Research and Creative Scholarship at Wheaton

Yes, there are many voluntary writing and research groups for faculty that are self organized. In addition, we have WNRN (Write Now Right Now). 

Write Now, Right Now (WNRN) is a community in which faculty and staff co-write (and by “write,” we mean anything that allows you to engage with, and move forward on, your research, creative work, and professional development. You can write, think, read, outline, calculate, code, draw, paint, etch, photograph, sketch, brainstorm, edit, copyedit, proof, research, dance, sew, sculpt, annotate, translate, etc.).

Whether virtually (via Zoom) or in person (Discovery Center 1347), WNRN provides community, collegiality, accountability, and a means of scheduling and committing to your work! Also, coffee. Lots of coffee. It is a great way to make sure we give attention to our research and creative work when other commitments are pulling us away from it!

The schedule changes each semester based upon hosts’ schedules, but generally there are at least two hours of co-writing every day of the workweek. There is no expectation that you come every day or that you stay for the full time. Come and go when you wish! And again: you don’t need to write while you are at WNRN--we encourage any tasks that move your research or creative work forward. 

________________________

Drop in (physically or virtually) to any or all WNRN writing sessions during our August Ambition writing sprint on Friday, August 25! It's a great way to schedule and follow-through on the commitments you have made to yourself while enjoying some camaraderie. You can come to DC 1347 (where the library stacks meets the Discovery Center) or you can do so from the comfort of your own home/cave/bed/quarantine/secret lair via Zoom.

At 1pm, we will hold a workshop on setting research goals for semester. You may plan to attend that (room info forthcoming), or elect to remain in the WNRN room for the third writing session. 

------------------------------

Write Now, Right Now

✏ August Ambition Writing Sprint ✏

Friday August 25

With coffee, tea, pastries, snacks, and lunch all provided

8:30–9am               Welcome, chit-chat, settling in, goal-sharing

9am–10:20am        Writing session I

10:20–10:40am      Optional break I

10:40am–12n         Writing session II

12n–1pm                Lunch together or on your own 

                                    (Lunch RSVP requested, not required)

1–2:20pm               Optional goal-setting workshop and writing session III

2:20–2:40pm          Optional break II

2:40–4:00pm          Writing session IV

4:00–4:30pm          Wrap up, sharing, happy hour

------------------------------

The tiny font details: There will be twelve 80-minute writing blocks next week, four on each of the three days. Join as often as you'd like for as long as you like, arriving early or late, simply by stepping in DC1347 or clicking on this Zoom link.

When you arrive or sign in, you'll be sure to see a friendly, if deep-in-concentration, face or two on the other end of the table or Zoom call to remind you that you are not alone. If you are virtual, you are welcome to leave your camera on or turn it off--whatever works for you! Then all you have to do is... write, think, read, outline, calculate, code, draw, paint, etch, photograph, sketch, brainstorm, edit, copyedit, proof, research, dance, sew, sculpt, annotate, translate, etc.--whatever moves you forward on your research/creative/professional development goals! 

We hope to see you there! No RSVP is necessary, but if you would like to join in on lunch and/or ensure we have your coffee/tea preferences, please fill out the form here. And of course, let me us know if you have any questions by emailing WNRN or Dana Polanichka.

__________________________________________________ 

More about WNRN

WNRN is intended to help us regularly set aside time to focus on our professional development, to work “solitarily but in solidarity.” We honor our commitments to teaching and meetings partly because they are time-bound scheduled tasks. Our research is usually more flexible, which means other commitments can easily eat time at the expense of our research. WNRN allows you to schedule your research like you would a meeting, and coming to our space builds an accountability community. 

Over the last six years, dozens of Wheaton faculty and staff have participated in WNRN and our experiences speak to the power of building habits within a community. WNRN has yielded thousands of research hours since our first session in 2016. We also keep a tally of publications that have resulted from work in WNRN, and we are up to over 150 articles, blogs, op-eds, grant applications, book manuscripts, conference papers, and more.  

