Did We Get Here? Finding and Mapping Writing Center Literature" (Neal Lerner, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton) (**this session will be webcast from the institute**)</li><li>Featured Research Presentation: "Writing Over Reading" (Deborah Brandt)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Thursday, July 24</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>"An <bold> <bold> Argument for Convergence: A New View of Online Writing Centers" (Brad Hughes, Annette Vee)</bold></bold></li><li>"Learning with and from Our Tutors and Student Writers" (a panel of tutors and student-writers, Lisa Ede)</li><li>"Remarkable Research: Undergraduate Writing Fellows Present Their Original Work" (Emily Hall, Anna Moreland, Claire O'Leary, Kyle Oliver, Marcelle Richards, Erica Van Steen)</li><li>Open Mic (performances by institute participants and leaders)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Friday, July 25</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>"Positive Partnerships: Building Alliances for Multiple Purposes" (Jenny Jordan, Beverly Moss, Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton)</li><li>"Writing: Labor and Delivery" (participants share their writing and podcast projects)</li><li>"Looking for Closure"</li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">More later . . .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Brad</span>Brad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-62226142407684313702008-07-06T07:03:00.004-05:002008-07-06T07:10:35.447-05:00Glad to Be at the Summer Institute!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hi Everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="">A writing center is “far more than a campus location and an institutional unit”.<span style=""> </span>It can be “an agent for institutional change particularly in the institution’s response to difference, to alternative discourses, and to non-mainstream literacy” (Grimm, 2003:43).<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">These are the words of Nancy Grimm.<span style=""> </span>It is a view I support and the above citation is one that I often refer to when talking about the role and importance of writing centers.<span style=""> </span>In fact, this is a citation that my colleague, Rose, and I include in a paper we are working on. <span style=""> </span>In that same paper we also describe writing as a “social act” (Gillespie and Lerner, 2000:13) and that writing and learning requires us to interact with others.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">So imagine my surprise and elation when, out of the blue, I received the invitation from Paula Gillespie to be one of the leaders at the 2008 Summer Institute.<span style=""> </span>Not only will I have the opportunity to work with Paula, whom I met at the 2003 CCCC, I will also meet and work with Nancy Grimm and Neal Lerner (and all the others that we will surely refer to in future papers!) – scholars who are highly regarded in the writing center community worldwide.<span style=""> </span>No longer will these names only be references in papers.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">So yes, though I’m anxious, challenged, I’m mostly excited about the opportunity to participate in this year’s Summer Institute. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Look forward to meeting you all.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sharifa<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Writing Lab, </span><st1:place style="font-family: verdana;" st="on"><st1:city st="on">Stellenbosch University</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region></st1:place></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Brad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-71503674624586529382008-07-01T15:43:00.001-05:002008-07-01T15:45:33.716-05:00Excited to be returning to MadisonHello, everyone! Having participated as a leader in the first Writing Center Summer Institute here at Madison in 2003, I’m really excited to return to where it all began. As was the case for probably many of us, my introduction to writing centers came when I was an undergraduate English tutor at a small liberal arts college in mid-Michigan. My tutoring work was part of a service learning requirement, and I was assigned to work one-on-one with a handful of people who I was simply told were “struggling developmental writers.” Those three words served as the only “training” for the work I was about to do, and I had no idea what the term “developmental” meant in this context, only that it sounded somehow derogatory, as if these students were in an earlier stage of evolution than the rest of us. But I wasn’t concerned. I was an English major, after all, and I figured this meant I was a fairly decent writer. I knew not to fix the students’ papers for them, but I thought tutoring would be easy, and that I could rely on the next best (or worst) thing: Just telling them how to fix their papers, themselves. I learned a lot over the coming weeks about the complexities of tutoring and the tutoring relationship, and it sparked my interest in doing some research in the area. This was in 1990, when there wasn’t nearly as much writing center literature available as there is today, but I did uncover the term “writing center” in a good deal of what I was reading; I also began to understand the difference between a “tutor” (which is exactly what I was) and a “coach” or a “consultant.” By the time I graduated the following year, I had worked with a faculty member in the English department to help write a proposal for developing a writing center. Whenever I get a chance to visit my alma matter, I always make it a point to stop into the college’s writing center, which is now housed comfortably in the library.<br /><br />Eighteen years later, I still feel my interest in writing centers is a genuine one. I feel, as I did then, that writing centers are a necessary part of an institution that cares about student writing and supporting student writing. Working in a writing center has, therefore, never felt like a “job” to me. Even when I’ve felt we didn’t have enough staff or space or other resources, it has felt like a privilege for me to be part of something so central to student success. I feel it is also a privilege to be a part of this year’s summer institute—to be one of many voices from around the world to participate in what promises to be a rich and useful conversation about how we do the work we love.<br /><br />Jill PenningtonJill Penningtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14425219848569906696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-72301691995813963652008-07-01T07:33:00.004-05:002008-07-01T08:17:54.334-05:00Thinking about Session on Tenure & PromotionHi Everyone,<br />First, a quick introduction. I'm Elisabeth, associate professor of English and director of the writing center at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, a small, private liberal arts college located about 30 miles from Austin, where I live. Nancy Grimm, Lisa Ede and I will be leading the break-out session on Tenure and Promotion at the Summer Institute, and we wanted to share some of our thoughts with those of you who might be thinking of attending that session.