HISTORY
In 1966, the founding members of the Southwest Regional Conference on English in the Two-Year College (SRCE), the original name of TYCA-SW, met in San Antonio, Texas.
Since then, the Conference has met yearly in each one of the six states making up the Southwest Region: in Denver, Little Rock, Bossier City, Hobbs, Oklahoma City, and in various cities in Texas, including Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Laredo, and Waco.
Members enjoy not only the professional growth of attending the annual conferences but also the personal interaction with old and new friends that sparks enthusiasm, confidence, and solidarity.
Programs feature speakers of regional and national reputation. Host colleges traditionally schedule recreational activities that showcase their cities, such as a moonlight cruise in Corpus Christi or a visit to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
RECENT CHANGES
November, 1996, marked the official beginning of the Two-Year College English Association (TYCA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Through this organization, teachers and administrators of English in two-year colleges were, for the first time, able to speak from a national platform about the role of two-year colleges in the future of higher education.
The national TYCA builds on the grassroots structure of the seven regional two-year college English associations that have operated since the 1960s, supported by the Conference of College Composition and Communication (CCCC) of the NCTE. This official, constitutionally recognized role will ensure that two-year college interests are taken into consideration when NCTE policy is set. By working through NCTE via TYCA, two-year college English teachers will be in a position to influence educational policy and promote the work of two-year English teachers on a national scale.
As we broaden our view and communicate on a national level, our community college role gains recognition both within and beyond our own institutions, regions, and discipline.
OUR PURPOSE
- To provide a framework for professional activities of instructors from the Southwest Region.
More Specific Goals Include:
- Defining and exploring issues relevant to the teaching of English.
- Conducting an annual regional conference in October.
- Encouraging studies, research, and writing.
- Publishing a TYCA-Southwest Newsletter at least twice a year.
- Periodically publishing a directory of all English instructors in the TYCA-SW six-state region.
OUR MEMBERS
TYCA-Southwest serves teachers and administrators of English programs in two-year colleges from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Other individuals interested in improving the teaching of English in two-year colleges may become members.
REGIONAL CONFERENCES
The annual October conference provides members of TYCA-Southwest an opportunity to attend workshops on a variety of topics of interest to two-year college faculty, to establish networks around common concerns, and to develop collegial friends.
In addition to workshops, each conference includes keynote addresses by noted speakers; announcement of the Teaching Excellence Award, given to an English teacher selected from nominees throughout the region; and leisure activities in the host community.
EXPAND YOUR PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT
When you join NCTE and designate the College Section for your teaching area, you have a choice of journals: College English or Teaching English in the Two-Year College. Consider also joining CCCC. With membership, you will receive College Composition and Communication.
In addition to the journals, you will become a member of the largest single-discipline professional teaching organization. Through your membership in TYCA-Southwest, you are joining an organization that is sponsored and supported by NCTE. Your membership in NCTE is a way of increasing that support.
For more information, contact:
National Council of Teachers of English
1111 West Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801
(800) 369-6283
http://www.ncte.org/
e-mail: membership@ncte.org