WPA Fixed Term Faculty

1.
Rebecca
E.
Burne-,
Ph.D.
Director
Andy
Frazee,
Ph.D.
Associate
Director
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program
Georgia
Ins1tute
of
Technology
Council
of
Wri1ng
Program
Administrators
J9
Session
4:30-­‐5:45
~
Jesse
Fell
A,
MarrioJ
Saturday,
July
19,
2014
~
Normal,
IL

2. Overview
§ Challenging
the
status
quo
§ Summarizing
the
program
§ Providing
opportuniCes

3. Challenging
the
Status
Quo

4. Higher
EducaCon
is
Changing
§ The
tenure
system
is
powerful
but
not
all-­‐powerful.
“The
tenure
track
has
not
vanished,
but
it
has
ceased
to
be
the
norm.”
§ Fixed-­‐term
faculty
are
central,
accoun1ng
for
65-­‐70
percent
of
all
faculty
appointments
in
American
higher
educa1on.
AAUP.
(2013).
Tenure
and
Teaching-­‐Intensive
Appointments,
hJp://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/teachertenure.htm

5. NaConal
discussions
about
fixed-­‐term
faculty
frequently
portray
a
simplisCc
binary,
which
is
naïve
and
misleading.
We
challenge
the
binary
perspecCve
about
fixed-­‐term
faculty.

6. The
problem…
Programs
exploit
“con1ngent
faculty—raising
their
teaching
loads,
rescinding
research
resources,
closing
funding
and
governance
opportuni1es
to
non-­‐tenure-­‐stream
faculty,
and
preJy
much
adop1ng
an
explicit
or
tacit
policy
of
‘pu_ng
them
back
in
their
place.’”
Cummins,
Denise
Dellarosa.
(March
18,
2013).
Con1ngent
Faculty
Are
Here
to
Stay,
So
Treat
Them
Well.
The
Chronicle
of
Higher
Educa3on.
hJp://chronicle.com/blogs/leJers/con1ngent-­‐faculty-­‐are-­‐here-­‐to-­‐stay-­‐so-­‐treat-­‐them-­‐well/

7. Programs
exploit
“con1ngent
faculty—raising
their
teaching
loads,
rescinding
research
resources,
closing
funding
and
governance
opportuni1es
to
non-­‐tenure-­‐stream
faculty,
and
preJy
much
adop1ng
an
explicit
or
tacit
policy
of
‘pu_ng
them
back
in
their
place.’”
Cummins,
”
Denise
Dellarosa.
(March
18,
2013).
Con1ngent
Faculty
Are
Here
to
Stay,
So
Treat
Them
Well.
The
Chronicle
of
Higher
Educa3on.
hJp://chronicle.com/blogs/leJers/con1ngent-­‐faculty-­‐are-­‐here-­‐to-­‐stay-­‐so-­‐treat-­‐them-­‐well/
OUR
RESPONSE:
3:3
teaching
load.
Usually
1
prep.
Teaching
abroad
(Spain,
China).
OUR
RESPONSE:
Ongoing
research
and
service
expecta1ons.
Enfranchisement.
OUR
RESPONSE:
Small
travel
allowances.
OUR
RESPONSE:
Grant
writers
and
researchers.
Current
proposals
and
projects:
Gates,
NEH,
CCCC,
CIDM,
DARPA,
IARPA,
and
internal
funding.
OUR
RESPONSE:
Advisory
CommiJee.
CommiJee
chairs.
CommiJee
members.
Project
directors.
Our
responses
to
the
problem…

8. More
problems…
“Faculty
serving
on
a
con1ngent
basis
generally
work
at
significantly
lower
wages,
ohen
without
health
coverage
and
other
benefits,
and
in
posi1ons
that
do
not
incorporate
all
aspects
of
university
life
or
the
full
range
of
faculty
rights
and
responsibili1es
This
means
that
the
majority
of
faculty
work
in
subprofessional
condi1ons,
ohen
without
basic
protec1ons
for
academic
freedom.”
AAUP.
(2013).
Tenure
and
Teaching-­‐Intensive
Appointments,
hJp://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/teachertenure.htm

9. Responses…
“Faculty
serving
on
a
con1ngent
basis
generally
work
at
significantly
lower
wages,
ohen
without
health
coverage
and
other
benefits,
and
in
posi1ons
that
do
not
incorporate
all
aspects
of
university
life
or
the
full
range
of
faculty
rights
and
responsibili1es
This
means
that
the
majority
of
faculty
work
in
subprofessional
condi1ons,
ohen
without
basic
protec1ons
for
academic
freedom.”
AAUP.
(2013).
Tenure
and
Teaching-­‐Intensive
Appointments,
hJp://www.aaup.org/AAUP/comm/rep/teachertenure.htm
OUR
RESPONSE:
Start:
Low
$40s.
$12K
increase
per
postdoc
in
last
5
years.
OUR
RESPONSE:
Full
faculty
benefits—health,
dental,
re1rement,
investment.
OUR
RESPONSE:
CommiJee
chairs
and
members.
OUR
RESPONSE:
New
program
building.
New
communica1on
center.
Technology
and
tech
support.

