Women Faculty Writing Circle
Join a cross-disciplinary group of faculty and engage in a collegial, semester-long writing program designed to enhance your productivity.
Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle
The Wednesay Faculty Writing Circle is an FLC (Faculty Learning Community) created to increase scholarly productivity and cultivate a community of colleigal support among MSU Faculty.
Research on faculty productivity indicates that devoted writing time, accountability, and structure increases scholarly productivity and enhances a sense of belonging among faculty members (Belcher, 2019; Kwan et al., 2021). This FLC provides each of these elements to attending faculty members, creating a environment that fosters academic productivity and communal connection building through the framework of a structured and accountable group of peers.
"The cross-departmental, cross-college, cross-disciplinary community that was created through this FLC was incredible. It not only supported my research, provided a space for me to share my concerns and accomplishments, but alo professionally connected me with people from across campus with whom I probably would not have had the opportunity to speak with." - 2022 Participant
Goals
The goals of the Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC are directly related to the University’s Long-Range Plan: 2021-26, with regard to Inclusive Excellence Driving University Success, by enhancing MSU’s capacity to achieve key performance indicator goals related to external funding and faculty diversity, which also impacts student enrollment diversity. These goals are:
- To increase scholarly productivity among faculty at MSU
- To develop a scholarly community among faculty at MSU
- To facilitate the development of a culture of learning among faculty at MSU
- To promote faculty leadership, collaboration, and collegiality across disciplines at MSU
Structure
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC meets for 14 weeks on Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Meyer Library. It's free to participate in this FLC, and participants will receive a copy of Wendy Belcher's (2009) book, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. In order to receive credit for participating, participants are required to attend 10/12 meetings (not including the first and last meetings).
Participants who successfully complete in the Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle FLC by meeting their writing goal(s) and the attendance requirement are eligible to participate in the Semi-Annual Faculty Writing Summit.
Learn More About this FLC
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle was originally called the Women Faculty Writing Circle. This FLC was established by Dr. Nicole M. West, whose research focuses on enhancing the experiences of Black women enrolled and employed in higher education via critical cultural theories, research methods, and praxes. Dr. West convened this culturally responsive faculty learning community with the goal of enhancing the personal well-being and professional success of women faculty at MSU by increasing scholarly productivity and providing a community of collegial support. These outcomes are directly related to the MSU current Long-Range Plan and contribute to the achievement of several of MSUs 2021-2021 Key Performance Indicators.
"The [Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle] is my FAVORITE aspect of working at MSU." - 2023 Participant
How to Join
The Wednesday Faculty Writing Circle accepts participants at the beginning of each semester. Calls will be put out on the FCTL blog and social medias when sign-ups for this and other FLCs are open. MSU faculty interested in joining the group must check these locations for updates, or contact the FCTL at the beginning of a semester to inquire about available slots. When sign-ups are open, faculty may do so through My Learning Connection.
Related Opportunities
Attend the Semi-Annual Faculty Writing Summit
The Semi-Annual Writing Summit is an immersive, focused event designed to support faculty in advancing their writing projects. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a structured yet flexible environment that promotes productivity, creativity, and collaboration.
The retreat provides dedicated time and space for individuals to work on scholarly articles, research papers, books, and other writing-related projects, while receiving valuable feedback from peers leaders and mentors. By the end of the retreat, participants are expected to have made significant progress on their writing projects, gained new insights into their work through peer feedback, and developed a clear plan for continuing their writing post-retreat.
This retreat is held off-campus, and a workshop fee will apply. Faculty may use their non-credit fee waiver toward this workshop fee. Travel expense will be the responsibility of the faculty or their academic department.
Join the Community in Yammer
If you've never accessed Yammer here at MSU before, you'll need to do so before you can be added to the community. Here are the instructions: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sign-in-to-yammer-d863154a-4223-4ea2-8855-ccc971321b8e?wt.mc_id=otc_yammer. After you sign in, email NicoleWest@MissouriState.edu to be added.
Facilitator
Participants
References
Belcher, W. L. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing success. University of Chicago Press.
Kwan, P. P., Sharp, S., Mason, S., & Saetermoe, C. L. (2021). Faculty writing groups: The impact of protected writing time and group support. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100100.