Diversity: Faculty and other academic personnel
Writing Communities to Support Under-Represented Faculty: (Re-) Engagement and Thriving at the University of California
UC Irvine, 2022-2023
Project Principal Investigator
Ilona Yim
Project Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on faculty, unduly those from under-represented backgrounds, causing many to disengage. Writing communities represent a promising tool to (re-) engage faculty and build an inclusive climate. U See I Write (a play on words, using our campus acronym, UCI) is a successful, evidence-based faculty writing initiative founded on the UCI campus in 2016. It has grown into a vibrant, active and welcoming community of UCI faculty writers, with disproportionate participation from women and faculty of color. Empirical data show that U See I Write participation results in measurable, significant increases in writing and work engagement. To amplify the gains made, this proposal aims to develop and submit a 5-year external grant proposal with the goals to a) continue, further build, and institutionalize the U See I Write initiative at UCI, and b) scale U See I Write to UC campuses in Southern California.