<br /><br />One of the ideas that emerged in our email discussions with each other was that the tenure process (and to a lesser extent, the promotion one as well), is really two processes. The first is plotting and completing the journey of scholarship, teaching, and service that your institution defines as the requirements for tenure. The second comprises the tactical, rhetorical, and, yes, social, strategies you'll need to engage to make the first process work for you. To make the most of of this session, we're hoping you can bring some information with you. Please be assured that we won't ask you to share documents like your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cv</span> or draft tenure statement with the group unless you volunteer to do so. Lisa, Nancy, and I will be happy to set up individual consultations during evening hours and breaks.<br /><br />So, what to bring with you? The clearest statements you can find from your school describing the requirements for tenure and promotion; a map, outline, draft, or general hunch about how your work might best fit with these requirements; an assessment of where you are and what resources you need to get to where you need to be.<br /><br />Now that I've elevated your heart-rate by talking about this stuff, I want to acknowledge that this is so stressful not only because the professional stakes are so high. It's also very emotionally charged, and has a way is kicking loose a lot of old anxieties and insecurities about school and "grades" that you may have thought were safely <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">sedimented</span> by now. This is a true story about my 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span>-year review -- two years before the tenure review!<br /><br />I'm in the provost's office with my department chair, both very kind and supportive men whom I had every reason to believe were on my side (they were, and are). The provost starts with a tone of voice I didn't expect and had never heard before -- formal, legalistic -- and begins with the category of "teaching," which I think I excel in. "You are 'meeting expectations,'" he says. The minimum standard. Crap, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">everything's</span> going downhill from here, I think, that was my strong suit. Wait till they get to my sketchy scholarship. As it turned out, I was meeting expectations in general, and even "above" expectation in service (yea! -- Miss Congeniality!), but my point in telling this story is that I was so overcome by emotions that I almost literally couldn't hear what was being said. My brain was repeating: "Must use voice, ask for clarification, appear like sentient being." But my body responded, "Voice temporarily disabled by panic and weird feeling of hurt; risk of sobbing very high; please try again later."<br /><br />I could have and should have been better prepared for that, and having the kind of discussion we hope to have in our break-out session would have gotten me a long way toward that. See y'all in a few weeks.Elisabeth Piedmont-Martonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882161488615575874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-40198544492948037652008-06-20T14:18:00.001-05:002008-06-20T14:20:48.203-05:00Greetings!Dear SI participants,<br />I’d like to second Brad’s and Paula’s welcome to this year’s IWCA Summer Institute (SI). This is my third year of involvement with the SI. In the summer of 2006 I was a leader at Stanford University’s SI. And then last summer Oregon State University’s Center for Writing and Learning, which I directed, hosted the 2007 Institute. It’s a real honor to be co-chairing this year’s SI with Brad and Paula.<br /><br />Some of you may not know that Brad and Paula, working with the IWCA Board, came up with the idea of the first SI and co-chaired it in 2003 at UW Madison—so this summer the Institute is “coming home,” as it were. The basic structure that Paula and Brad created for the 2003 SI was so successful that it’s provided the model for all subsequent Institutes.<br /><br />This year’s SI is an opportunity for me to “come home” again to UW Madison. I spent a year in Madison in 1969-70, and though I was only there one year I have such strong and positive memories of the university. (And, yes, I was there during all the VietNam war protests—which were equally memorable.) I’m pretty sure that the rooming house where I lived during my one year in Madison is (or was) right across the street from the Pyle Center, where we’ll be meeting. I can’t wait to see if it’s still there! And I also can’t wait to have some of that amazing UW Madison ice cream!<br /><br />Mainly, though, I’m looking forward to our time together. The SI’s that I’ve been involved with have been among the most professionally rewarding experiences of my entire career. It’s amazing how quickly participants and leaders get to know each other. There’s constant learning—and also constant fun—which in my book is the perfect combination.<br /><br />See you in about a month in Madison!<br /><br />LisaLisa Edehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859287818372243422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-9934945924056088712008-06-20T14:06:00.000-05:002008-06-20T14:08:27.153-05:00Welcome Summer Institute!Dear participants and visitors,<br /><br />I’d like to add my welcome to Brad’s! The 2008 institute participants are a rich mix, coming to us from a mosaic of institutions and from intriguing locales around the globe. Leaders and participants, we will all learn mutually from one another, recharge our batteries, work hard, and have fun. There’s always a lot of laughter at the Summer Institutes, sometimes there are made-up songs to commemorate the occasion, and occasionally there are tears, sometimes tears of joy.<br /><br />Madison is one of my favorite places. In a funny way I came of age there, brought my two daughters there from the east, and then got the surprise of my life when the university just casually admitted me as a student. I’d dropped by when the girls were in school to explore the campus, asked a question about taking a class, and was ushered into the office of a genuine advisor who told me I could start right away. What a wonderful surprise. My youngest daughter went to kindergarten while I took an English class, lit and comp. Wow. My world changed in Madison, and I found my calling when I began there as a TA.