Event: AWAC Virtual Roundtable: WAC Exemplars 2026: How Award-Winning Programs Make WAC Work

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AWAC's Mentoring Committee is delighted to host the following virtual roundtable: 

 

Event: WAC Exemplars Roundtable 2026: How Award-Winning Programs Make WAC Work
Date: Thursday, January 29

Time: 1-2:15pm ET (12-1:15pm CT, 11am-12:15pm MT, 10-11:15am PT, 6-7:15pm GMT, 7-8:15pm CET)

Registration Link: https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0OEcndyZI5IbSiq 

Presenters:
Megan Callow, University of Washington Seattle, winner of the 2025 Exemplary Emerging WAC Program Award 

Rebecca Taylor, Colby College, winner of the 2025 Exemplary Emerging WAC Program Award       

Christopher Basgier, Auburn University, winner of the 2025 Exemplary Enduring WAC Program Award       

Erika Scheurer, University of St. Thomas, winner of the 2025 Exemplary Enduring WAC Program Award

Overview: 
AWAC's Mentoring Committee invites all WAC practitioners to a virtual roundtable featuring the winners of the 2025 WAC Exemplary Program Awards. The Exemplary WAC Program Awards series recognizes the extraordinary achievements of WAC directors and/or administrative teams to establish, maintain, and sustain programs that foster and facilitate exemplary engagement with writing across the curriculum at their institution, as well as institutional commitments to support these achievements. We are honored to host our winners for a roundtable presentation and a Q&A.

Megan Callow and Rebecca Taylor of University of Washington Seattle: he 2025 Emerging Exemplary WAC Program, Writing@UW, is conducting thoughtful, intentional, and fruitful work at the University of Washington Seattle. In its first three years, this program has already fostered both micro- and macro-level engagements across its university system. The formations of the cross-campus and cross-disciplinary Writing Board and the Faculty Fellowship program demonstrate the program’s robust collaborative efforts, while the Writing Pathways website showcases the program’s commitment to equity and agency by allowing all students to explore their own writing journeys and direct their own placement in their writing education. This is a program that is addressing writing needs for faculty, administration, and students.

Christopher Basgier of Auburn University: As a 2025 Exemplary Enduring WAC program, Auburn University's program has exemplified what it means for a WAC program to evolve and deepen over time. Founded in 2010 and now in its second phase of leadership, the program is thoroughly embedded in the university’s academic fabric, offering a model of writing as a unifying force in the undergraduate and graduate experience. University Writing not only supports student writing and faculty development across disciplines, but also actively engages with contemporary issues affecting higher education—equity, wellbeing, GenAI, and multimodal literacy. With this award, we celebrate the program’s commitment to compassion, communication, and institutional change through writing. 

 

Erika Scheurer of University of St. Thomas: As a 2025 Exemplary Enduring Program, the University of St. Thomas’s WAC program has demonstrated thoughtful, intentional leadership throughout its long history. In addition to scaffolding writing instruction throughout the curriculum in an innovative way that facilitates learning generally and disciplinarily, the support for faculty in preparing them for the work of guiding students in writing intensive courses is noteworthy. Indeed, with this program we see deep faculty engagement as evidenced by their participation in a five-day development program and the sheer number of courses designated as WAC-related. Additionally, the Committee was impressed by the 10-year strategic and assessment plans in place that provide a clear pathway forward and regular feedback to the program. Such plans will allow the program to evolve over time to respond effectively to the needs of its stakeholders.

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