The Wabash Center is committed to providing a hospitable environment for good conversation about good teaching. We have learned that our programs are most effective when a particular tone and community have been established in a workshop. Therefore, we pay particular attention to the dynamics by which a group of participants is transformed into a workshop community. We have developed this statement to emphasize and make explicit the importance of this aspect of our programming and to solicit your assent to these principles if you are selected.

The sustained conversation and quality of community fostered by our workshops begins with the opening meeting, develops in day and evening sessions as well as during social occasions, and culminates in the closing events on the last day. The social connections made between sessions and after hours are often as important as the more formal interactions that take place during workshop sessions.

Therefore it is important that you make every effort to attend and participate in every session from beginning to end, and to make the time and emotional commitment to engage the life of the group. We have found that late arrivals and early departures, as well as the presence of workshop guests (friends, or accompanying family), distract participants' focus, detract form their immersion in the nascent community, and thus compromise the goals of the workshop for everyone.

That said, we recognize that there can be unforeseen or unique circumstances that draw your attention and presence from the workshop community -- such as the needs of a dependent child or infant, the sudden illness of a close friend of family member, or some unforeseen scheduling conflict. If you feel you have extenuating circumstances, please contact the director of the Wabash Center. We remain committed to doing whatever we can to enable every qualified person to participate in our programs. However, our facilities do impose certain limitations--for example, we are unable to provide childcare. If you have any special needs or require specific arrangements, please make those known to us at your earliest opportunity and we will make every effort to accommodate them. if conflicting plans or a family emergency inhibit your full participation in group activities, you may need to withdraw from the workshop. However, should this occur, we would encourage you to apply for a future workshop or consultation.