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IWCA Summer Institute
Our Summer Institute is a week-long intensive workshop for writing center professionals to work with experienced writing center scholars/leaders. The Summer Institute is a great starting place for new writing center directors.
Build → Sustain → Lead → Contribute
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH @ Westminster UniversityDATES: August 3 to 6, 2026 CONFERENCE HOTEL Springhill Suites by Marriott Sugar House 2206 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106 Special nightly rate: $189.00 USD plus applicable room taxes. The special rate applies for both single and double occupancy, in case participants wish to share accommodations. Book your group rate for International Writing Center Association SI REGISTRATION Register at iwcamembers.org by logging in OR creating a free profile. |
IMPORTANT DATESREGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 5, 2026 Last day to cancel for full refund: July 5, 2026 Last day to cancel for partial refund: July 18, 2026 For cancelations after 30 days, please contact Maggie Herb at herbmm@buffalostate.edu. |
Summer Institute OverviewIWCA Summer Institute 2026 (SI) invites participants to make space for learning the logistics of running a writing center program, building a network of colleagues from around the world, addressing problems of practice, and working on projects and scholarship. This even will feature both a common SI curriculum and breakouts, optional sessions, and work time to provide professional development suited to your needs and experience. To appeal to a wide range of IWCA members, we aim to offer programming for both new and established writing center professionals. While the curriculum will remain closely aligned with writing center basics, our pedagogical approach will be practical and participatory. We also aim to develop mentoring groups where participants can engage with SI leaders and other participants on a smaller scale. For logistical reasons, we will not be offering any virtual attendance options for this in-person institute. |
Attendees of the 2025 IWCA SI in Puebla, Mexico. |
Leaders/Facilitators
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Lisa Bell (she/her; SI Leader) is Director of the Utah Valley University Writing Center and Graduate Writing Center. Her research interests and scholarship focus on writing center studies, including technology and tutoring, support for multilingual writers, program administration, and tutor education and experience. Lisa Bell is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), serves on the board of the International Writing Centers Association and Rocky Mountain Writing Centers Association (RMWCA), is founding member of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum, and co-hosted SI in 2023. |
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Melody Denny (she/they; SI Leader) is the Director of the WORD Studio and Peer Tutoring at St. Lawrence University. Though no longer in the Rocky Mountain region, she’s still a member of RMWCA and has served as the Outreach Coordinator for that group. Melody is also part of the editorial board for Center Moves, a peer-reviewed archive of tutor training materials. Recently, she has (somewhat begrudgingly) shifted to researching AI, and her most recent publication in The Peer Review focuses on training tutors with AI and roleplaying. Melody has previously attended two Summer Institutes: in 2011 in Lone Wolf, OK and in 2023 in Missoula, MT. |
 | Romeo García (Invited Session Facilitator) is Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Studies and an affiliate of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Utah. His research appears in College Composition and Communication, Rhetoric Review, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Across the Disciplines, and Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture. García is author of There is No Making it Out (Utah State University Press) and co-editor of Rhetorics Elsewhere and Otherwise (with Damián Baca, winner of the 2020 Conference on College Composition & Communication Outstanding Book Award, Edited Collection, Studies in Writing and Rhetoric), Unsettling Archival Research (with Gesa Kirsch, Caitlin Burns Allen, and Walker P. Smith, honorable mention 2024 Conference on College Composition and Communication Outstanding Book Award, Edited Collection, Southern Illinois University Press), Pluriversal Literacies (with Ellen Cushman and Damián Baca, University of Pittsburgh Press), and Community Listening (with Jenn Fishman and Lauren Rosenberg, winner of the 2025 Conference on Community Writing Outstanding Book Award, Edited Collection, WAC Clearinghouse). |
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Clint Gardner (he/him/his; SI Leader) is the Director of Student Writing & Reading Centers at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has served in various leadership roles in the writing center and two-year college communities over the past 36 years. Currently, he serves as the RMWCA treasurer. His research interests include peer tutoring in community college writing centers, online writing center pedagogy, and writing center contingent labor, working conditions, and worker identity. Previously, he served as an SI Leader in 2005 in Lawrence, Kansas. |
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Chris LeCluyse (he/him; SI Leader) is a professor and chair of Literature, Media, and Writing and directs the Westminster University Writing Center. He has served as president and Utah representative for the Rocky Mountain Writing Centers Association, Rocky Mountain regional representative to the International Writing Centers Association, and a submission reviewer for Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship, and The Writing Center Journal. His most recent research focuses on game studies and its intersection with writing center praxis. He co-organized the 2017 SI in Vancouver, Canada. |
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Eduardo Mabilog (he/him; Invited Session Facilitator) obtained his PhD and MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy from The Ohio State University. His work intersects areas of Writing Centers, Anti-Racism, Multilingual Writers, Voice, and Disability. Most recently he has wrapped up his dissertation focused on understanding the labor and experiences of writing center directors of color. He is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada and currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. |
ScheduleSunday, August 2 – Arrival & CommunitySI check in will be at the hotel between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. There will be optional dinner meetups 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Monday, August 3 – Build: Purpose & IdentityWorkshops and breakout sessions will focus on establishing program and professional purpose and identity. There will be tracks for new and experienced writing center professionals. Tuesday, August 4 – Sustain: Strengthening OperationsDay two will focus on stabilizing relations with staff by exploring practices in hiring, training, supervising, and mentoring and stabilizing programs by focusing on programming, budgets, scheduling, and topics beyond tutoring. Two distinct tracks will run throughout the day, and attendees may pick the track sessions they wish to attend. Wednesday, August 5 – Lead: Expanding InfluenceSimilar to day 2, attendees will pick tracks based upon their needs in collecting and assessing data, performing advocacy for their centers and staff, reaching out to the campus community, and develop collaborative projects across their institutions. Thursday, August 6 – Contribute: Shaping the Field
