The Rewards of Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

When I first joined ACE, I signed up for five or so Special Interest Groups (SIGs). SIGs are groups within ACE that focus on specific areas, such as publishing, writing, research or information technology. I’m a generalist and they all seemed applicable. However, I did not really bond with any of them and attended just one SIG meeting at an annual ACE conference.

Eight years later, I’ve learned a thing or two. After a few years of SIG-less interaction, I was lured into a meeting of the Publishing SIG. Not only did I attend the meeting, but I offered to help organize a conference workshop.

Suddenly I had new people to hang out with at the airport, great sources to debate style guides, and new contacts for emailing those picky communicator questions. I even had someone who wrote me a letter of recommendation for a nomination that resulted in an all-university award from my provost and president.

Along with being a source for specialized professional development, SIGs are a great way to network and enrich your contacts. Hope you’ll attend a SIG session in Denver, get involved and reap the fun rewards.

Looking forward to seeing my ACE Colleagues in June.

– Joy Landis, Publishing SIG chair