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Want to Know More About the CEA? Read on!
Who Is the CEA?
In December 1938, a group of young academics attending the MLA convention in New York took on the biggest name in their field—the MLA. They chose to forge a new path by organizing into the College English Association and offering a voice to “the college English teachers of America.” Their aim was to upend the scholar-teacher dynamic by recognizing teaching as paramount. Today, more than eight decades later, the CEA continues in that same spirit. At our core, we strive to meet these goals through two venues: our Annual CEA Conference and our journal, The CEA Critic.
With over 400 active members and a collection of regional affiliates, the CEA welcomes teacher-scholars at all levels—from graduate students to emeritus faculty—who share our belief that teaching is central to who we are and what we do.
CEA Statement on Diversity
As a national academic organization, CEA encourages participation and inclusion of faculty from diverse backgrounds and life experiences without regard for race, ethnicity, religion, age, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, physical ability, or other areas that may be seen as exclusionary or divisive. Both in our CEA publications and in our national and regional conferences, we promote inclusion and equitable freedom of expression of ideas through academic research that explores a diversity of perspectives.
CEA 2025 Diveristy Luncheon Speaker Ahmed Badr
The Annual CEA Conference
Each spring, CEA members old and new gather for three days to share their work, test new ideas, seek feedback from their colleagues, and celebrate our shared love of all things language and literature. And, of course, to party. Conference cities are chosen for their local appeal and overall accessibility—from San Antonio to Baltimore, from Denver to St. Petersburg. However, just as much as place, what attendees love about the CEA conference is the collegiality that begins in the sessions and spills into the various food-filled events such as the President’s Reception and the Diversity and Women’s Connection events.
CEA Publications
The CEA Critic has been in print since 1939, starting as a four-page tabloid titledThe News Letter of the College English Association. In various formats, the journal has appeared in paper ever since. While other journals have gone digital,The Critic, published by the prestigious Johns Hopkins University Press, continues to appear in hard copy three times each year.
Affiliates & Allied Organizations
Although the annual CEA Conference is the cornerstone of our organization, CEA’s affiliates are building blocks that hold us together all year long. In the decades before the first CEA conference, regional affiliates offered local opportunities for CEA members to meet and share their work. They are invaluable partners allowing members to engage explore their more particular interests.
Today, there are thriving affiliates from Michigan to the Caribbean and from the Rocky Mountains to New York. In addition, many of our affiliates host local conferences, and some also publish journals and newsletters. Some affiliates partner with other regional organizations. Wherever you are, there is an affiliate near you!
The CEA Board of Directors
The CEA Board is composed of an Executive Director, an Associate Director/Treasurer, a President, a First and Second Vice President, a National Coordinator of Affiliates, an Editor of The CEA Critic, an Editor of The CEA Forum, a Technology Director, the Immediate Past President, and nine elected Directors.
Learn more about the team that keeps CEA thriving in the spirit established of the association's founders in 1938!
WOW! The CEA Sounds Great! How do I get more involved?
- Attend and Present at the Annual CEA Conference
- Organize a CEA Conference Panel
- Join a Regional Affiliate
- Be a Reviewer for a CEA publication