Committees
The Merritt Writing Program functions as a collaborative academic unit grounded in shared responsibility, pedagogical expertise, and collective stewardship of first-year writing. Through their teaching within the program, instructors are connected to an intellectual and professional community committed to supporting student writers and sustaining a coherent, rigorous writing curriculum. This collaborative framework supports ongoing dialogue, planning, and reflection that inform teaching practice and program coherence.
Academic Council
The Academic Council serves as the principal governance body of the MWP. The Council will promote shared governance, provide continuity of leadership, and support academic excellence by serving as a forum for faculty deliberation and recommendations regarding personnel reviews, curriculum reviews, strategic planning, and other matters affecting the MWP’s academic mission.
AY26-28 Membership
Virginia Adán-Lifante, Teaching Professor, World Languages Coordinator, Director of the Spanish Program / Literature, Languages, and Culture
Zenaida Aguirre, Professor, UC Merced Presidential Chair in Chicano/a and LatinX Engagement / Cognitive and Informational Science
Kara Ayik, Continuing Lecturer / Merritt Writing Program
Estee Beck, Director / Merritt Writing Program and Associate Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Eunjoo Choi, Assistant Teaching Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Arturo Durazo, Assistant Professor / Public Health
Emily Rónay Johnston, Assistant Teaching Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Bristin Scalzo Jones, Assistant Teaching Professor / Literature, Languages, and Culture
Jinah Kim, Professor, McClatchy Chair in Communications/ Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Cynthia McLeod, Assistant Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
AY26-27 Agenda and Minutes (link forthcoming)
Faculty Development Sub-Committee
Develop curricular materials for faculty and secondary stakeholders for the new first-year writing curriculum.
AY26-27 Membership
Estee Beck, Director / Merritt Writing Program and Associate Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Emily Rónay Johnston, Assistant Teaching Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Language Awareness Sub-Committee
Develop the curricular and policy infrastructure needed to launch language-awareness ("x") versions for first-year writing, and to draft a divisional policy for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction at Merced.
AY26-27 Membership
Kara Ayik, Continuing Lecturer / Merritt Writing Program
Belinda Braunstein, Coordinator of the English Language Institute
Yiran Xu, Assistant Professor / Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies
Assessment Sub-Committee
The Merritt Writing Program Assessment Sub-Committee advises the Academic Council on matters related to curriculum-level assessment, instructional coherence, and the use of evidence to support student learning in first-year writing. Its work focuses on examining aggregated course artifacts and program-level data to better understand how stated learning goals are being supported across sections, and to inform reflective discussion about curriculum design and pedagogical trends. The sub-committee serves as a coordinating and consultative body, maintaining liaison with campus and systemwide assessment partners as appropriate.
AY26-27 Membership
TBD
AY25-26 Membership
The assessment committee did not convene during AY25-26
AY24-25 Membership
Estee Beck, Director and Associate Professor
John Bultena, Continuing Lecturer
Cindy Chavez, Continuing Lecturer
Frederick Young, Continuing Lecturer
Archive of Assessment Reports (link forthcoming)
Implementation Team (Concluded)
The Merritt Writing Program Implementation Team supports the coordinated enactment of program-level curricular initiatives related to first-year writing. The team focuses on translating approved frameworks, learning goals, and structural decisions into shared resources, timelines, and implementation supports that can be taken up in diverse teaching contexts. Its work is facilitative and time-bound, centering on communication, documentation, and logistical alignment rather than pedagogical prescription, and is intended to promote clarity, consistency, and transparency during periods of curricular change.
The MWP-IT concluded in May 2026 and issued its final report, recommendations, and voting record on May 6, 2026. For more information about the final report, recommendations, or voting record, please contact Estee Beck at ebeck2@ucmerced.edu.
AY25-26 Membership
Mariana Abuan, Continuing Lecturer (Spring 2026) (MWP Faculty Lead)
Kara Ayik, Continuing Lecturer (MWP Faculty Lead)
Estee Beck, Director and Associate Professor (Chair)
Emily Rónay Johnston, Teaching Assistant Professor
Megan Topete, Assistant Dean (Staff Representative)
Baylynne Vanwagenen, Continuing Lecturer (MWP Faculty Lead)
James Zimmerman, Senior Associate Dean and Vice Provost Undergraduate Education and Teaching Professor (Undergraduate Education Representative)
AY25-26 Meeting Agendas and Minutes
