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Associate Professor of English, Texas A&M University
Executive Director, University Writing Center
Education
- Ph.D. in English and Rhetoric, 1988 The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
- MA in English, 1982 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- BA in English and Philosophy, 1977 (cum laude) Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Research and Teaching Interests
Literacy, language variety and standard English, discourse analysis, technical and business writing, computers and writing, research methodology in rhetoric and composition, tutor and teacher training, writing program/center administration and assessment, history and theory of rhetoric.
Books
- Cultural Divide: Case Studies of African American College-Level Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook-Heinemann, 1993
Honorable Mention, 1993, W. Ross Winterowd Award for best book on composition theory. - The Holt Guide to Using Daedalus. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
Edited Volumes
- Uses for Journal Keeping: An Ethnography of Writing in a University Science Class. Co-edited with Barbara Johnstone. By Anne C. Johnstone. Ablex Writing Research Series. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1994.
- Attending to the Margins: Writing, Researching, and Teaching on the Front Lines. Co-edited with Michelle Hall Kells. CrossCurrents Series. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999.
- Latino/a Discourses and Teaching Composition as a Social Action. Co-edited with Michelle Hall Kells and Victor Villanueva. CrossCurrents Series. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 2004. (Going into 2nd printing, 2005)
Chapters in Books
- "Discourse and Cultural Bumping: Introduction." Co-authored with Michelle Hall Kells. Latino/a Discourses and Teaching Composition as a Social Action. Eds. Michelle Hall Kells, Valerie Balester, and Victor Villanueva. CrossCurrents Series. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 2004. (In 2nd printing)
- "Ebonics, Standard American English, and the Power of First-Year Composition." Co-authored with Ellen Weber. Against the Grain: A Volume in Honor of Maxine Hairston. Eds. Ralph Voss, David Jolliffe, Michael Keene, and Mary Trachsel. Hampton Press, 2002. 197-210.
- "Writing about Race and Ethnicity." In Coming of Age: The Advanced Writing Curriculum. Eds. Linda K. Shamoon, Rebecca Moore Howard, Sandra Jamieson, and Robert A. Schwegler. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann-Boynton/Cook. 2000. CD-Rom. Print-linked publication. Coming of Age won the Council of Writing Programs Administrations Outstanding Book Award for 2001.
- "Voices from the Wild Horse Desert: Introduction." Co-authored with Michelle Hall Kells. In Attending to the Margins: Writing, Researching, and Teaching on the Front Lines. Eds. Michelle Hall Kells and Valerie Balester. CrossCurrents Series. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. xiii-xxiii.
"Vir Bonus Agendi Peritus." Co-authored with Philip Sipiora. In Discourse Studies in Honor of James Kinneavy. Ed. Rosalind Gabin. Potomac, Maryland: Scripta Humanistica, 1995. vii-xxvii. - "A Reexamination of Attitudes Toward Black English Vernacular." In Constructing Rhetorical Education: From the Classroom to the Community. Eds. Marie Secor and Davida Charney. Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991. 63-85.
- "The Evolving Computer Classroom for English Studies." In Ten Approaches to Computer Composition Classrooms. Ed. Linda Myers. Buffalo, NY: SUNY Press, 1993. 135-48.
Refereed Articles
- "A View of Status and Working Conditions: Relations Between Writing Program and Writing Center Directors." Co-authored with James McDonald. Writing Program Administration 24.3 (Spring 2001): 59-82. Winner of International Writing Centers Association Best Article of Year for 2001-02.
- "The Problem of Method: Striving to See with Multiple Perspectives." Response to "History in the Spaces Left: African American Presence and Narratives of Composition Studies." CCC 52:1 (September 2000): 129-32
- "Research Portfolios: Connecting Projects to Products." Co- authored with Lynn M. Burlbaw. The Journal of Staff, Program, and Organization Development 13.1 (1995-96): 15-23.
- "Revising the 'Statement': On the Work of Writing Centers." CCC 43.2 (May 1992): 167- 71.
- "Sharing Authority: Collaborative Teaching in a Computer-Based Classroom." Co-authored with Kay Halasek and Nancy Peterson. Computers and Composition 9.3 (August 1992): 25-39.
