Strategic Plan

WCCG members work together to mitigate challenges that make it harder to meet a shared mission of providing students opportunities to develop exceptional writing and critical thinking skills, which are critical for effective leadership. The following common challenges, in conjunction with the stated needs of the military, shaped our strategic-planning objectives for our first five years.

Common Challenges among WCCG Members

• Expanding faculty and administration understanding, involvement, and discussions about writing and critical thinking
• Positioning centers to maximize reach and impact
• Competing with other requirements and time constraints in the accelerated, compressed PME programs
• Securing adequate, sustained resources for core activities and assessment of students and programs
• Identifying best practices and pedagogies for graduate-level centers
• Conducting writing-related research
• Supporting professional development of staff

The advisory board established the following strategic plan for its first five years. Efforts focus inside our own institutions and in larger forums, such as the Navy Education Enterprise (NEE), Military Education Coordination Council (MECC) at the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Strategic Plan Highlights: 2019–2024

• Strategic communication: within own institutions, own military branches, and DoD
• Collaborative research: apply for Minerva-DECUR grant to study military-writing practices and genres; other grants to study teaching and assessing critical thinking, and distance learning.
• Statement of standards and best practices for teaching and writing-center management and engagement
• Development of writing across the curriculum
• Expanded engagement in faculty development for their own skills, faculty work with students, and program and institutional accreditation