Our final day will focus on how participants can contribute to the field as a whole through scholarship, research, professional development, and community engagement. Friday, August 7 -- Travel DayParticipants are invited to stick around and enjoy the scenic beauty of Utah! |
 Attendees of the IWCA Summer Institute |
Attendees of the 2025 IWCA SI in Puebla, MexicoLocationLand Acknowledgement"Tsaan napuni taai sokopii, 'How beautiful is our land."' —Beverly Crum, Shoshone Round Dance Song. The Utah organizers of the IWCA 2026 Summer Institute acknowledge that our institutions occupy the traditional territories of the Diné Navajo, Goshute, Paiute, Shoshone, Timpanogos, and Ute peoples, who have stewarded these lands throughout the generations. Salt Lake City, UtahFor those looking to extend their time in Salt Lake City or in Utah, there are ample opportunities for cultural experiences and outdoor adventures. The city is home to several museums such as the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and the soon-to-be-opened Museum of Utah, among others. Several day trips to scenic destinations such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Antelope Island State Park (Great Salt Lake), or the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest are within easy driving distance. Park City is roughly a 30 minute drive, and there is limited UTA bus service there. Further afield, Utah's five national parks are reachable within hours. Westminster UniversityWestminster University is a private comprehensive university. It emphasizes hands-on research, global learning, and career readiness through individualized teaching and programs. Along with their overall education, student wellness and growth are key aspects of their experience at Westminster. Westminster is an official four-year college partner to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. Six of its students competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and one alum competed in the Winter Paralympics. ScheduleGeneral information
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Silver Lake, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah (photo credit: Clint Gardner)
Registration will open soon!
Register at iwcamembers.org by logging in OR creating a free profile.
Registration is $950.00 USD per participant and covers tuition as well as daily lunch. Hotel booking is separate and paid by the attendee. Breakfast is included in hotel rates. Additional costs to participants include airfare, local transportation, and dinners out on the town.
Registration will be limited to 35 participants and will close July 5, 2026. Each participant will receive a certificate of attendance.
Due to ordering deadlines, full refunds of registration fees are available only until July 5, 2026. Partial refunds will only be available until July 19, 2026. Cancellations prior to 30 days can be handled through the registration confirmation received upon successful registration. Cancellations after 15 days will have to handled manually by the SI Leaders.
SI Travel Scholarships
As an organization committed to cultivating inclusion, IWCA has a limited number of scholarships up to $1,000 each which are available depending on the number of applicants. Applications must demonstrate an active affiliation with writing centers, a specific goal for SI attendance, and financial need. Priority will be given to writing center administrators from historically under-represented groups (URG) and/or URG-serving institutions and participants traveling from outside the USA. Deadline: May 15, 2026. Recipients will be notified by June 1, 2026.
To apply, you must be an IWCA member in good standing and must submit the following information:
- A written statement of 250 words (1,500 characters) articulating how receiving the scholarship might benefit you, your writing center, your region, and/or the field and what you wish to take away from the SI.
- An itemized budget including registration, lodging, travel , per diem total, and other travel-related expenses.
- Any current funding you may have from other sources. Do not include personal money.
- Remaining budgetary needs, after other funding sources.
Travel scholarship applications will be judged on the following criteria:
- The written statement provides a clear and detailed rationale for how the SI will benefit you, your writing center, your region, and/or the field and what you wish to take away from the SI.
- The budget is clear and demonstrates significant need.
- Preference will be given to the following: the applicant is from an underrepresented group, is new to the field, is from outside the United States or a great distance, or is a first-time attendee.
TRAVEL RESOURCES
Guidebooks
- Sugar House Neighborhood Guide (Visit Salt Lake external website)
- Visit Salt Lake (external website)
- Visit Utah (external website)
Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport
Ground Transportation From SLC International Airport to Summer Institute Hotel
Utah Transit Authority (UTA)
- UTA TRAX Green Line & S-Line Street Car or other bus routes are $2.50 one way; $5.00 day pass. See Google Maps for transit directions. See UTA website for Transit Mobile Ticketing app.
- Uber ($24-$65)
- Lyft ($24-$76)
- Taxis ($40-$50) Yellow Cab of Utah is Salt Lake City International Airport’s (SLC) only on-demand taxi cab provider. Click here to book a ride. For other inquiries contact Yellow Cab at 801-521-2100 or visit yellowcabutah.com.
Car Rental
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Airport On-site
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Off-site (with shuttle service) The pick-up/drop-off location for the off-site rental car shuttles is located to the west of the Parking Garage.
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Getting to Westminster From Hotel
- Westminster vans will take SI attendees back and forth at the beginning and end of the day.
- Walking (⅘ a mile or 19 minutes @ Google Maps walking speed)
- UTA Bus 213 (nine minutes from hotel arriving at 8:43 am)
- Driving (4 minutes) Parking at Westminster is available on campus. More information to come.
- Lime Scooter (note: Sugar House Park is a no-go zone.)
Getting Around the City
- Green Bike (Utah's non-profit bike share; app is called BCycle; there is a station of 6 bikes at 1215 E Wilmington Avenue; don't recommend it for getting to Westminster since the bike has to be docked at a station to end charges)
- Utah Transit Authority (Bus, street car, paratransit, and light rail (TRAX) options)
SPONSORS
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International Writing Centers Association (c) 2026