Interdisciplinary Employee Writing Groups to Begin This Fall

The University of Mississippi will sponsor employee writing groups beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year to increase collaboration between representatives of different departments and disciplines on professional writing projects.

The Faculty Writing Groups, which are open to both UM faculty and staff members, will work together on projects ranging from grant applications to getting scholarly texts published. Interdisciplinary groups of three or four people will meet at regular intervals during the fall and spring semesters.

Alice Johnston Myatt, assistant chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, is heading up the creation of the collaborative groups.

“Interdisciplinary faculty writing groups offer more than just a space and time for faculty to write in a structured way,” Myatt said. “They also are places where group members can take time to reflect on their learning and development within a peer-based framework of cooperation and collaboration.”

Research shows that faculty are more productive in their research and writing when they write daily, keep track of time spent writing and hold themselves accountable to others, said Myatt, who is also an assistant professor of writing and rhetoric. Faculty Writing Groups, which meet twice monthly on days the group selects, will help faculty writers and scholars put this into practice, she said. 

The groups are a collaborative effort led by the Department of Writing and Rhetoric; Institutional Research, Effectiveness and Planning; and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

To join a Faculty Writing Group, contact Myatt at writing@olemiss.edu