The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Tony Astran

The SUNY Council on Writing (SUNYCOW) Conference, revered for its quality of training on writing pedagogy, returns to Buffalo State this year April 17 and 18. The conference offers faculty and staff the opportunity to network with colleagues throughout the state and beyond to discuss the identity and future of writing programs on college campuses.

The Intellectual Foundations unit of University College will cover the registration fee for those on campus who would like to attend. The deadline for funded registration is Friday, April 10.

This year’s theme is “Writing Program Identities.” “Many of the conference sessions will focus on where to locate a writing program within a college, what should be taught in composition courses, and what types of writing courses would be helpful for upperclassmen,” said John McKinnis, lecturer in the College Writing Program and this year’s conference chair.

Writing Program interim director Michele Ninacs is assisting with registration. Both she and McKinnis believe SUNYCOW has wide-ranging benefits.

“SUNYCOW provides excellent professional development for teaching Writing across the Curriculum courses,” McKinnis said. “The topics discussed at the conference will help instructors develop appropriate writing assignments and know how to give helpful advice to students.”

“The conference will offer an understanding of those who teach composition,” added Ninacs. “It will help explain what they do and how they think about their field.”

McKinnis is also part of SUNYCOW’s executive board, along with Susan Leist, professor of English and former director of the College Writing Program. Leist will be a guest speaker at the conference.

Seven lecturers from the College Writing Program will be among the presenters at SUNYCOW. Theresa Desmond and Edward Taylor will discuss how composition study fits into other aspects of life; Peter Grieco and Steve Street will moderate a discussion circle about contingency faculty and writing programs; Janice Carello and Cheryl Chambers will discuss how writing workshops might look in the future; and Wendy Scott will moderate a discussion circle about the history and functions of Buffalo State’s College Writing Program.

This year’s keynote speaker is Elizabeth Wardle, associate professor of English and director of writing programs at the University of Central Florida, one of the largest schools in the country. The conference includes a cocktail hour and dinner on Friday night. Breakfast, lunch, and four concurrent sessions take place on Saturday, with many topics for participants to choose from.

SUNYCOW was formed in 1980 with the central purpose of helping SUNY colleges generate, discuss, and disseminate new ideas about writing instruction. The conference takes place at a different SUNY campus each year; Buffalo State last hosted the conference 20 years ago. Past topics have included plagiarism and academic integrity, and the role of the personal narrative in public and private discourse.

Ninacs is excited about this year’s conference and believes the conference is a great opportunity to show other schools how the College Writing Program plays a role in Buffalo State’s identity and well-being. McKinnis is also excited and hopes for good participation from Buffalo State faculty and staff. “There is a real resurgence lately of SUNYCOW being active and visible,” he said.