July 9, 2022

Letter of Interest

I have decided to apply for the Coordinator of Graduate Technical Writing Programs at MGA. Based on several factors, I am not sanguine about my chances, but I think this is a position that would suit me well. I have been chary of taking on administrative roles since my time as the CIT/NMAC Coordinator. Here’s my letter of interest.

July 9, 2022

Dear Dr. Muth,

I write today to express interest in the position of the Coordinator of Graduate Technical Writing Programs. Attached, please find my curriculum vita, as requested; it shows that I meet the qualifications you outline.

As you know, I have been a faculty member of this institution in its various incarnations since 2002. I was hired specifically as faculty for the new bachelor’s program Communication and Information Technology due to my work in new media and e-learning in English Studies. In this dynamic environment, I have learned to choose my service carefully, and graduate studies has been a focus of my work since its inception at MGA. Then-Dean Cantwell invited me to serve as a faculty member of the nascent Graduate Studies Committee, and I have done so since. I am currently the chair of the council, so I have worked closely and diligently with colleagues from across the university in vetting programs and policy since 2014. My devotion to the success and growth of graduate education at MGA is something I am certain Dr. Cantwell and the interim Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Loretta Clayton would acknowledge, perhaps enthusiastically.

In addition, I was part of the committee who wrote what would become the Graduate Technical Writing Program. I designed NMAC 5108 Writing and Publishing in Digital Environments, and I taught several successful sections of the course since it was approved. Aligned with the professional, online focus of the program, my students in 2020 collaboratively wrote “The Faith of Graffiti” on Wikipedia which was awarded “Good Article” status by the Wikipedia community. Likewise, in 2019, students from NMAC 5108 collaborated on “An American Dream Expanded,” a Digital Humanities project that researched, collected, and presented various artifacts surrounding Norman Mailer’s 1965 novel.

Finally, my experience as the Coordinator of CIT/NMAC also gives me relevant administrative experience. As coordinator, I revised curriculum, rewrote courses, authored new courses, advised students, performed graduation audits, supervised internships, and taught the senior seminar and the portfolio capstone.

Thank you for your consideration, and please let me know if you require anything additional.

Sincerely yours,

Gerald R. Lucas