4Cs

San Francisco is beautiful -- not that I've seen much of it. I'm inside the Hilton listening to thought-provoking and inspiring talks: Mike Rose, especially. I'm having good conversations, too.

That's what conferences are for, right?

MnCEUW Conference

I'm trying to get the word out about this conference -- we need proposals!

Call for Proposals for April 3-4 MnCUEW Conference

First Annual MnCUEW Conference (Minnesota Colleges and Universities English and Writing), April 3-4, 2009 – Sponsored by MnSCU and the University of Minnesota

2009 THEME: "Across Borders: Assessment, Accountability, and Scholarship in Literature, Composition, and Creative Writing"

LOCATION: The University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Fri., April 3, Paul Bodmer, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Senior Program Officer for Higher Education in Washington, D.C. (retired), and former NCTE Associate Executive Director for Higher Education in Urbana, Illinois; subject – changing expectations for higher education in English in the 21^st century. Sat., April 4, Dr. Lynda Milne, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) System Director for Faculty Development and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; subject – new methods of assessing students' – and one's own – teaching and learning.

PROPOSALS: Please send your proposals and proposal ideas for single sessions by one or more presenters (15 min.) and panels by three or more presenters (1 hr. with time for discussion). We are looking for proposals from any college teachers as above, full or part time, that address any aspect of teaching literature, composition, and professional and creative writing. Send your proposals to Carol Mohrbacher c/o writeplace@stcloudstate.edu with a title and 50-150 w. describing your session by Feb. 28, 2009. We encourage both interactive and traditional presentations and discussions. (You do not need to write a formal paper to present.) Possible topics include the following:

composition, literature, developmental writing, writing about literature, writing centers, WAC/ WAD/WI, computers/electronic delivery and English, English and NNS/ESL, creative writing, technical/professional writing, transfer, bridging gap between h.s. and college, working conditions/ teaching loads/adjunct or TA/GA issues, placement/assessment/exit procedures, diversity, research, et al.

DESCRIPTION: The 2009 MnCUEW Conference provides a forum for college and university English and writing instructors to discuss current pedagogies in teaching and learning English, assessment and other initiatives, research projects, and systems-wide accountability issues. Faculty will be able to share different methods, pedagogies, and styles in teaching literature, composition, and professional and creative writing and discover ways in which English/writing faculty members are collaborating in, crossing lines of, and extending English and writing instruction. We encourage proposals from MnSCU, UMN, and private college faculty, graduate students, and college-in-the-schools teachers in Minnesota and surrounding states.

This program is made possible through a Center for Teaching and Learning grant with generous funding from the MnSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) System Office of the Chancellor.