Our Teaching Faculty | College Writing Program | SUNY Buffalo State University

"The deepest dependency is not of students upon teachers, but of teachers upon students."

Peter Elbow

Writing Faculty as Scholars

The College Writing Program at BSU values the disciplinary knowledge and practices of its writing faculty, tenure-track, full, and part time alike.

Alongside the SUNY Council on Writing, we agree that university administrations need to "(1) consult meaningfully with faculty experts in the field on curricular revision, (2) appoint writing program administrators or writing center directors with such expertise, and/or (3) substantially value and cultivate such expertise in writing instructors."

As SUNYCoW's Resolution succinctly argues "Simply put, the teaching of writing in higher education needs more expertise, not less."

"We do not mean that faculty outside departments of English or writing programs cannot help students learn to write effectively in their fields. Good faculty members in all disciplines provide meaningful writing assignments and experiences for students and offer thoughtful, formative feedback for student-writers... But expecting faculty without training in the field to either design or teach a central first-year writing course required of all students across campus, for example, significantly underestimates how difficult and complicated this work is, as well as how much scholarship and research it is founded on."

Our Faculty Support

Just as we are committed to supporting our students in their academic and professional pursuits, we believe we must assist faculty in their development as instructors and practitioners. Alongside our SUNY writing colleagues we believe "writing instructors should be supported in every way possible to expand their working knowledge of scholarship and practice in the field" (SUNY CoW Resolution) Therefore, BSU's CWP faculty receive ongoing professional development in antiracist, inclusive writing pedagogies including:

Mentorship for all new instructors through their first year teaching in CWP
Workshops and resources in response to disciplinary innovations and concerns
Pedagogical workshops for effectively delivering our curriculum
Open Continuing Curriculum sessions where faculty receive community and individualized assistance with assignments, activities, challenges, and pedagogical approaches
Campus partnerships with programs and offices that further practitioner development including the Teaching and Learning Center and the Civic and Community Engagement Office