Dear Dr. Noelle: Musical Chair?

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: It’s time for me to find a dissertation chair. I’m panicked. How?

—Chairless

A: You’re right to have at least a little trepidation. Here’s what a new “doctor” said in a study of how the choice and behavior of chairs affect doctoral students’ satisfactions:

It is impossible to overestimate the significance of the student-advisor relationship. . . . This is both a personal and professional relationship that rivals marriage and parenthood in its complexity, variety and ramifications for the rest of one’s life. (Zhao et al., 2007, p. 263)

That student echoes what many doctoral candidates learn, with ease or agony, during their dissertation years. Your relationship with your chair (sometimes called advisor or supervisor) is absolutely the most important in your entire doctoral trek. In my many years of coaching and advising doctoral candidates, I have seen too often how the “wrong” chair not only delays dissertation completion and graduation but creates much frustration.

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TAA AI Committee Announces Association’s Position Statement on Artificial Intelligence

The TAA AI Committee, led by Chair Brenda Ulrich, has been working diligently on its three-prong goals of advocacy, education and support to TAA members around the issues that AI, and in particular GenAI and LLMs (Learning Language Models), present in the academic and textbook publishing areas. To that end, it has developed a position statement to reflect the views of TAA regarding the challenges and risks of GenAI to creators, educators and learners. TAA members were invited to provide feedback on the statement during a 30-day comment period that commenced on March 15, 2026.

The AI Committee carefully reviewed and considered the input of our members to this statement addressing one of the most pressing issues facing our members now and in the future. This final position statement will help shape and direct future actions and activities of the AI Committee and TAA generally.

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Libraries: Where Would Our Writing Be Without Them?

By John Bond

Whatever your political point of view, I hope we can all agree libraries (of all types) and librarians are essential.

For academic authors, they’re more than just hallowed buildings or subscription portals. They’re the infrastructure behind your thinking. If you use them strategically, they can quietly elevate the quality, depth, and efficiency of your work in ways that aren’t always obvious at first.

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How to Create a Fresh Start

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

About 40 percent of people in the United States make New Year’s resolutions. Are you one of them? I am. One of my resolutions for this year was to write 12 TAA blog posts. You might ask, “How many have you written so far?” Just one—the one you’re reading now. Between unexpected hardships, work commitments, and starting a graduate program in Happiness Studies, it was difficult to keep up with everything. As someone who loves to follow through my resolutions, I felt disappointed in myself for not staying committed to my goal. If you can relate to my story, you’ll be glad to know you don’t have to wait until New Year’s to renew your resolutions. A fresh start can happen much sooner than that.

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Industry News Round-Up Week of 4/27/26

Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.

Faculty Concerned About ASU’s ‘Frankensteinian’ AI Course Builder (April 29, 2026)

Board Ouster Raises Further Concerns About NSF’s Future (April 27, 2026)

At Texas Tech, Even Some Student Research on Gender Will Be Banned (April 27, 2026)

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Whirling in the Limbo of Creativity

By Dr. Noelle Sterne,

Q: Whenever I start writing, all kinds of ideas start swirling around. How do I corral them?

— Creatively Dizzy

A: I’ve experienced the same, often. Whether I’ve scribbled a handful of notes in a frenzy of inspiration or actually made an outline, once I start to write that same itchy, unsteady, slightly nauseous feeling pervades. Not exactly illness or indigestion, it’s more of a nervous disquiet I can only describe as “creative limbo.” Doesn’t matter how often I’ve felt it or how many pieces I’ve started and completed. It rears up, and the ideas threaten to overtake me.

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