The Lone Ranger as Technical Writing Program Administrator

Abstract

The popularity of technical writing and communication has caused many colleges and universities to scramble to hire qualified tenure-track faculty members. So-called lone ranger candidates are often lured to workplaces in which they are the sole technical writing faculty members by promises of autonomy and the ability to develop programs in ways, and at a pace, that would not necessarily be possible at other institutions. This article explores challenges faced by several such lone ranger faculty members and outlines survival strategies that may help lone rangers sustain and build their technical writing programs.

Communicating the “Write” Values

“…graduate students, adjuncts and full-time non-tenure track) [5]. The prevalence of full-time tenure-track PTC faculty is growing [12], but these instructors are still often the "lone rangers" of their specialty within English departments, tasked with overseeing and evaluating a team of contingent faculty [13]. In addition, professors at large universities have increasingly conducted PTC seminars online over the past decade [11], and an exponential number will likely become virtual or hybrid instructors in the 2020-2021 school year due to safety concerns and gathering restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

Collecting knowledge products: Why position statements matter in professionalizing and understanding Professional and Technical Writing

“…And as a discipline there is, arguably, also a need for further professionalizing the field in ways that help newly minted technical and professional writing faculty (particularly those taking on directorship responsibilities) navigate their roles in their departments. Because there are still so few technical and professional faculty members in any given department (we are still quite often "The Lone Ranger" [4]), developing position statements that speak directly to the goals and concerns of the field could aid technical and professional writing faculty in getting their programmatic needs understood and met.…”