003 Faculty Research Writing Retreat

Every year, new WSU College of Education faculty members take part in an intensive retreat to improve their writing skills for research articles and grant proposals.

The college’s annual retreat also provides opportunities for creating community and motivating career progress.

Only a few large, public universities in the country have colleges that offer such writing programs.

“Writing well, often and fluidly is central to a faculty member’s life at a research university such as WSU,” says co-facilitator and distinguished professor A.G. Rud. “For a faculty member to be successful here they must write. This college seeks to be known for its research.”

The college’s dean Mike Trevisan said feedback from faculty has been good for both years of the retreat.

“Last year, faculty mentioned the open times for working on manuscripts and time to explore collaborations as most important,” he said. “This year’s participants mentioned the grant proposal development training and time to explore collaborations.”

While it will be difficult to improve on three successes, he said the college will continue to tailor the workshop to the unique needs of the faculty participants.

The group stays at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory guesthouse on the WSU Tri-Cities campus. A retreat is the best way to maximize faculty time, Rud says.

“The time away from daily activities and distractions in order to focus is invaluable,” he says.

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