U See I Write

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“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 to Apply

Who’s Eligible? 

Participation in the U See I Write Faculty Writing Retreat is by application only. Each retreat is limited to 30 participants.

Since Spring 2018, applications are open to all UCI faculty members, including teaching professors, regardless of rank from all academic units.

Application Information

U See I Write Faculty Writing Retreats, 2023-24

Fall Retreat – 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Friday, October 13, 2023 – APPLY BY OCTOBER 6, 2023: https://uci.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79bls8GW3VaF6Ci

  • in-person location: Duck Club, Irvine Ranch Water District

Winter Retreat – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2024 – APPLY BY JANUARY 19, 2024:

  • in-person location: tbd

Spring Retreat – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2024 – APPLY BY APRIL 19, 2024

  • in-person location: TBA

U See I Write Faculty Cohort Meetings, 2023-24

UCI faculty have additional opportunities to build scholarly productivity through the U See I Write Cohort meetings. This program provides monthly half-day writing retreats and weekly one-hour writing meetings in small groups. Half-day retreats are scheduled for dates and times listed at the locations below.
These meetings are open to all UCI faculty members regardless of rank and remote options are available for the monthly retreats

DATES:

  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m.  on November 3
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on December 8
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on January 12
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on February 9
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on March 8
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on April 12
  • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on May 10

APPLY BY 5 p.m. on OCTOBER 20, 2022

Links for applications will be provided in OIE campus-wide announcements preceding each event.

 UCI campus map is located at: https://uci.edu/visit/maps.php

To receive information on future U See I Write Faculty Writing Retreats, please email Office of Inclusive Excellence at inclusion@uci.edu to join the mailing list.