The Fifteenth International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference will be held virtually from August 2nd through 6th, 2021. The conference, which had initially been scheduled to be held on the campus of Colorado State University in early June 2020 and was subsequently postponed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, provides an opportunity to celebrate the first five decades of the WAC movement, to reflect on the current state of the movement, and to consider the directions it might follow in coming decades.
"While we are optimistic that the pandemic will be easing by August, we made the move to a virtual format with the needs of our presenters and attendees in mind," said conference director Mike Palmquist. "The decision was informed by consultation with campus leaders, local and state health officials, our presenters and plenary speakers, the members of the conference committee, and the members of our conference advisory board."
"We are disappointed that we couldn't gather in person," said Palmquist. "But we are optimistic about the potential for engagement offered by the virtual formats that have developed over the past year."
Conference attendees will be able to attend both live sessions and pre-recorded sessions. Live sessions will be recorded and subsequently made available to conference attendees. "If there are any silver linings to having to forego gathering in person, the flexibility of being able to take in sessions that are held at the same time will allow conference attendees to benefit from the information and innovative ideas shared by scholars who are presenting at the same time."
A wider announcement will be made in coming days, once the new registration portal has been developed. Registration fees will be significantly reduced because meals, room rentals, and other expenses will no longer need to be factored into cost of attendance.