- "Hyperfluency and Stylistic Growth." Language and Education 5.2 (1991): 1-14.
Invited Articles
"Electronic Discourse for Writing Consultants." The Writing Lab Newsletter 18.9 (May 1994): 10-12.
Reviews
- "Introducing Wadworth InSite" Kairos 8.2 (2003) <http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/8.2/binder.html?reviews/balester/index.htm>
- The Politics of Writing Centers. Eds. Jane Nelson and Kathy Evertz. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton-Cook, 2001. Rhetoric Review 21.2 (2002): 289-92.
- The Kinneavy Papers: Theory and the Study of Discourse. Eds. Lynn Worsham, Sidney I Dobrin, and Gary A. Olson. NY: SUNY Press and the Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition, 2000. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 3.31 (2001), 325-30.
- At the Point of Need: Teaching Basic and ESL Writers. Marie Wilson Nelson. Composition Chronicle 5.3 (April 1992): 11-12.
- You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. Deborah Tannen. Composition Chronicle 4.3 (April 1991): 11-12.
Recent Presentations Keynote speaker at North Texas Writing Centers Association, September 2007, Collin County Community College-Preston Ridge Campus, Frisco, TX, “Not Just About Writing Anymore: Writing Centers in the 21st Century.”Keynote speaker, with James McDonald, at International Writing Centers Association, Houston TX, April, 2007, "The Spaces Betwixt and Between: Moral Ambiguity in the Life of Writing Center Professionals" College Composition and Communication, 2007, "'We Can't Teach Writing!': The Persistent Indentification of Writing with Mechanics in WAC Programs"Keynote Speakerat McNeese State University Quality Day, "Write to Excellence: The Role of the Writing Center in Writing Across the Curriculum"Mays Business School, Texas A&M University,Business Communication Workshop Series for Masters Studients "Achieving Success through Effective Business Communication," Workshop facilitator, February, 2007
Respondent for Gender and Latino Discourse:Vernacular Rhetorics, Language, and Expressive Culture. Symposium featuring Marcia Farr, "Speech Play and Verbal Art: Feministt Rhetoric in a Mexican Transnational Community," and Norma E. Cantú, “La Quinceanera: Construction of Gender through Cultural Practices in South Texas," Texas A&M University, April 2006.College Composition and Communication, 2005, "In Their Own Voices: Plagiarism and the Multicultural Classroom" Teaching with Technology, Texas A&M University, February 2005, "What to Do When You're Waterblogged: Choosing the Right Writing Tools for Journals" The Next Level: A Workshop for High School Writing Teachers, October, 2004. "Designing Web Interfaces for Writing Instruction" and "Teaching for Mulitple Contexts" International Writing Centers Association, 2004. "Talking (and Writing) Back: Web Cams in Synchronous Electronic Writing Consultations" College Composition and Communication, 2003. "Transforming an English Writing Center into a University Writing Center: Moving from the Margins to the Center at a Research I University" International Writing Centers Association, 2002. "Transforming the Center" University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2002. Visiting Scholar for Rhetoric Symposium. "Assessment in the Writing Center" and "Doing Cross-Cultural Research" University of Texas at Austin, Division of Rhetoric, 2000. Invited speaker. "The Power of Standard English" Tarleton State University, Department of English, 2000, Invited speaker. "The Power of Standard English" Blinn Professional Association, Blinn Community College, Bryan, TX, 2000. Invited speaker. "A Talk on Literacy and the College Curriculum" College Composition and Communication, 2000. "The Virtues of Style" College Composition and Communication, 1999. "The Uses and Abuses of the Computer Literacy Myth" College Composition and Communication, 1998. Roundtable participant, "What Are We Really Talking About?: Enduring Myths and Attitudes About AAVE/Ebonics"
Teaching
Department of English, Texas A&M University, 1988-2001, 2005 - present.
- Undergraduate Courses: Training Undergraduate Writing Assistants,Technical Writing, Advanced Composition, Technical Editing, Approaches to Literacy, Introduction to Literature, Survey of Western Literature, History of the English Language, Minority Women's Literature (special topics course), The Social Construction of Literacy (special topics course)
- Graduate Courses: History of Rhetoric, English Writing Center, Analysis of Technical Writing, Practicum in Teaching Composition, Composition Research
- Teaching portfolio used as exemplary model in "Sample Portfolios From Across the Disciplines," In Peter Seldin et al., Successful Use of Teaching Portfolios. Bolton, MA: Anker, 1993. 136-42.
Supervision of Students
- Independent Studies Courses (E685 or 485): 1989-present Have supervised 8 graduate students in Contemporary Composition Theory; 4 graduate students in Writing Center Theory, Administration, and Pedagogy; 1 graduate student in Writing Center Research; 2 graduate students in Computers and Writing; 3 graduate students in Composition Research; 1 graduate student Business Communication; and 1 graduate student in History of English; i undergraduate University Research Fellow
- Summary of Service on Ph.D./Masters Committees: Have served as Chair of 9 Ph.D. English and 4 MA English Advisory Committees. Have served as a member on 15 Ph.D. committees in English; 1 Ph.D. committee in Education; as a member on 11 Masters committees in English; 2 MA committees in Speech; 3 MA committees in Education; and as GCR on 6 committees. Also substituted on 3 Ph.D. English and 1 MA English committee. Total committees = 63 (not including substitutions)
- Completed Ph.D. Theses Directed, all Ph.D. English: Murphy, Susan Wolff, "Politeness and Self-presentation in Writing Center Discourse," 2001; Cardenas, Diana Torres, "The Conversation of the Consultation: Describing Collaborations," 2000; Schultz, Catherine Antoinette, "Crystallizing Readings: An Ethnography of Reading Transactions in a Basic Writing Classroom," 1998; Jackson, Rebecca Lynn, "Collaboration and Conflict: A Study of Writing Group Interaction in Two Alternative Learning Communities," 1997; Cherry, Suzanne Marie Collins, "A Rhetoric of Narratives in Three College Composition Classrooms: 'I Can't Even Believe I'm Telling You This,'" 1994; Neal, Honora Maureen, "Academic Register: The Voice of Authority," 1994.
- Faculty Mentor for Graduate Assistant Teachers, 1988--2001, 2005: Assisted with teaching of E104; observed 1- 2 classes and grading for 2 sets of papers. Wrote evaluation reports. Advised 1-2 GATs per year
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Advisor: Supervised Darrell Smith in conducting survey research for Writing Center assessment (Spring 1996); Conducted research on survey design in Writing Centers with Darrell Smith (Fall 1995); Conducted a bibliographic search on computers and writing with undergraduate student Paige Jezek (Spring 1992); Conducted research on assertive language and gender with undergraduate student Jodi Atkinson (Spring 1989).
Professional Memberships
- College Conference on Communication and Composition
- National Council of Teachers of English
- International Writing Centers Association
- Conference of College Teachers of English (Executive board member)
- Council of Writing Program Administrators
- South Central Writing Centers Association
- Modern Language Association
Department, College and University Service
- Executive Director, University Writing Center, 2001-present
- Member, WALS Advisory Committee, NEH grant to study Calibrated Peer Review software in the sciences and mathematics, 2004-09
- Member, Scholarship of Assessment Think Tank, 2005 (Convener of Web Assessment Team, summer, 2005)
- Member, Department of English Graduate Studies Committee, 2002-06
- Member, President's Advisory Council for Regents' Initiative, Cohort 5. Inducted October, 2003.
- Member, Leadership Committee for Carneige Initiative on the Doctorate, 2003-04
- Aggie Access Namesake, Gaines Community, 2002-03 and 2003-04
- ATMentor, 2002-present
- Member, Honors Scholarship Committee, 2003-04
- Member, Department of English Writing Committee, 2001-05
- Interim Director, Undergraduate University Writing Center (Appointed by Associate Provost of Undergraduate Programs and Academic Services, Dr. Mark Weichold, August 2001; Responsible for $500,000 budget and for startup of writing center, including acquiring all furniture and equipment and training and hiring staff.
- Faculty Advisor, "Posing Questions, Framing Conversations about Language and Hispanic Identities" Symposium, October, 2000. Assisted in planning and moderating; raised $3,000 from local sources and vendors.