WNRN is based in Discovery Center 1347. It is located where the library's basement stacks meet the Discovery Center (that is, between the Mathematics/CS/Physics hallway and the Diana Davis Spencer café). Coffee, tea, water, snacks, writing utensils, docking stations, and more are available.

For those who wish to sign in virtually, we turn off microphones (and cameras if you choose), but the chat feature is open to allow for greetings, questions, and comments. DC1347 has a large screen and camera that shows all participants so even those who are virtual feel included.

Whether you plan to attend regularly on a fixed schedule, or drop in as your schedule permits, we look forward to seeing you at WNRN.

Happy writing!

Contact WNRN, Dana Polanichka, or Aubrey Westfall for further information.

Please remember that all research projects involving human subjects, whether the research is conducted by faculty or students, must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).  

Please direct questions and materials for the Committee to Associate Provosts Gabriela Torres and Karen McCormack or follow the link to Information on the IRB.

All research and teaching projects involving vertebrate animal species, whether conducted by faculty or students, must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Please direct questions for the Committee to Amanda Bettle, IACUC Coordinator (ext. 5655) or Kathy Morgan, IACUC Chair (x3934).  Information on the IACUC is available linked here, and also linked in the Office of the Provost page on insideWheaton.

Professors of practice and tenure track professors of any rank are eligible to apply for faculty scholarship funds to present (maximum 1400 USD) at or attend a conference (maximum 900 USD) per academic year. The Application for faculty scholarship funds is linked here. 

Please note that it is possible to solicit at once funds for a two year period (up to a maximum of 2800 USD).

To access adobe creative cloud, please submit an IT ticket as outlined in the FAQ that immediately follows.  

There are several Academic Software Programs that you may use for course work that is partially managed by Information Technology and Services (ITS). The following software on our Virtual Desktop Image (VDI) pool that is typically accessed from the library public computers, labs, and classrooms.

The list of software that we've installed includes on the VDI includes:

Ampac10

Cn3D_4.3

Comsol

DevC++

Excel

Firefox

GMail shortcut

Google_Chrome

Google_Drive shortcut

Google_Earth_Pro

Mathematica

Matlab

NaturalReader_16

Netspace shortcut (file server)

Origin2021b

Powerpoint

Printers

Publisher

Semichem_Agui

SPSS

Stata_16

Word

Skype

Silverlight

Faculty and students can find instructions to launch a VDI on the Help Desk Ticketing System.  If students or faculty require access to Adobe Creative Cloud or ArcGIS (these applications will not run from the VDI), you can request this access through the Help Desk Ticketing System.

Accessing the Wheaton College Help Desk Ticketing System

The following options allow you to submit a support ticket

 (Other Than a Password Reset/Issues)

for service issues or requests:

Option 1

Login to the Wheaton College Help Desk System at:

 http://support.wheatoncollege.edu

Here you will be able to enter your service requests

(Other Than a Password Reset/Issues)

and have them go directly to ITSS personnel for review.

Option 2

Use your camera to access the Help Desk System (Other Than a Password Reset/Issues)

Password Reset/Issues Option

E-mail: support@wheatoncollege.edu

Call: IT Support Services @ 508-286-3900 (Please Leave a Message)

Help Desk Hours

8:30am to 4:30pm

Monday Thru Friday

Wallace Library – Periodical Level

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) secures funding from corporations, foundations, and government agencies to support the scholarly interests and institutional priorities of Wheaton College. CFR staff works directly with faculty members to obtain external support for ongoing research, creative projects, and collaborative work with students. Faculty are encouraged to contact CFR staff early in the grant-seeking process to discuss proposal ideas and to help identify potential sources for project support. In addition, CRF will assist faculty throughout the process with:

• proposal development

• oversight of the college's approval process

• preparation of a letter of endorsement from the President or Provost

• submission of the proposal to the funding agency

• stewardship of all narrative and financial interim and final reports

Visit the Corporate & Foundation Relations page for additional information about funding opportunities and resources including subscription and access information to Grants Resource Center (GRC).

The short answer is yes. See the complete policy on summer salaries and course buyouts. 

You can fill out this form. It goes to the Provost Office and it helps to create the Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter