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Update on CCCC 2027
I just got off a call with Antero Garcia and Emily Kirkpatrick.
As of now, the plan is to move forward with CCCC 2027, but several issues still need to be addressed. Initially, there was a proposal to send out acceptance notifications and then use the response rate to determine whether the conference should move forward. I explained that this was not a good approach because people need enough information to make an informed decision about whether to participate. As a result, we will not send acceptance notifications until we know whether the conference can actually happen.
I was candid with both of them about the level of anger many people feel toward NCTE and acknowledged that there are likely relationships that cannot be repaired. I explained that, in my assessment, much of this stems from messaging that has, at best, been sloppy, impersonal, and overly corporate. There is genuine anger, and naming a chair to lead the task force has only intensified those concerns. I also shared my view that creating a task force and appointing its chair without involving the CCCC Executive Committee, particularly the officers, effectively sidelined their leadership and signaled little regard for their expertise, governance role, or the time they have invested in the organization.
Antero and Emily then asked what it would take for CCCC 2027 to be a productive space. I suggested two things:
1) Registration costs need to be reduced to the point that people do not see attending as financially benefiting NCTE.
2) The conference should provide space for CCCC members to continue the organizing work already underway so that they can explore what an independent organization outside of NCTE might look like.
With respect to registration costs, I’m not sure what that will look like but we’re still in open conversation. Regarding the second point, they asked whether their task force would also have an opportunity to meet and continue their work. I said I do not see why people should not have the option to work on the NCTE task force if they want to build something within NCTE. That is not my personal preference, and I suspect relatively few people will choose that path given the prospects of reputational damage. At the same time, I think creating conference space where multiple groups can engage in future-oriented planning would not compromise CCCC 2027. Instead, it could allow us to leave Milwaukee with tangible plans for whatever organizational future emerges.
We have additional meetings scheduled, and I’ll continue to keep you all informed as things develop. My priority right now is to support a decision that respects the tremendous amount of paid and unpaid labor that has gone into CCCC 2027, honors the scholarship and research of those who prepared to participate in the conference in good faith, and puts our 2,500 members in the strongest possible position to build something new that honors the 77 years of work and community that came before us.
With gratitude.