Menu
Log in

CALL FOR CONFERENCE HOSTS

Founded in 1981, the Southeastern Writing Center Association is a regional and national leader in promoting writing center studies. The annual conference draws up to 300 writing center professionals and peer tutors, and shows off the region’s commitment to advancing literacy and furthering the theoretical, practical, and political concerns of writing center professionals from both academic and non-academic communities. The organization aims for conferences to engage a wide range of writing center stakeholders, including administrators, undergraduate peer tutors, graduate/professional tutors, and writing teachers.

The Board is now seeking a chair(s) for our 2026 virtual conference, which will take place fully online in February.

SWCA recently voted to offer its annual conference virtually every other year, beginning in 2026. The Board believes this will make conference attendance more affordable and accessible for members. SWCA’s virtual conference will be coordinated with IWCA’s virtual conference schedule, so that each year, there will be one in-person and one virtual option for members.

Virtual conference chairs should be at an institution located within the Southeast. The chair will have the same privileges and responsibilities as in-person hosts, as outlined in the organization’s Bylaws (sections 28-29). SWCA also provides a budget for hosting the conference. 

In addition to normal conference duties, virtual conference chairs are also responsible for managing the online components of the conference, including:

  • Providing clear accessibility guidelines for conference submissions and presentations

  • Determining the modalities and formats of online presentations (e.g. synchronous sessions and asynchronous, pre-recorded sessions), and providing clear guidelines and expectations for each

  • Creating and managing the online platform(s) where attendees will access all conference presentations and content

  • Providing moderators and other technical support for conference sessions throughout the duration of the event

If you are interested in hosting the virtual conference in February 2026, please send a conference proposal to the SWCA President, Candis Bond (cbond@augusta.edu) by September 1, 2024. See the FAQs below for samples and more information about what to include in your proposal.




 

Conference Hosting FAQs

Institutions interested in hosting the SWCA conference should prepare a proposal that includes the following information:

  • Draft of the conference CFP (including location (say virtual and the proposed platform if you are hosting an online conference), dates, and proposed keynote and/or plenary speakers)
  • A written rationale theorizing the conference theme
  • Committee information
  • Proposed location, (proposed virtual platform, such as Zoom, if online), hotel options, and space justification 
  • Budget
  • Proposals for the next conference, which will be virtual in 2026, should be submitted to the SWCA President by September 1, 2024.

Yes, here are two proposals used in past years:

  • September 1: Conference host proposals due to the SWCA Board
  • December 31: Deadline for SWCA board response
  • January: SWCA provides feedback to planning committee
  • February: Planning committee attends SWCA board meeting
  • May: SWCA executive board visits conference site to help the local committee with negotiations and planning (or provides any support for online technology for virtual conferences)
  • September: CFP for conference is published and circulated to membership
  • October: Conference proposals due
  • November: Conference proposal decisions sent and scholarship deadlines shared
  • December/January: Conference schedule finalized
  • February: Conference

Hosting requires support from your institution in terms of time and labor, though not financially. An ideal site is relatively easy to travel to by car and plane and has a campus or conference center with enough space to host 8-12 concurrent sessions. There is no need for a campus to be closed.

Virtual conferences use a platform that is easily accessible, such as Zoom. It is recommended that the hosts manage Zoom or other platform links and access rather than asking individual presenters to provide links. A budget is provided to pay for upgrades to institutional or SWCA Zoom accounts. Hosts may also choose to use budgeted funds for other virtual conference applications, such as Whova.

The institution pays nothing--all costs are covered by SWCA through registration and membership fees. The conference chair also receives free conference registration.

Registration is generally handled by the conference host, though payments go through SWCA’s existing membership system. As such, the host works closely with the SWCA’s treasurer to confirm registration is going smoothly.

SWCA provides full financial support to conference hosts and works closely with the conference chair to ensure the event’s success. The executive board will be there to support every decision and help with planning to provide support to best represent the institution and the organization. The board also assists with contracts and negotiations.


Southeastern Writing Center Association  |  ©  , SWCA

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software