Mid-Career Scholars' Writing Retreat

Finding it difficult to get time to work on that project that will get you promoted to Full? The NCA Mid-Career Scholars' Writing Retreat (MCSWR) is designed to provide the opportunity for intensive writing time.  Retreat participants will have uninterrupted time to work towards the completion of scholarship and/or a creative project. The goal of the retreat is to support significant progress on the completion of an in-progress project that will help toward promotion to Full Professor.  The MCSWR is specifically targeted to faculty who have been Associate Professor for at least 5 years (that is, tenured in 2015-2016 or prior).

During the retreat, participants will have the opportunity to meet and consult with two facilitators/mentors, who will provide general advice on scholarly productivity, writing, and career management.  The facilitators for the Summer 2021 MCSWR will be Dr. Laura Ellingson (Santa Clara University) and Dr. Travis Dixon (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

Applications reflecting the total diversity of scholarship and creative activity in the discipline are strongly encouraged.  Applicants are not limited by area of inquiry, topic, method, or affiliation (interest group, division, etc.).  Because the facilitators will focus on broad writing guidance and professional development, it is not necessary that projects be related to the facilitators’ own research foci.

The MCSWR is sponsored by NCA and organized by the NCA Research Board.

Participants are expected to present their projects on a panel at the 2021 NCA Convention in Seattle, WA.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Member of NCA
  • Held rank of Associate Professor for at least five years (tenure achieved 2015-2016 or prior)
  • In-progress writing project

NCA’s 2021 Mid-Career Scholars Writing Retreat (MCSWR) was held from Monday, July 26, 2021 through Friday, July 30, 2021. The retreat was originally scheduled for 2020 at the University of South Florida; however, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a 12-month delay and a shift to a virtual format. Previous retreats were hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Chapman University. The goal of the MCSWR is to provide associate professors with research and writing time, networking, feedback, and words of wisdom from mentors and fellow participants. 

The MCSWR organizer and retreat facilitator was Patrice Buzzanell and mentors were Travis Dixon (University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign) and Laura Ellingson (Santa Clara University). The nine participants included Dawna Ballard (University of Texas at Austin), Miranda Brady (Carlton University), Leslie Harris (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee), Rebecca Meisenbach (University of Missouri), Ronnie Olesker (St. Lawrence University), Erin Rand (Syracuse University), Meghan Sanders (Louisiana State University), Kesha Morant Williams (Penn State – Berks), and Jill Yamasaki (University of Houston).