Isn’t Thanksgiving oddly placed for the academic calendar? Give thanks that there’s only two more teaching weeks of the semester left, I suppose.

One group that met over the Thanksgiving week is the Writing University Taskforce. This is a committee of some fifteen or so worthies charged by the Provost with the following:

1. Explore the possibilities for developing synergies among the various groups that might contribute to the reputation of Iowa as the “Writing University.”

2. Create a 5-year and a 10-year strategic plan for university investment in the “Writing Corridor” or “Writing Community.” Outline ideas about use of space, including possible reassignments of existing space or the creation of new space. Include specific projects that this “community” would engage in, and for any projects that would require new funds, indicate the possible source of that funding.

English is quite well represented with Ed Folsom, Robin Hemley, and myself in attendance, while Chris Merrill is the co-chair (along with Pat Cain from the Provost’s Office). What is not clear to me at this stage is how radical and how extensive a plan we are likely to come up with. Some of the items under discussion are fairly modest, such as coordinating websites and creating a Writing University web portal; others are quite major and could have a big impact on English, such as the creation of a new writing major for undergraduates. Discussions within the group are lively and we seem to be meeting on a regular basis, so please let me know if there are specific ideas you would like to see represented there or if you have suggestions for answering these two charges.

As the semester moves towards its close, we will continue with our surge of personnel reviews, with full professor promotion cases on Thursday and Tuesday, and fifth-year reviews the following Thursday. I had been pondering a general department meeting to discuss our hiring priorities but I still assume that we are quite likely to face a year without the possibility of new searches next year, so I think it makes sense to wait until we have more clarity. In the usual business of the end of semester, don’t forget that grades must be submitted by December 20, that this must be done electronically on OSIRIS, although please also print out your grade list and give the paper copy to Sharry Lenhart. Your class lists for next semester, showing those students who have so far signed up, are available both on OSIRIS, and there is more detail in the listing on INFOBANK. If you forget how to get to either of these databases, remember that there are links from the English Department faculty resources page at http://english.uiowa.edu/faculty/facresources.html.

And, finally, don’t forget the holiday party, coming up on Saturday, December 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the home of Robin Hemley, 701 E. College Street. I look forward to seeing you all there.