Preparing for the Fall Horizon.

Dear GSOLE Members,

As most everybody knows, July ended with the shape of writing studies in flux. On July 24, 2026, the National Council of Teacher of English (NCTE) voted to de-charter the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)–the organizational home for scholars and practitioners in writing studies and its adjacent disciplines and sub-disciplines. Personally, I have been attending the Meeting of the CCCC since 1998 (Phoenix, AZ), and, in the meantime, I have served on two committees, chaired a SIG, chaired a Standing Group, facilitated multiple workshops, and presented on panels. But most importantly, I attended brilliant and thought-provoking panels that have shaped the instructor and scholar that I am, especially the ones that you all presented. And I have gotten to know many of you while eating tacos in Houston, dining at a chic cafe in Portland, conquering large burritos in Spokane, negotiating a table of almost twenty GSOLE members at a Baltimore Cheesecake Factory, among many social outings. So whether you have been in writing studies for “a minute” or you just started your career, I know you have your own memories and feelings about the CCCC. And I encourage you to share them with your local colleagues, your family, and other GSOLE members. We need this moment of catharsis.

We also need to start thinking about what is next. First, let me report that the GSOLE Executive Board has voted to disaffiliate from the NCTE primarily because their process left many scholars and practitioners without recourse and answers to the future of the CCCC and the resources it offered, some of which our members have produced and were currently producing. We also want to encourage you all to let your local writing studies peers know that GSOLE is here to be an academic home to scholars and practitioners who teach online or use online teaching strategies (e.g., using an Learning Management System, like Canvas). We invite them into GSOLE to help us shape the future of our organization as we chart our path primarily guided by the principles of accessibility and inclusivity (see GSOLE’s first principle). I want to encourage you–current members–to be involved in the process of shaping this new chapter of the field. You too can participate in GSOLE in many different ways–from attending the monthly Cyber Salons to being a conference volunteer to stepping into leadership roles. Outside of GSOLE, there are also several ideation meetings; many are regional, but one is specifically for online instructors.

Our field has lost a significant cornerstone of its foundation, but we are strong and will use this opportunity to create something that aligns more with college writing studies’ needs and vision. I look forward to working with you.

Best,
Kevin DePew, GSOLE President
kdepew@odu.edu (email me if you want to volunteer for GSOLE positions)