07/01/2023

Message from CWPA President

Dear CWPA Members

It is with great pleasure and immense honor that I start my term as CWPA President, following the path paved by some of the best and most inspiring Past Presidents. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve you and all WPAs in this coming year.

Please join me in thanking two CWPA leaders whose term ended yesterday:

Mark Blaauw-Hara who served as CWPA President 2019 – 2021 and Immediate Past President 2021-2023. Mark’s preliminary plans for the Reno conference took much labor off my shoulder and helped keep the conference cost lower than it has been in years.

Susan Thomas who served as CWPA President 2021-2023. Susan led the organization under strenuous circumstances globally, nationally, financially, and professionally. Her work helped us get to where CWPA is today, ready to move forward and to continue to serve our members.

I’d like to thank two Executive Board members whose term ended yesterday as well:

• Katherine Daily O’Meara, St. Norbert College (2020 – 2023)
• Julia Voss, Santa Clara University, (2020 – 2023)

And please welcome the new EB members:

• Daryl Lynn Dance, Hampton University (term ends 2026)
• Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Spelman College (term ends 2026)
• Christal Seahorn, University of Houston-Clear Lake (term ends 2026)

Now, I’d like to highlight several important initiatives that you will see in the coming year.

CWPA Summer Conference in Reno

Our first conference in four years is two weeks away. I can’t think of a better way to start my term as President than by gathering with outstanding WPAs and Graduate Students to discuss so many topics and challenges that are at the core of our work.

The tireless conference co-chairs and I have been planning for the Reno conference since September 2022. You can check out the conference program HERE and see what you can do in Reno and program highlights HERE. Come join us in Reno and connect with that amazingly diverse community. Register HERE

Affiliations

I’m pleased to announce that CWPA has recently established affiliations with two national organizations: the Two-Year College Association (TYCA) and the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators (GSOLE).

These partnerships come with several benefits, such as guaranteed panel slots for CWPA at the TYCA national conference and GSOLE virtual conference.

As part of these partnerships, scholars from TYCA and GSOLE will lead virtual workshops on

two-year college WPA work and online writing instruction/administration, respectively, for CWPA members.

Virtual Workshops Series

I’m happy to announce a series of virtual workshops on a wide range of WPA-related topics.

Topics include:

• Curriculum design and reform
• Transitioning from gWPA to jWPA
• Data Analytics for WPAs
• Contingent faculty labor and advocacy issues
• Tenure and promotion as a WPA
• Research productivity as an administrator

The workshops will run August 2023 – May 2024 on the last Friday of the month at 4:00 ET/3:00 CT/1:00 PT. So, mark your calendars and watch for the full announcement and registration details right after the Reno conference.

These are a few glimpses of what you will see happen during the course of this coming year. I always welcome your feedback, input, and thoughts on our programming and other CWPA business. Email me at (lilian.mina@gmail.com) and let’s keep channels of communication open and clear.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Reno and to a year of service and companionship.

Sincerely,

Lilian Mina

CWPA President (2023 - 2024)