Before I begin talking about our wonderful conference opportunity at St. John's this upcoming weekend generously organized by three of our long-time Board members and good colleagues, I wish to pay tribute to a special NYCEA Board member who recently retired from the Board last week, Dr. Monica Weiss, SSJ. Monica is not only an exceptional Thomas Merton scholar, or educational innovator in her creation of the Masters in Liberal Studies program at Nazareth College, or a professor of the highest caliber beloved by her many, many students, or generous and kind soul through her work as a Sister of St. Joseph: Monica is a most trusted and dear friend. She helped to guide many of us, including me, a fledgling Board member as of October 2003. Through the years, Monica has been more collegial than I may articulate with any eloquence in the space of this brief page. She was a light at our Board meetings, an active participant who kept us all on track with her meticulous notes and understanding of NYCEA bylaws. Monica Weis has left an indeliable mark on our organization, a mark of excellence. We thank Monica for her many years of stellar service and wish her only the best in her future endeavors. Thank you, Monica, for all you have given to NYCEA. You will be missed!
Tomorrow is the start of our spring 2009 conference at St. John's University Manhattan campus. On behalf of all the NYCEA members, let me thank Michael Callaghan and Angela Belli (both former NYCEA Presidents), and our current Vice President, Juliet Emmauel (BMCC), as well as their wonderful commiittee, for all their many efforts. Having biannual conferences is a feat in our intensified academic community with greater focus on teaching, research AND service; as a regional affiliate of College English Association (CEA), we take great pride in our conferences and the opportunity those conferences provide to share scholarship and create a collegial atmosphere that helps us all meet the increasing demands of academic life with both honor and excellence.
To that end, let me say a brief word about our Graduate Student Prize (GSP): It has traditionally been offered biannually but we have seen a wane in submissions in the last year. The GSP is a terrific opportunity for Graduate Students who wish to make strides toward a full life of rich scholarship, showing excellent potential to not only research worthwhile topics, but also to publish. Yes, we publish on this very site and often give Honorable Mentions to other exceptional submissions. Please see 'Graduate Student Prize' page for Kara Manning's paper from the St. Bonaventure fall 2008 conference. Kara was also an Honorable Mention in the fall 2007 competition. The Prize itself is judged by a revolving committee of volunteer readers from the NYCEA Board. The Prize is typically $100 to the best paper presented at the conference and is bestowed on the winner at the Saturday key-note luncheon. Winners must be present at the luncheon to receive the Prize; if a winner is not present, the Prize goes to the next best submission. Please see 'Editorials, Essays & More' for the full CFP for the fall 2009 conference and details on the GSP submission.
A summer meeting is in the works for late June--location in Rochester TBA. As far as our agenda for the spring Board meeting, we hope to discuss upcoming conferences, membership, budgetary issues, and other new business. In our fall 2008 meeting, we brought forward a motion to have a conference off campus at a hotel conference center, like our parent affiliate, CEA. The motion was discussed and voted in. The first conference of its kind in NYCEA history to take place off campus will be held at the Brookwood Inn in Pittsford, New York, just two miles from scenic Casa Larga vineyards, right off the NYS Thruway with easy access by airport shuttle, and nestled in quaint Bushnell's Basin near some of the area's best restaurants and shopping. The conference will take place in October 2010 and will be collectively organized by area Board members. We look forward to hearing from you about this potential opportunity for growth in our organization. Having a conference off campus allows for shared responsibilty among several area campuses interested in participating but unable to solely host a conference with campus calendars filling up all too quickly from an increased need to garner student interest in these trying economic times. The most recent MLA-advertised faculty searches had more than fifty job cancellations in English/Writing for the 2009-2010 academic year because of loss of funding. Hosting conferences on single campuses is an expense many departments are smply unable to negotiate at this time. The NYCEA Board is faced with either limiting our biannual conferences, or, branching out to new opportunities. We hope many of you will embrace this change and attend the fall 2010 conference at the Brookwood Inn. Please send any comments to Rebecca Housel: housereb@rochester.rr.com
And now, on a personal note: I have been on medical leave from RIT and will (most unfortunately) not be returning to teaching in fall. I will attempt to update this site as often as possible. As President, I feel it is every members right to know the condition of your leadership. I will continue in my role as President, though sadly, I am regrettably not well enough to attend the St. John's conference this weekend. I am happy to report that my health issue will most likely be a temporary bump in the proverbial road; I plan on organizing the June Board meeting and attending the NCCC conference in fall. My time as President ends one year from now in spring 2010, at which time, Juliet Emmanuel, our Vice President, will step forward as the new President. And so, we are looking for Vice Presidential nominations from now through September 30, 2009. Nominees should be Board members for at least one full year. Please send your nominations to: housereb@rochester.rr.com For a complete listing of the Board, please see our mother-site: www.nycea.org
My best wishes to all for a happy spring and productive (yet relaxing) summer! This weekend promises to be warm and wonderful for the St. John's conference--stroll Central Park, take a cab to Serendipty for Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and enjoy every moment of this most wonderful conference organized by our most wonderful colleagues!
Until next time...
Rebecca A. Housel, Ph.D., President 2008-2010
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