10. Summarizing
Our
Program

11. Program
Components
§ Teaching
§ Marion
L.
Bri-ain
Postdoctoral
Fellowship
§ CommunicaCon
Center
§ Research
§ Service
§ AdministraCon

12. Program
ResponsibiliCes
(in
relaCon
to
fixed-­‐term
faculty)
§ Prepare
postdocs
for
their
future
in
higher
ed
and
the
broader
workplace.
§ Extend
individual
postdoc
interests
into
new
strengths.
§ Challenge
unethical
prac1ces.
§ Respond
to
urgency
of
changes
in
higher
ed.

13. “It
is
no
longer
possible
to
understand
language
and
its
uses
without
understanding
the
effect
of
all
modes
of
communica1on
that
are
co-­‐present
in
any
text.”
—
Gunther
Kress
(2000)
R.E.Burnett©2002Durban,RSA
Program
Approach
Rhetoric,
Process,
and
MulCmodality

14. MulCmodality
Modes
are
means
of
representa3on
—
wri1ng,
speech,
images,
gestures,
posture,
music,
or
new
configura1ons
of
these
or
similar
elements.
Media
are
means
of
dissemina3on
—
printed
books,
newspapers,
films,
TV,
radio,
CDs,
websites,
Prezis,
PowerPoints,
podcasts.
14
Bri-ain
Postdoctoral
Fellows
use
digital
pedagogy
to
teach
a
mul1modal
curriculum.
Many
of
them
also
use
mul1modal
tools
in
their
own
work
as
scholars
and
researchers.
Here
a
group
of
BriJain
Fellows
meet
in
an
ongoing,
bi-­‐weekly
research
and
wri1ng
group,
with
membership
that
evolves
as
new
postdocs
join
the
program.

15. What
comprises
creaCve
output?
A
sampling
produced
by
faculty
and/or
students
§ Ar1facts
(from
miniature
books
to
tribal
masks)
§ Billboards
§ Blogs
§ Comics/cartoons
§ Demonstra1ons
§ Digital
signage
§ Drawings
§ Essays/illustrated
essays
§ Flashmobs
§ Illuminated
manuscripts
§ Instruc1ons/manuals
§ Musical
composi1ons
§ NewsleJers/news
ar1cles
§ Novels/graphic
novels/novellas
§ Pain1ngs
§ Photographs
§ Podcasts
§ Posters
§ Radio
broadcasts
§ Re-­‐mixes
§ Research
ar1cles
§ Reviews/commentaries
§ Stories,
poems,
plays
§ Theatrical
performances/
drama1za1ons/skits
§ Videos/anima1ons
§ Video
games
§ Websites
§ Wikis

16. ProgrammaCc
Philosophy
Teaching.
Rigorous
and
innova1ve
digital
pedagogy,
emphasizing
a
humanis1c
perspec1ve
on
our
technological
world.
Research.
Leading-­‐edge
presenta1ons
and
publica1ons
that
contribute
to
both
theory
and
praxis.
Service.
Commitment
to
improve
our
program,
school,
ins1tute,
discipline,
community,
and
world.
16

17. Sense
of
Community
17
New
Bri-ain
Fellow
Welcome
Dinner.
Pictured
here?
incoming
postdocs,
returning
postdocs,
a
few
former
postdocs,
mentors,
spouses
and
partners,
the
LMC
chair,
our
program’s
librarian,
a
professional
tutor,
and
a
tenure-­‐line
faculty
member.
Others
scaJered
about?
dean
of
liberal
arts,
vice
provost,
dean
of
students,
assistant
provost,
and
a
collec1on
of
children.

18. Providing
OpportuniCes

19. OpportuniCes
for
Postdocs
§ Seminars
§ Research
projects
§ Commi-ees

20. Seminars
§ D-­‐Ped
(digital
pedagogy)
§ Technical
Communica1on
§ Research
Methodologies
§ Professional
Development
Dr.
Dus1n
Hannum
and
Dr.
Valerie
Johnson
in
a
D-­‐Ped
session.

