Forty faculty members participated in the January Scholarly Writing Institute, a unique three-day event that offers professional support to help faculty publish articles and books. It was the largest cohort since the program was started at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) four years ago in an effort to help faculty finish writing projects, receive support in getting articles published and learn to view research and writing as a sustainable process.
“We have more new faculty and they are taking advantage of the Writing Institute,” said Terre Allen, director of the Faculty Center for Professional Development. “In addition, the Institute has received positive feedback from past attendees and is widely perceived as a resource that helps faculty meet their writing goals. No other university offers a program like this.”
The Institute, which has been cited as a highly successful model for helping faculty become more productive in their scholarly writing, is sponsored by the Office of University Research in collaboration with the Faculty Center for Professional Development. It offers hours of uninterrupted writing time, individual help from writing experts and the opportunity to participate in panel and small group discussions. In the past four years, 97 percent of attendees have said the Scholarly Writing Institute is “highly valuable” and 100 percent said they would recommend the Institute to others.
This summer an article highlighting the Institute’s success will be published in To Improve the Academy by POD. Romancing the Muse: Faculty Writing Institute as Professional Development was written by Allen along with Mark Wiley, associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Beth Ambos, assistant vice chancellor for research initiatives and partnerships. It describes the concept of the Institute, provides feedback and data that has been evaluated over the past four years and offers suggestions for other universities that want to implement a writing institute.
To learn more about the Scholarly Writing Institute, visit the Office of University Research.
