Abstract
Valdosta State University (VSU) implemented writing-focused faculty learning communities (FLCs) to recover from burnout and budget cuts. Specifically, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)- sponsored faculty writing communities at VSU build community across ranks and disciplines, promote a growth mindset, and create a supportive safe space for faculty writers to cultivate resilience and care for themselves, colleagues, and VSU. The essay draws on existing literature about burnout, FLCs, and centers for teaching and learning, reviews institutional history, and analyzes participant observations, self-reflections of facilitators, and personal narratives from participants in faculty writing communities at VSU. The authors ultimately argue that center sponsored faculty writing communities can be a “change agent” for individuals and institutions in crisis, renewing college campuses as intellectually and socially vital places.