- Member, Department of English Graduate Qualifying Committee, 1995-96; 1999-2002
- Chair, Tenure and Promotion Committee for Christopher Holcomb, Fall 2000
- Co-Chair, University Writing Center Director Search Committee, Jan. 2001- Aug. 2001
- Member, Writing Specialist Search Committee, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Spring 2001
- Workshop presenter, "Writing a Winning Admission Essay" for University Bound, November 2001; Julyr 2004; July 2005
- Director of Department of English Writing Programs, July, 1995-August 1999. Secured internal grants for computers of $160,000.
- Chair, Academic Standards Committee, Liberal Arts, 1995-96
- Member, Department of English Executive Committee, September, 1995-1999
- Member, Faculty Development Leave Committee, Liberal Arts, 1995-96
- Elected Member, Department of English Salary Committee, 1995-97
- Ad hoc Member, Department of English Undergraduate Committee, 1995-1999
- Summer AP workshop presenter for Department of English, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Summary of Previous Service, 1988-Spring 1995
Service on Academic Standards Committee, Liberal Arts Council, (1994-97); Associate Director of Writing Programs (1994-95); Department of English Executive Committee, (1993-95); Grade Appeals Committee for Writing Programs Office (1992- 1994); Reading Curriculum Revision Committee, EDCI (1993); Established Department of English Writing Center (1990); Advisor to Department of English Writing Center (1990-94); Director of English Computer Classroom (1990-91); Freshman English Committee (1988-91); Member, Minority Recruitment Search Committee (1991); Member, Multi-Search Committee for faculty hires (1989-90); Speaker at AP Workshop (1993, 1994, and 1995); Speaker at Freshman English Workshops (1989, 1990, 1991)
Professional Service
- Resolutions Committee, CCCC (Member, 1995-96)
- Executive Committee, CCTE (1997-2001; 2003-04)
- Chair Rhetoric Section, CCTE, 1999, 2003
- Local Arrangements Chair, CCTE, 2000 (raised $5,000 from local sources and vendors)
- External reviewer for tenure and promotion for Colgate University, Summer 2005
- External reviewer for tenure and promotion for University of Houston, Clearlake, Fall 2000
- External reviewer for tenure and promotion for Texas State University, 2003
- External reviewer for tenure and promotion for Bowling Green State University, Fall 2001
Consulting
- Referee for CCC (1996, 1997)
- Referee for CCCC (conference) 2002
- Referee for Composition Studies (1997-present)
- Referee for Journal of Advanced Composition (1999-present)
- Referee for Writing Center Journal, 2003 and 2005
- Reviewer for all major English textbook publishers, including Addison Wesley Longman, St. Martin's, Prentice Hall, McGraw Hill, Allyn & Bacon, and Sage
- University of Houston Downtown, Houston, Texas (October 2006) Consulted on First-Year Composition Program
- Houston Baptist College, Houston, Texas (March 2000) "Using Portfolios," a 6-hour workshop and consultation on curriculum
- Northeast Louisiana University, Monroe, Louisiana (March 1997) "Using Daedalus in the Classroom," on using computers to teach writing., a workshop and consultation
- University of Houston, Main Campus (February 1991) Featured discussion leader and speaker at workshop, "Teaching Composition with Computers."
- Incarnate Word College, San Antonio, Texas (Summer-Fall, '90). Designed a new syllabus the second semester developmental English course and conducted a four-hour training workshop for teachers.
Grants and Honors
- Quality Enhancement Program grant ($5900) and Center for Teaching Excellence Incentive grant ($1,000), TAMU 2005, to evaluate writing resources for graduate students at TAMU, with Caroline Prior
- Winner, with James McDonald, of the Best Article of the Year for 2002-02, International Writing Centers Association
- Honors Program Award for development of LBAR 389, $900, Fall, 1995
- Honorable Mention for Cultural Divide by the Journal of Advanced Composition, 1993
- Honors Program Award to develop interdisciplinary, upper- division course (LBAR381), Fall, 1993, $1,000
- Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar Award, November, 1992, $5,000
- Center for Teaching Excellence Incentive Grant, July, 1991, $1,000
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CV for Valerie M. Balester 