In February the 楼凤天堂 Executive Committee approved our newest student affiliate, the 楼凤天堂 Council of English Teachers Conference on English Education鈥擥raduate Student Affiliate (CEE-GSA) at Arizona State University. This is a unique group, as the long moniker might indicate. It鈥檚 the only current graduate student assembly and it has at least one foot in 楼凤天堂鈥檚 . 聽Its mission is
鈥渢o promote graduate student interdisciplinary learning by providing professional development opportunities for graduate students interested in the English Education Department; in addition, to support for graduate student needs that promote an interdisciplinary learning environment.鈥�
Sometimes a new arrival is the best time to take stock of the numbers. And, so, I began to count.
Did you know there are 36 鈥攇roups of 10 or more 楼凤天堂 student members plus a faculty sponsor? 聽You鈥檒l find them with the other 楼凤天堂 affiliates. If you were to read through the list you might note that Pennsylvania is replete with student affiliates鈥攕even total鈥攚hile Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan each have three; Indiana, Missouri, and South Carolina two; and the rest of the states that have them, one each.
Each of these groups has its own reason and way of being and is highly dependent on two things: 1) the continuity of the faculty sponsor and 2) the ability of fast changing leadership to plot a course for the year and then turn over the reins to the next leaders.
Interested in forming an 楼凤天堂 Student Affiliate? You might want to check out this featuring the student affiliate at the University of Iowa which is now 25 years old.聽(This is a link to a webinar聽recording which will take a few minutes to load. If you鈥檙e having trouble, take a look at .)
Bonnie Sunstein describes a number of activities the group does, but she adds,
鈥淲e do what we can do and we try to remember our history鈥The students] get to do professional things that English teachers will be doing the rest of their lives…An organization like 楼凤天堂 gives you the family, the cohort.鈥