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Formal proposal


Your last and largest collaborative project of the term is to conduct research and craft a proposal of roughly 20-25 pages (including front matter and end matter), addressing the topic below. Obviously, while you'll need to follow Technical Communication chapters 21-22 closely in this project, you should demonstrate your mastery of major principles in technical communication covered throughout the course.

Team  assignments:

Beth Dokolasa, team leader
David Brown
Sandy Callaway
Katie Roberts, team leader
Dana McGonagill
Liz Riley

Karissa Jones, team leader
Soudea Forbes
Laurie Hudson

Taiquanda Winbush and Amy Winfrey, team co-leaders
Matthew Smith
Laura Terrell


Topic and scope: Identify significant ways that Middle Georgia State University might demonstrate civic responsibility through significant efforts at making the Macon campus (at least) more sustainable or environmentally conscious. (You may propose starting these efforts on the Macon campus with the idea that they will later expand to other campuses). Research what other universities have done to improve sustainability as you consider your options. Ideas might begin with such things as partial reliance upon solar power or geothermal energy, replacement of gasoline-powered university vehicles, dramatically heightened recycling efforts (beyond the minimal single-stream recycling currently in place), landscaping options, and whatever else might positively impact the environment in appreciable ways.

While you may touch upon two or even three different courses of action, you must as your primary concern propose that MGA pursue one of them in preference to any others. While you are not expected to itemize specific costs as if your proposal were an actual offer of services, you will of course need to include carefully researched information on likely costs and, depending on your choice of method, financial returns on initial investment.

Your audience: Address your proposal to the President of Middle Georgia State University, Dr. Christopher Blake, and "cc" Nancy Stroud, Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations, and David Sims, Assistant Vice President of Facilities. Note that your proposal is unsolicited, and although you should make your case with confidence, you would do well to expect some audience resistance or skepticism, particularly regarding large expenditures.

Due date and submission: Friday, December 6th, by noon; each of you, separately, should submit your group's final draft in PDF form to the Formal Proposal dropbox in D2L.

Report composition: The final draft of the report should include each of the following, all carefully formatted, thoughtfully composed, and meticulously edited and proofread:

bulletCover
bullet
Title page
bulletAbstract (100-150 words)
bulletTable of contents
bulletList of tables and figures or other illustrations (if any)
bulletExecutive summary (300-350 words)
bullet12-15-page report body (the text of the report itself should be roughly 3500 words minimum).
bulletGlossary (if needed)

bulletBibliography (Works cited list in MLA style)
bulletAppendix(es) (if needed)

Separate from the report, but placed first in the PDF for final submission, include a transmittal letter addressed to Dr. Christopher Blake, Middle Georgia State University President.

Research help: Remember that you have access to great help from Graduate Studies Librarian Dana Casper.

Process requirements: Include each of these elements in your project planning:

  • At least three meetings via videoconference or telephone.

  • An audience and use profile sheet: post this item in your team's online workspace, though it doesn't need to be submitted formally with the finished product.

  • Develop and keep updated a project planning sheet in Google docs, as you have with other collaborations (include scheduled meetings).

  • Grant me access to your online workspace.

  • These four documents, composed separately but which will be graded as Collaborative Project 3 (each submitted separately via email by just one team member):
Document (each longer than a single page) Due date
Progress report 1 Friday, November 22nd, 5:00 p.m.
Progress report 2 Saturday, November 30th, 5:00 p.m.
Progress report 3 Wednesday, December 4th, 5:00 p.m.
Meeting minutes
(from any December meeting (by videoconference or telephone)
Wednesday, December 4th, 5:00 p.m.

 



Use me as a resource to help with any part of this project. Email me if you have questions or to set up a meeting or phone call if needed.

Each of you, separately, submit the finished product, comprised of transmittal letter and the full proposal in a single PDF, to the Formal Proposal dropbox in D2L.