Isabel Baca
Bienvenidos! Welcome to the Rhetoric and Writing Studies Program in the Department of English at The University of Texas at El Paso. As a native El Pasoan, I consider myself a product of the U.S.-México border. As such, I seek to connect academia with our border community and explore venues that will allow students to practice what they are learning in the classroom in real workplace settings.
My scholarship explores key challenges that community writing and service-learning theorists and practitioners face in writing studies. However, my research crosses over to other disciplines since I seek answers to the following questions: How can service-learning and writing be integrated across the curriculum? What are the potential problems with this? What are the challenges? What are the benefits? A sub-topic of my scholarship deals with second-language writers and minority students and how service-learning paves the way for multiliteracies. My research addresses community literacy needs and how academia can help meet these needs.
My major publications include three books: Service-Learning and Writing: Paving the Way for Literacy(ies) through Community Engagement (2012), Bordered Writers: Latinx Identities and Literacy Practices at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (2019), and Communities in Action: Creating Spaces of Social Change (2025). These edited collections demonstrate my commitment to community writing, service-learning, writing practices of second language learners, and social change. In addition, my current research explores mentoring venues and efforts for Latinx students and other minorities in Rhetoric and Writing Studies, and I have begun exploring what I call the rhetoric of care. My scholarship also includes presenting my work at local, regional, national, and international conferences.
My scholarship and teaching have been supported by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). I received a $100,000 grant in 2018 and another of $175,000 in 2025. In 2025, I received the Coalition for Community Writing 2025 Distinguished Engaged Scholar in Community Writing Award, and in 2021, because of my co-edited collection Bordered Writers: Latinx Identities and Literacy Practices at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, I was awarded the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Advancement of Knowledge Award.
I founded and direct the Community Writing Partners program in the Department of English. Having recruited over twenty non-profit organizations in varying fields such as health, literacy, food insecurity, immigration, and advocacy, I place students in internships, senior and graduate practica, and service-learning projects. I also direct the Bilingual Professional Writing Certificate (BPWC) Program and teach English-Spanish bilingual sections of Technical Writing and Workplace Writing. In addition, I teach for the fully online Technical and Professional Writing Certificate Program. I am a Professor in the Rhetoric and Writing Studies Program and serve as faculty co-advisor to the student organization, Frontera Retórica.
As a Latina and community-engaged scholar, I love to explore literacies and study the intersection between higher education and the community. Together, the university and the community, can cultivate strong, civically engaged students and professionals. When not at work, I enjoy reading and discussing literary works with my son, traveling, spending time with family, and participating in community events.
UTEP Faculty Profile
Contact Information
Email: ibaca@utep.edu
Phone: 915-747-6245
Hudspeth Hall 314
Personal Information
Ph.D., New Mexico State University
Associate Professor