21. Research
Projects
Recent
collaboraCve
arCcles
– for
Computers
&
Composi3on
(2014)
– in
collec1on
about
technical
communica1on
by
University
of
Chicago
Press
(2012)
– in
collec1on
published
by
Ashgate
(in
press)
– in
collec1on
about
wri1ng
instruc1on
by
Computers
&
Composi1on
Digital
Press
(accepted
for
publica1on)

22. 2013-­‐14
Program
Commi-ees
1.
Advisory
2.
Assessment
3.
Arts
IniCaCves
4.
ConsulCng
5.
Curricular
InnovaCon
6.
DevLab
7.
(ad
hoc)
Diversity
8.
E-­‐Book
9.
Grant
WriCng
10.
Handbook
11.
Hiring
12.
Professional
Development
13.
Special
Events
14.
Technical
CommunicaCon
15.
TECHStyle
16.
World
Englishes

23. 2013-­‐14
Program
Commi-ees
1.
Advisory
2.
Assessment
3.
Arts
IniCaCves
4.
ConsulCng
5.
Curricular
InnovaCon
6.
DevLab
7.
(ad
hoc)
Diversity
8.
E-­‐Book
9.
Grant
WriCng
10.
Handbook
11.
Hiring
12.
Professional
Development
13.
Special
Events
14.
Technical
CommunicaCon
15.
TECHStyle
16.
World
Englishes

24. Assessment
Examples
of
recent
success:
Updated
porqolio
process.
Updated
rubric.
Collected
and
analyzed
data
for
programma1c
assessment.
Dr.
James
Gregory
mee1ng
with
a
TechComm
team
to
review
its
drah
ar1facts
using
the
programma1c
rubric
modified
for
the
assignment.

25. Assessment
§ Professionalizing
process:
Meet
with
Office
of
Assessment.
Read
current
arguments
in
programma1c
assessment.
Learn
about
SACS
accredita1on
process.
Manage
challenges
of
logis1cs
and
personnel
of
large,
diverse
commiJee.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Provide
usable
porqolio
data
to
reflect
student
performance.
Provide
workable,
sustainable,
rigorous
programma1c
assessment
process.

26. Arts
IniCaCves
Example
of
recent
success:
Mounted
annual
Student
View
Exhibi1on
at
the
Ferst
Center.
Mounted
annual
High
Museum
exhibi1on
at
Georgia
Tech
night.
Dr.
Doris
Bremm,
Chair
of
the
Arts
Ini1a1ve
CommiJee
for
two
years,
curated
for
major
public
exhibi1ons.

27. Arts
IniCaCves
§ Professionalizing
process:
Work
with
professional
curators
and
art/ar1s1c
directors.
Work
with
printer
vendors
and
video
editors
in
the
produc1on
of
works
for
display.
Manage
the
logis1cs
of
moving
and
moun1ng
public
exhibi1ons.
Plan
high-­‐profile
public
events.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
the
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program:
exhibi1ons
display
work
produced
by
students
in
the
program.
Reaffirm
our
program’s
presence
to
the
campus
community.

28. Curricular
InnovaCon
Example
of
recent
success:
Created
and
presented
a
GTRI-­‐sponsored
workshop
for
teachers
working
with
Common
Core
Standards
in
the
K-­‐12
Explorers
Guild.
Sponsored
Na1onal
Day
of
Wri1ng
event
for
Georgia
Tech.
Coordinated
programma1c
par1cipa1on
Georgia
Tech’s
Celebra1ng
Teaching
Day.
Dr.
John
Harkey,
chair
of
the
Curricular
Innova1on
CommiJee
for
two
years

29. Curricular
InnovaCon
§ Professionalizing
process:
Work
with
other
units
on
campus.
Par1cipate
in
outreach
ac1vi1es.
Extend
academic
prac1ce
to
broader
audiences.
Create
public
performances.
Engage
in
event
and
workshop
planning.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
the
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program.
Engage
our
program
in
contemporary
issues
in
K-­‐12
educa1on.

30. Grant
WriCng
Example
of
recent
success:
Received
funding
from
Bill
&
Melinda
Gates
Founda1on
and
the
Office
of
the
Provost
to
support
the
design,
development,
and
delivery
of
a
First-­‐Year
Composi1on
MOOC.
Seven
members
of
the
19-­‐member
MOOC
team
for
in
a
weekly
mee1ng.

31. Grant
WriCng
§ Professionalizing
process:
Research,
read,
and
respond
to
CFPs.
Learn
about
proposal
budgets.
Work
with
IAC
Research
Administra1on,
Office
of
Sponsored
Programs,
IRB,
and
C21U.
Submit
other
proposals
(e.g.,
AERA,
NEH,
NSF)
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program.
Provide
fixed-­‐term
faculty
with
addi1onal
income
and
opportuni1es.

32. Hiring
Example
of
recent
success:
Hired
to
maintain
a
steady
state
of
40
postdocs
(typically
about
15
hires
per
year).
Dr.
PauleJe
Richard
Dr.
Candice
Welhausen
Dr.
Nirmal
Trivedi
Dr.
Jesse
Stommel
Dr.
Leigh
Dillard
NFBO
—
Gathering
outside
the
library.
Drs.
Leeann
Hunter,
Brandy
Blake,
Tom
Lolis,
Chris
RiJer,
and
Roger
Whitson
Aher
becoming
fast
friends,
par1ng
is
difficult.

