Dear Friends and Alums of the Sweetland Center for Writing,
This past year has been both exciting and productive for Sweetland. We’ve supported many students and achieved several important goals. Among these, I’m especially pleased to share a foundational initiative: the establishment of a governance structure and the drafting of by-laws. Remarkably, though it was founded in 1978, Sweetland had not previously formalized its governance through by-laws. As we navigate this transitional period before appointing a permanent Director, these by-laws will serve as a vital framework, outlining our mission and day-to-day operations to better support the incoming Director.
First, I want to share with you our description of Sweetland, so that you see that our mission to be central to student success at the University of Michigan continues as relevant as ever: “Sweetland holds that all forms of writing and composition are both central to each academic discipline and the means by which disciplines collaborate. The collective endeavor of the University is to foster respect for facts and evidence, sharpen the ability to understand and craft reasoned and complex arguments, and pursue honest, compassionate inquiry. In support of this mandate, Sweetland offers courses, workshops, outreach, resources, protocols, and programs for writers and teachers of writing across all colleges and disciplines from the first year through the upper level and into graduate work through the dissertation. Our dynamic and innovative curricula, support materials, and initiatives embrace both multimodal and traditional composition, and incorporate the most perceptive and thorough contemporary research and practice.”
In order to make sure that we fulfill our mission, we implemented some significant changes in Sweetland’s organizational structure. The first is the creation of an internal Executive Committee (EC) that oversees and establishes policy for the administrative and curricular functions of the unit. Duties include but are not limited to: overseeing all standing and special committees; supporting curricular and programmatic initiatives through budgetary allocations; strategizing outreach and collaborations with other departments and units; advising the director; interviewing faculty candidates and/or making recommendations on faculty hires; and approving lecturer reviews and renewals. The EC is chaired by the Director, and it includes four Sweetland faculty members and one Staff member as determined by department election. The Associate Director participates ex-officio.
We have also reorganized our curricular administration under the scope of five committees: The First and Second-Year Committee develops, oversees, and administers the standards, course development, and curricular materials for the First-Year Writing Requirement, and 100- and 200-level Sweetland courses; the Minor in Writing Committee oversees and establishes policy for the administrative and curricular functions of the Minor in Writing Program; The Upper-Level Committee develops, oversees, and administers the standards, course development, and curricular materials for the Upper Level Writing Requirement and other upper-division Sweetland courses; The Graduate Committee oversees and establishes policy for the graduate curriculum and services, such as: periodic review graduate courses, administration of the Sweetland/Rackham Workshops, and supervision of all our graduate offerings; the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Justice Committee develops and coordinates strategies for improving learning and working conditions in the unit.
Because, as a unit, our work expands beyond the college of LSA, we also established a University Advisory Committee consisting of five external members representing faculty and staff from a range of units within and outside of LSA, whose purpose is twofold: to provide both consultation and advocacy to support Sweetland’s mission and vision in the broader U-M community.
I am sure that this brief report on our new governance structure solidifies your appreciation and support of the unit’s work. If you are a Sweetland Alum, I hope you take some time to submit or update a profile to our Alums Gallery. It is always a pleasure to see and acknowledge the kinds of work you’re doing right now, and the Gallery helps us recognize the trajectories students take after engaging with our programs.
If you would like to mentor current Sweetland students, you can sign up with LSA Connect, a program run by the LSA Opportunity Hub that enables undergraduates here to find alums willing to talk with them about subjects of mutual interest. Alums choose their level of engagement and subjects they’re willing to discuss with students. Networking with alums can greatly impact students’ professional development and influence the choices they make as they pursue their interests in and after college.
I hope you enjoy reading about our programs and initiatives in this newsletter. You will see how creative and dedicated to students’ well-being our faculty are, and how our staff continues to be expert and efficient. Happy reading!
-- Simone Sessolo