<br /><br />The university has morphed since then. It was an exciting, beautiful place, and the teaching and learning that went on were awesome. It has continued to grow and to retain its place among the top research institutions in the country. Ask Brad, and he will tell you about the great research that goes on there.<br /><br />The UW-Madison Writing Center (<a href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing/">http://www.wisc.edu/writing/</a>) is one of the best in the country, and we are lucky to be able to visit, meet the staff, and see what happens there. I was a graduate tutor there in the seventies!<br /><br />It’s an honor to work with Brad, Lisa, and a most excellent team of leaders. I am so looking forward to the Institute.<br /><br />All best,<br /><br />PaulaPaula Gillespiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090439963718809016noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4589164385603611354.post-56863615028809134132008-06-16T15:19:00.005-05:002008-06-17T06:56:20.493-05:00Destination: Madison, 887 feet above sea level<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd_plMxB2xhCb6xU6Q8LwHhDV30pyhEQ4Ox-HueLGSdbUbc89PTWiPOlZHiZIIBpS-6MbnNl6hnjuRseC_8f5LpkzR05rD3YbnK1YYHtsEOqpUU797V3W5-Q1sHZ62tXFF1TaEzrXWN6u/s1600-h/aerial_downtown_Mad06_1565.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd_plMxB2xhCb6xU6Q8LwHhDV30pyhEQ4Ox-HueLGSdbUbc89PTWiPOlZHiZIIBpS-6MbnNl6hnjuRseC_8f5LpkzR05rD3YbnK1YYHtsEOqpUU797V3W5-Q1sHZ62tXFF1TaEzrXWN6u/s400/aerial_downtown_Mad06_1565.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212578154722731986" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;">Welcome to all of you who are participants in the 2008 IWCA Summer Institute!<span style=""> </span>And to the many friends of the writing center summer institute around the world!<span style=""> </span>Thanks for visiting.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: verdana;">Through this blog, the institute’s leaders and co-chairs will share their thoughts about the institute, preview some of the institute’s sessions, and introduce you to some of the delights of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the city of Madison, where the institute will be held from July 20–July 25, 2008.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;">The writing center summer institute is a really special kind of learning experience, first because of whom it brings together.<span style=""> </span>This year you’ll be part of a great group of 55 participants—from aspiring and brand-new writing center directors to associate directors and directors with a few powerful years of experience to professionals in the field for over 20 years--from all around the United States and from seven other countries.<span style=""> </span>This year’s participants come from secondary schools, community colleges, small colleges, and medium-sized and large universities, both private and public.<span style=""> </span>The knowledge and interests that participants bring are absolutely central to the learning that goes on at the institute.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;">Joining these participants in the institute will be ten wonderful leaders and co-chairs, all of whom have extensive experience leading wonderful, innovative, successful writing centers, who are leaders in the writing center profession, who are engaging teachers, and who are dedicated mentors:</p> <p face="verdana" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Co-Chairs—</span><br /></p><ul style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Lisa Ede, Oregon State University</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Paula Gillespie, Marquette University</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Brad Hughes, University of Wisconsin-Madison</span></li></ul> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Leaders—</p> <ul style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharifa Daniels, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Nancy Grimm, Michigan Tech University</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Jenny Jordan, Glenbrook North High School, IL</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Neal Lerner, MIT</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Beverly Moss, The Ohio State University</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Jill Pennington, Lansing Community College</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton, Southwestern University</span></li></ul><p face="verdana" class="MsoNormal"> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">We’ll also be joined by several great career professionals and leaders from the UW-Madison Writing Center—<span style="font-weight: bold;">Emily Hall, Melissa Tedrowe, Nancy Linh Karls, and Terry Maggio</span>—and by undergraduate and graduate tutors from Marquette University and UW-Madison.</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Together, over the course of an intensive week, we’ll learn collaboratively about the latest in writing center practice, theory, research, politics, and administration.<span style=""> </span>We’ll think practically and theoretically about the challenges and the opportunities in this exciting field.<span style=""> </span>We’ll raise tough questions, answer some of those, and pose new ones.<span style=""> </span>We’ll have lots of fun.<span style=""> </span>And we’ll create a community of professionals who will support and challenge each other for years after the institute is over.</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">To learn more about the 2008 IWCA Summer Institute, watch for new entries on this blog and check out <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing/institute">the institute website</a>.</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">If you want a preview of what Madison looks like, take a look at some gorgeous <a href="http://www.madison-book.com/">photos of the city and university</a> by a talented Madison photographer, Zane Williams.</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">More later . . .</p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">--Brad</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Brad Hughes</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">co-chair, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing/institute">2008 IWCA Summer Institute</a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">director, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.wisc.edu/writing">Writing Center</a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">director, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://mendota.english.wisc.edu/%7EWAC">Writing Across the Curriculum</a><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.wisc.edu/english/"> Department of English</a><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.wisc.edu/"> University of Wisconsin-Madison</a><br /></p>Brad Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347451825562631968noreply@blogger.com7