33. Hiring
§ Professionalizing
process:
Review
job
ad.
Review
applica1ons.
Par1cipate
in
interviews.
Par1cipate
fully
in
hiring
decisions.
Join
in
the
camaraderie
of
the
commiJee.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Appreciate
extraordinary
hires.
Create
programma1c
leaders.

34. Special
Events
§ Example
of
success:
Sponsored
regular
programma1c
symposia
with
postdoc
presenta1ons.
Sponsored
guest
speakers
(fic1on
writers,
poets,
dancers,
linguists,
etc.).
Dr.
Joann
Harris,
Symposium
Dr.
Patricia
Taylor
and
Provost
Bras,
Annual
Tailgate
Ar1st-­‐in-­‐residence,
Jacques
Heim,
Ar1s1c
Director
of
Diavolo,
in
a
seminar
with
BriJain
Fellows
Semi-­‐Annual
Hall
Colloquy,
with
Col.
Steve
Hall,
Dr.
Andy
Frazee,
and
five
BriJain
Fellows

35. Special
Events
§ Professionalizing
process:
Arrange
logis1cs
(e.g.,
travel,
pickup,
hotel,
day,
1me,
room).
Manage
PR
for
public
events,
including
press
releases.
Work
with
catering
to
arrange
refreshments.
Arrange
transport
for
guest(s).
Take
guest(s)
to
lunch
or
dinner
with
invited
colleagues
from
program.
Introduce
speaker
at
the
event
and
manage
Q&A.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
the
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program
across
campus.
Engage
our
program
in
leading-­‐edge
topics
in
the
discipline.

36. TECHStyle
Example
of
recent
success:
Created
TECHStyle,
an
online
magazine
read
around
the
world.
Published
more
than
20
ar1cles
and
podcasts
in
2013-­‐14.

37. TECHStyle
§ Professionalizing
process:
Manage
backend
of
a
widely
read
public
site.
Develop
experience
iden1fying
theore1cal
and
research
support
for
classroom
prac1ce.
Ar1culate
classroom
prac1ce
for
a
broad
public
audience.
Engage
in
SOTL
pubs.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
the
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program
across
campus,
country,
and
world—
both
from
readers
of
TECHStyle
itself
and
from
men1ons
of
TECHStyle
in
other
publica1ons.
Share
innova1ons.

38. Technical
CommunicaCon
Examples
of
recent
success:
Created
a
techcomm
minor.
Revised
programma1c
techcomm
outcomes.
Worked
with
College
of
Compu1ng
to
create
new
version
of
techcomm
co-­‐taught
with
COC
capstone.
TechComm
team
using
a
collabora1ve
table
and
monitor

39. Technical
CommunicaCon
§ Professionalizing
process:
Learn
the
process
of
crea1ng
a
new
minor.
Learn
logis1cs
of
re-­‐shaping
a
course,
including
considera1on
of
class
size,
faculty
work
load,
etc.
Balance
aJen1on
to
workplace
demands
and
academic
expecta1ons.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Provide
extended
opportunity
for
students
to
value
techcomm.
Provide
crea1ve
teaching
opportuni1es
for
postdocs.

40. World
Englishes
Example
of
recent
success:
Sponsored
a
campus-­‐wide
diversity
event
with
students
reading
poetry
in
nature
language
and
in
English.
Excerpt
taken
from
“Orinoco”
by
Aquiles
Nazoa
(1920-­‐1976)
Reader
and
Translator:
Jose
Andres
Rodriguez
“Enough
of
Learning,
My
Friend”
by
Bulleh
Shah
(1680-­‐1757)
Reader:
Ali
Syed
“Pride
of
Fishermen”
by
Li
Qingzhao
(1084-­‐1150s)
Reader:
Xueying
Zhao

41. World
Englishes
§ Professionalizing
process:
Work
with
other
units
on
campus
(e.g.,
Language
Ins1tute,
Office
of
Diversity).
Par1cipate
in
outreach
ac1vi1es.
Address
academic
challenge
facing
many
instructors.
Engage
in
event
and
workshop
planning.
Create
materials
for
programma1c
E-­‐Book,
WOVENText.
§ ProgrammaCc
benefits:
Raise
the
profile
of
the
Wri1ng
and
Communica1on
Program.
Provide
much-­‐needed
assistance
to
instructors
with
ELL
students.

42.
Rebecca
E.
Burne-,
rebecca.burneJ@lmc.gatech.edu
Andy
Frazee,
andy.frazee@lmc.gatech.edu
Georgia
InsCtute
of
Technology
CONTACT
US
If
you
have
ques1ons
about
our
program,
please
email…or
come
for
a
visit.