After spending a retreat together last semester, seven new faculty members still get together every other Thursday and write.

“It formed a network and a fellowship of people that provide mutual support to each other, and I think that’s really important,” said Professor A.G. Rud, who worked on the program.

Last semester, seven new faculty members became students again after attending a writing retreat for a weekend at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory guesthouse on the WSU Tri-Cities campus.

Through the College of Education, these new faculty members were able to improve their writing skills for research proposals, articles, and grant proposals. They discussed writing with each other and received the help that they needed.

Assistant professor John Lupinacci, who was a part of the retreat group, said he hopes to bring the group together again to go back to Tri-Cities and do something similar to the retreat.

Rud said he also would like to hold some kind of reception or seminar on the Pullman campus to get the group together again.

“The main purpose for the retreat was to signal to faculty members the importance that we as a college see in writing,” Rud said. “Being able to write well and write fluidly enhances their career and the reputation of the college.”

Lupinacci said he felt this retreat was helpful after having to move from Michigan and endure the stress of being a new faculty member.

He said he believed it was like being a student for the weekend.

“Everyone was really friendly and welcoming and were saying, ‘We really support you as new faculty, and we want to know what you need in terms of support for writing, and any assistance writing grants or development in that area,’” Lupinacci said.

At the second retreat conducted by the College of Education, the faculty members from the previous retreat came to answer questions for the new faculty.

“It was really truth and action to the fact that they were really supporting us,” Lupinacci said.

Dean of the College of Education Michael Trevisan said that he wanted to support and show investment in the new faculty by having them jumpstart their research and scholarly writing.

“The outcome of the retreat was that people were able to focus on a particular piece of writing and share that with others, learn how to write more efficiently and fluidly, and to get to know each other across the college,” Rud said.

Faculty suggested pushing the event to later in the year so that new faculty members are more settled in and inviting a guest speaker to attend. The retreat will most likely continue to be successful in the future, Trevisan said.