User:BobCummings

I am Robert Cummings, Chair and Associate Professor of Writing & Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi. My research area includes topics on the intersection of higher education and Wikipedia.

I serve on the Board of Directors for the Wiki Ed Foundation.

When I have time to edit Wikipedia, I like to create and edit pages about Mississippi structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

I can be contacted at cummings at olemiss dot edu.

All text below are drafts toward documents for WikiConference USA 2016

The third annual WikiConference USA will be held on October 7-10, 2016, at the Public Library of San Diego and Balboa Park in San Diego, California, USA. WikiConference USA is pleased to offer scholarships to offset the travel costs of select attendees. Scholarships maybe applied toward conference-related costs such as round-trip travel, accommodations, and some daily living expenses. Although scholarships will defray costs of attendance for some participants and hopefully enable greater participation, costs associated with attending WikiConference USA remain the responsibility of the grant recipient.

Process
During a period yet to be determined, scholarships will be welcomed via the WikiConference USA site. After the application process is closed, a scholarship committee established by the conference organizers will review all applications according to the selection criteria set forth below. That committee will then make award determinations and contact the awardees by the notification date. Awardees will have 7 calendar days to notify the scholarship committee of their intent to accept the award. If the scholarship committee does not receive notification, then they will reassign the award.


 * Scholarship applications open: TBD at 12:00 AM EDT
 * Application deadline: TBD at 11:59 PM EDT
 * Notification date:

Eligibility
Scholarships are for residents of US and Canada only. Applicants should be active contributors to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteers in any other capacity. Participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives are also encouraged to apply.

Selection criteria
 Selection Criteria

The Scholarship Committee will review scholarship applications and assess candidates based on a standardized set of criteria. Applicants will be assessed in three general areas:
 * (A) Current/historic level of participation in the Wikimedia movement (50% of total score)
 * (B) Current/historic level of participation in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives (15% of total score)
 * (C) Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35% of total score)

Activity within the Wikimedia movement (50%)
Applicants who are active within the Wikimedia movement are highly engaged editors and community members who will add value to WikiConference USA through their experience, knowledge, and dedication in online and offline activities. To highlight this, applicants should write about their experiences participating in online Wikimedia activities (such as editing) and offline Wikimedia activities (such as chapter activities, meetups, GLAM, and Campus Ambassador programs).

 Scoring Rubric: Activity within the Wikimedia movement

Activity outside the Wikimedia movement (15%)
Applicants who are active outside the Wikimedia movement are individuals who have shown potential to add value to the Wikimedia projects and movement, who can enhance and build on this potential at WikiConference USA, and who can disseminate what they learn at the conference to their respective communities. These participants may exhibit qualities of innovation and participation in other aspects of the free culture/open source movement.

Relevant activity outside of the Wikimedia movement can include activities relating to information and communication technologies for development, free software, educational institutions, GLAM institutions, and so forth. If applicable, applicants can write about their experiences with other comparable organizations.

 Scoring Rubric: Activity outside the Wikimedia movement

Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35%)
Applicants are expected to have concrete goals for how attendance at WikiConference USA will impact their future involvement in the Wikimedia movement. Applicants should expound upon why they are interested in attending the conference, what input they can bring to it, and what they hope to glean from it.

 Scoring Rubric: Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement