Writing is an integral part of most faculty’s academic success. However, many things can get in the way of being a productive writer. One challenge is that other professional activities, such as teaching and service obligations, often come with built-in deadlines (and therefore get done), whereas writing-related activities are frequently without such immediate deadlines (and thus don’t get done).
The U See I Write Faculty Writing Initiative brings together UCI faculty from across campus who want to support each other in their writing, learn about good writing habits, and celebrate their writing successes with each other. During our retreats, we spend much of our time writing, but there is also ample opportunity to get to know other like-minded faculty writers at UCI.
What was conceptualized as a bi-annual event when the U See I Write Initiative was launched in 2017, has since grown into a vibrant and active community of faculty writers.
Types of Writing Events
Monthly Retreats (Annual Cohort): This program runs throughout the academic year and offers monthly writing retreats to an annual cohort of faculty. Participation consists of monthly half-day writing retreats and weekly writing meetings in an assigned small group, for continued accountability in-between the monthly retreats.
Quarterly Retreats: Three all-day retreats are offered throughout the academic year, typically one in Fall, Winter and Spring quarter. Retreats are held either on or off campus. These retreats will run from 9am to 3pm. A separate application is required for each of these events.
Summer Retreat: Summer retreats run over multiple days and feature guest speakers from across campus who provide writing-related training and/or lead conversations about writing-related topics. Applications for this program will become available in Spring quarter.
An Invitation to Faculty Who do Not “Write”
We are often asked what we mean by “writing” in the context of our retreat. We ask that you engage in the activity that has the most profound impact on your success as a faculty member. We call it a “writing retreat” because for most of us, this most impactful activity is research writing (i.e., writing on a grant proposal, a research paper, or a book). For some faculty, however, the most consequential activity might not actually be writing. For example, a faculty member may be engaged in developing a choreography or compose music as a major scholarly contribution, and struggle with distractions similar to those of us who write. Conversely, we would not consider ‘writing a letter of support’ a writing activity in the spirit of this retreat. This is because even though you are engaging in the act of writing, this is not an activity that has a profound impact on your success as a faculty member.
As long as you engage in an activity that has high priority for your scholarly advancement, and you are able to quietly engage in this activity in a room full of people, you are welcome in our community and we encourage you to apply.
Eligibility
Senate and non-senate UCI faculty across all academic ranks and regardless of departmental or school affiliation are eligible and invited to apply. Current UCI faculty will receive priority admission, but applications from visiting professors and emeriti faculty will also be considered. Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and UCI staff are currently not eligible to apply for this program.
Application
2023-24 Quarterly Events
Fall Quarter Retreat: October 13, 8:30am to 1:30pm (The Duck Club, San Joaquin Marsh)
Winter Quarter Retreat: January 26, 9am to 3pm (Herb & Ranch)
Spring Quarter Retreat: April 26, 9am to 3pm (Continuing Education Building)
2023-24 Annual Cohort (monthly retreats)
These events will all be held from 9am to 12pm on the following dates (locations tbd):
- November 3
- December 8
- January 12
- February 9
- March 8
- April 12
- May 10
2024 Summer Retreat: date tbd
Application for all events will be announced to campus on a periodic basis. For more information about U See I Write, please contact Nina Bandelj, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development at nbandelj@uci.edu or Ilona Yim, Professor of Psychological Science, at ilona.yim@uci.edu.