Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a
Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a
Ashe and Reilly developing academic ecosystems through smart growth A number of fields in the humanities, including ecocomposition, rhetorical ecology, ecocriticism, and ecofeminism, look to ecosystems as foundational constructs. Outside the humanities, urban planners, political scientists, and sociologists use environmental science in other ways that can inform our thinking and bring a systems approach to program planning, development, and adaptation. A recent and particularly useful systems-based approach, smart growth, involves the application of broad-based systems thinking to land-use decisions and community development. Smart growth offers concrete strategies for handling growth and change that can be used productively to address the concerns of new Professional and Technical Writing programs. These strategies combine strategic planning, environmental awareness, and political negotiation as opportunities for identity construction and chances to demonstrate the appropriate place of the PTW program within the department and the university. In the face of fears that PTW is the academic equivalent of urban sprawl, the language and strategies of smart growth can help us to develop and strengthen our programs in ways that are in the best interests of the department, the university, and the community. On the surface, smart growth principles may seem distant from the needs of PTW programs because they refer specifically to physical spaces and environmental concerns. According to both major smart growth coalitions in the United States, the Sustainable Growth Network and Smart Growth America, the main principles of smart growth are as follows: 2 1. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices 2. Create walkable neighborhoods 3. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration 4. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place 5. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective 6. Mix land uses 7. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas 8. Provide a variety of transportation choices 9. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities 10. Take advantage of compact building design (Sustainable Communities Network, “About Smart Growth”) When considered through the lens of the academic program, however, the basic 94
Smart Growth goals of this kind of systems thinking can serve as a framework for program administrators when setting goals for program design, program development, outcomes assessment, and strategies for anticipating and managing change. According to Joseph Fiksel, resilient systems feature diversity, efficiency, adaptability, and cohesion. In order to design a resilient system, Fiksel recommends “identifying system function and boundaries, establishing requirements, selecting appropriate technologies, developing a system design, evaluating anticipated performance, and devising a practical means for system development” (5330). As Fiksel indicates, resilience leads to and fosters sustainability, which “is not an end state that we can reach; rather, it is a characteristic of a dynamic, evolving system.” In order to foster their own resilience and that of the academic ecosystems of which they are a part, administrators of PTW programs can enact Fiksel’s recommendations for sustainable development, which, as Fiksel argues, can be employed at any point in a system’s development to alter its course (5334). In the remainder of this chapter, we will demonstrate how Fiksel’s critical actions for designing a resilient system and sustainable growth, combined with the ten principles of smart growth from the Sustainable Communities Network offers strategies for building successful PTW programs that flourish within the departmental and university ecosystems where they have taken root. identifying system function and boundaries As a PTW program begins to grow, it is inevitable and essential to hold discussions about the direction and amount of sustainable growth possible in light of current resources and other institutional constraints. In order to lead and initiate such discussions, we felt that it would be essential to have one designated program coordinator who could be the official spokesperson of the program in discussions and negotiations with other faculty and administrators. One of our early successes was to get departmental approval and chair support for the position of coordinator of professional writing, which came with a list of duties, including permanent membership on the departmental steering committee, as well as a course release. Until we earned tenure, we shared the position, alternating years, in order to allow both of us to gain formal administrative experience central to developing sustainable programmatic growth. In some cases, successful undergraduate programs, in particular, face departmental and administrative pressure to grow beyond capacity in order to attract more majors, serve growing numbers of interested students, and even create bridges between the community and private industry, something that 95
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Smart Growth<br />
goals of this k<strong>in</strong>d of systems th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g can serve as a framework for program<br />
adm<strong>in</strong>istrators when sett<strong>in</strong>g goals for program design, program development,<br />
outcomes assessment, <strong>and</strong> strategies for anticipat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> manag<strong>in</strong>g change.<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g to Joseph Fiksel, resilient systems feature diversity, efficiency,<br />
adaptability, <strong>and</strong> cohesion. In order to design a resilient system, Fiksel<br />
recommends “identify<strong>in</strong>g system function <strong>and</strong> boundaries, establish<strong>in</strong>g requirements,<br />
select<strong>in</strong>g appropriate technologies, develop<strong>in</strong>g a system design,<br />
evaluat<strong>in</strong>g anticipated performance, <strong>and</strong> devis<strong>in</strong>g a practical means for system<br />
development” (5330). As Fiksel <strong>in</strong>dicates, resilience leads to <strong>and</strong> fosters susta<strong>in</strong>ability,<br />
which “is not an end state that we can reach; rather, it is a characteristic<br />
of a dynamic, evolv<strong>in</strong>g system.” In order to foster their own resilience<br />
<strong>and</strong> that of the academic ecosystems of which they are a part, adm<strong>in</strong>istrators<br />
of PTW programs can enact Fiksel’s recommendations for susta<strong>in</strong>able development,<br />
which, as Fiksel argues, can be employed at any po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> a system’s<br />
development to alter its course (5334). In the rema<strong>in</strong>der of this chapter, we<br />
will demonstrate how Fiksel’s critical actions for design<strong>in</strong>g a resilient system<br />
<strong>and</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>able growth, comb<strong>in</strong>ed with the ten pr<strong>in</strong>ciples of smart growth<br />
from the Susta<strong>in</strong>able Communities Network offers strategies for build<strong>in</strong>g successful<br />
PTW programs that flourish with<strong>in</strong> the departmental <strong>and</strong> university<br />
ecosystems where they have taken root.<br />
identify<strong>in</strong>g system function <strong>and</strong> boundaries<br />
As a PTW program beg<strong>in</strong>s to grow, it is <strong>in</strong>evitable <strong>and</strong> essential to hold<br />
discussions about the direction <strong>and</strong> amount of susta<strong>in</strong>able growth possible <strong>in</strong><br />
light of current resources <strong>and</strong> other <strong>in</strong>stitutional constra<strong>in</strong>ts. In order to lead <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>itiate such discussions, we felt that it would be essential to have one designated<br />
program coord<strong>in</strong>ator who could be the official spokesperson of the program<br />
<strong>in</strong> discussions <strong>and</strong> negotiations with other faculty <strong>and</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istrators. One of<br />
our early successes was to get departmental approval <strong>and</strong> chair support for the<br />
position of coord<strong>in</strong>ator of professional writ<strong>in</strong>g, which came with a list of duties,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g permanent membership on the departmental steer<strong>in</strong>g committee, as<br />
well as a course release. Until we earned tenure, we shared the position, alternat<strong>in</strong>g<br />
years, <strong>in</strong> order to allow both of us to ga<strong>in</strong> formal adm<strong>in</strong>istrative experience<br />
central to develop<strong>in</strong>g susta<strong>in</strong>able programmatic growth.<br />
In some cases, successful undergraduate programs, <strong>in</strong> particular, face<br />
departmental <strong>and</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istrative pressure to grow beyond capacity <strong>in</strong> order to<br />
attract more majors, serve grow<strong>in</strong>g numbers of <strong>in</strong>terested students, <strong>and</strong> even<br />
create bridges between the community <strong>and</strong> private <strong>in</strong>dustry, someth<strong>in</strong>g that<br />
95