2024 Ideas Exchange

2024 will mark the 30th year of the MiWCA Ideas Exchange! The conference theme—People, Places, and Things: Reassessing our Post-Pandemic Writing Centers—invites participants to reflect on and assess our current and future work. Four years out from the beginning of the pandemic, we continue to ask ourselves what has forever changed, what has been learned, what has been lost, and what opportunities we see on the horizon. 

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The people who work in our writing centers and attend our institutions have changed. The places and spaces where we work have changed. Our access to institutional assets has changed. Some of these shifts were disruptive, such as the sudden and immediate pivot to remote work and student service. Others were disappointing, such as declining enrollment and staff reductions. Yet many changes were exciting. We adapted to a new work environment and learned that we could thrive. Some writing centers saw an increase in wages and flexible work options. As we forge ahead, what do we make of these changes? What will we keep? What will we let go? 

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While we continue to recover from the pandemic, the 2025 demographic cliff looms on the horizon. Data predicts dramatic enrollment declines for several years. “What is less well-known is that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds choosing to attend college reached its peak years ago and continues to decline” (Mathews, Warner, and Stokes). The convergence of these trends will challenge us to reassess our work and how we serve our institutions. At the same time, opportunities for new services and partnerships within and beyond our campuses will emerge. Community colleges like LCC are working to enhance relationships with area high schools and transfer institutions. What will writing centers look like as institutions of higher learning experience these cliff dives?

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We look forward to a day of conversation about these challenges and opportunities with our Michigan writing center colleagues. We hope you will join us at Lansing Community College on Saturday, September 28th, 2024. We welcome proposal submissions from tutors/consultants, faculty, professional staff, and administrators. Presentation formats will include workshops, panels, and individual presentations. This year’s conference will continue the tradition of “walk and talk” sessions, which will be hosted by members of the LCC Writing Center staff.

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The early deadline for submitting proposals (July 26) has passed. We still have room in our program for a limited number of additional presentations. The final deadline for proposals has been extended until Friday, Aug. 30. We will not be accepting proposals after that date, so please get them submitted as soon as you can.