Middlesex CC Partners with Brandeis & MLA on Summer Institute

This summer, Middlesex Community College is partnering with Brandeis University and the Modern Language Association (MLA) on an institute for doctoral students interested in teaching at access-oriented institutions (AOIs) and for faculty currently teaching at AOIs. Focused on reading and writing pedagogy, the institute will provide research and practical experiences of what it is like to teach at a community college, as well as professional development for faculty.

“Middlesex has a reputation of being at the forefront of innovation and we’re hoping to bring our experience from being in the classroom to help the participants understand what a community college is,” said Nicholas Papas, MCC Professor of English. “It’s about bringing together and discussing the teaching of reading and writing at community colleges and the challenges that come up that many Ph.D. students wouldn’t encounter. It’s a way to get those participants and faculty up-to-date with the latest research and practical information.”

Papas – who has taught at MCC for 10 years – will co-teach the institute with Paige Eggebrecht, Instructor of University Writing and Faculty Advisor to the University Writing Center at Brandeis University. His role will be to help students understand how community colleges serve students, as well as different methods for teaching reading and writing at this level. He hopes to have opportunities for discussions, hands-on modeling, research and guest speakers.

Jonathan Anjaria, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University, saw a need for more support for Ph.D. students whose focus is on teaching post-graduation. Brandeis’s goal for the institute is to provide these students with the knowledge, guidance and experience they need to successfully teach at the community college level.

“There have been discussions around the country for the need to change the Ph.D. and there are few universities who are really making substantial changes in the curriculum and the culture,” Anjaria said. “I’m really happy that Brandeis is at the center of making these changes. Before this program, there was little support for students interested in careers in two-year institutions. I’m so excited for the collaboration with MCC and grateful for MLA to make this partnership happen.”

MLA started this initiative in 2019 with grant funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and continues this year with support from the NEH and SSRC. For this summer’s institute, the organization chose to collaborate with both a four-year university and a community college within the region in order to foster a community of support between the institutions. Upon completion of the institute, participants will be eligible to receive the MLA Certificate in Reading-Writing Pedagogy at Access-Oriented Institutions.

“The cohort model was designed to provide graduate students with context from people working at community colleges – to be able to learn from faculty members about their experiences, about what access-oriented institutions look like, and about the missions of AOIs,” said Paula M. Krebs, the Executive Director of the MLA. “It also broadens the support networks for current faculty members and gives them and more resources and professional development opportunities. We’re excited to see how it comes together and to lend our ongoing support.”

All three institutions hope to build a long-term partnership that will lead to a stronger, more diverse workforce. In particular, MCC hopes to show participants the value of community colleges.

“One of the things we want to do to best serve our MCC students is to get the best possible faculty in the classroom,” Papas said. “One way we do that is to provide an avenue for graduate students from top research universities who have expressed genuine interest in making a career in community college.”

For more information, visit: https://www.mla.org/Resources/Career/2023-MLA-Institutes-on-Reading-and-Writing-Pedagogy