Reflections on the 2026 Sloan Writing Retreat: A Perspective from Sophielle Silvers
“You all are writers!” That’s what Dr. Vernetta K. Mosley proclaimed to a room full of dissertation-stage graduate students on the first morning of the 2026 Sloan Scholars Network Academic Writing Retreat. As an attendee, I recall scoffing at the statement because I was sure she hadn’t read any of my writing. The statement was such a simple affirmation, and by the end of the retreat, it became the foundation for how I thought about myself and my work.
The retreat began the evening before with a casual mixer among the attendees and Dr. Mosley. The venue itself felt more like a wedding venue than a conference center. The property was majestic, with a quiet lake and several well-maintained lawns, yet it felt secluded from the hustle and bustle of what I expected from a university campus in Princeton, New Jersey. There was something about the stillness of the location that made room for focus in my mind. I could slow down enough to think about my writing instead of just producing it.
Dr. Mosley served as the writing coach for the retreat and was able to pull from her experiences navigating through her doctoral degree to connect with the room. She is the founder of Cultivate the Writer, the academic arm of Chrysalis Consulting LLC, a professional training and learning development company founded in 2011 in Tampa, Florida. Cultivate the Writer is designed to help higher education professionals “embrace the writer, scholar, and leader within,” grounded in the belief that writing and speaking are skills that anyone can master.
Her warm smile, encouraging demeanor, and collaborative energy really set the tone for the entire weekend. Group exercises throughout the retreat were met with openness and participation from attendees, a testament to the trust she established early on. She even joined us for meals, using that time to nurture conversation and connection. By the end of the retreat, she felt like more than a coach or instructor; she felt like a mentor.
In her first guided session, Dr. Mosley didn’t shy away from sharing a striking statistic, nearly 50% of doctoral candidates across all types of programs, including PhD, EdD, DBA, DNP etc., do not finish their programs; instead, they exit with an academic status of ADB or All But Dissertation. She pointed out something that resonated deeply with me: as graduate-trained researchers, we are expected to write dissertations and publications, yet we are rarely taught how to do so. We are often left to grapple with how to think about the process and where to begin.
The retreat balanced motivation with genuinely practical tools. I walked away with strategies for shifting my thinking at different stages in the writing process, tools to improve the clarity and conciseness of my writing, and with a reassurance that I do not have to go at it alone. Dr. Mosley encouraged us to build a team of people who could support us through editing, revising, accountability, and other aspects of the process. Having someone with so much expertise and experience in writing pour real advice, motivation, and practical tools into me shifted how I see myself. I used to loathe the thought of writing a dissertation, but now, I know that I can do it. I have started to think of my dissertation less like an enormous hurdle and more like a big project that I can manage. I can minimize barriers, I can recruit people to help, and I can be intentional about protecting time to actually do the work.
Several attendees left hoping that future retreats would run even longer and appreciating the sense of community that emerged over the weekend. Personally, I walked away with more than notes and advice; I left believing, finally, that I am a writer. I can’t wait to hear about what the next cohort takes from theirs.
This piece was written by Sophielle Silvers, a Sloan Scholar at Pennsylvania State University pursuing her Ph.D in Bioinorganic Chemistry. We at the Sloan Scholars Network would like to give her a tremendous thank you for sharing her experiences at the first Sloan Scholars Writing Retreat!