Struggling with term papers and theses is a constant for many liberal arts students. But professors, who write for a living, also suffer from occasional writer's block. Now, they have a place to turn.
At the most recent Faculty Senate meeting, Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement, announced the creation of the Professors as Writers program, sponsored by the Provost's Office and the Teaching Resource Center.
"We often do writing in isolation," Fraser said. "But there is a part of writing that can be supportive. This is an opportunity for faculty to talk about their work in its early stages."
Fraser contrived the idea last spring after discussions with senior faculty and new faculty members about avenues for faculty advancement other than a focus on instruction.
"I think it is important to give another dimension of faculty work some programmatic attention," she said.
Marva Barnett, director of Teaching Resource Center, said the program will address faculty concerns about academic writing and how to produce it successfully and effectively.
"We invited the faculty to come to a group where they can discuss the challenges of academic writing," she said.
The professors will hold their first meetings Oct. 6 and 14. At this time, participating faculty members will establish the agenda for the next two years and decide on a host of topics they will discuss at future meetings, which will include speakers and opportunities for faculty members to discuss ideas about their own writing.
The program is voluntary and open to all faculty members, but it is targeted at junior faculty members who are making the transition from graduate students to professors, Barnett said. Through the program, these faculty members can interact in a workshop environment to address ideas about academic writing.
"This is not a program to help them write," Barnett said. "They already know how to write."
The program also is designed to broaden a larger Faculty Senate initiative that seeks to augment faculty development programs, Fraser said. Faculty members will be able to work together in a mentoring relationship.
"When one is a graduate student, there is a lot of opportunity for people to talk about writing," Fraser said. "During the transitions from graduate student to professor, they lose that support."
An additional challenge facing faculty writers is the rapidly changing world of publishing, Fraser said. There is increased competition to be published in professional journals, she said, which poses an obstacle to faculty members eager to promote their work.
"We need an open dialogue around these issues to keep the conversation of writing in the open," Fraser said.
Since the program was announced two weeks ago, Barnett said a couple dozen faculty members from a variety of University academic departments have expressed interest in participating in the workshop.
"We think enough people will want a mentoring or partnership relationship," Barnett said.
In the future, Fraser said she expects the program to encompass faculty members of all academic levels.
"Writing is something we do from the beginning of our career to the end," she said.
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