Dear Colleagues:

 In keeping with our unwavering commitment to the core teaching mission and development of critical skills for all students, the University is establishing a Center for Writers.  This initiative is directly linked to our retention and graduation goals.  An exceptional team of faculty and staff has been charged with launching the center.  Students at all levels, incoming freshmen through graduate students, will reap benefits from the campus-wide writing center as they strive to improve their writing, reading, critical thinking, and editing skills in preparation for an ever more competitive job market. 

 Mission Statement

The Center for Writers’ initial mission is to help writers in all academic disciplines, at all levels, develop their writing abilities, to promote research in effective and collaborative methods of teaching writing, and to provide writing resources to the larger academic community. 

 Goals

The goals of the Center for Writers include the following:

• To serve as a writing resource for the university community through its tutorial assistance, web page, classroom presentations, workshops, and other forms of outreach;
• To help writers at all levels of proficiency from all academic disciplines develop competent and effective writing skills through the use of both face-to-face consulting sessions and other resources;
• To contribute to increasing retention and graduation rates through early intervention, one-on-one tutoring, and collaborating with the English Department’s  lower division program;
• To collaborate with every department on campus to encourage the systematic and comprehensive development of writing, critical thinking, and communication skills, and
• To promote research on the teaching of writing.

 As resources allow and as the center evolves it will implement, grow, and maintain programs that include satellite tutorial sites, online tutoring services, and collaborative programs with area high schools and community literacy outreach organizations.

Committee Members

Barbara Bekis, Educational Support Programs

Pam Dennis, Library

Tim Johnston, English

Joseph Jones, English

Patsy Krech, CAS Advising

Brad McAdon, English

Rhonda Powers, English

Jennifer Schnabel, Library

Kathy Tuberville, Business

Cynthia Tucker, English

Antonio de Velasco, Communication

Todd Whitney, Education

 Please join me in thanking all involved.  In particular, I’d like to thank members of the orginal (2009) writing center committee:  Dr. John Bensko (English), Dr. Suzanne Biedenbach (formerly of English), Dr. Bill Dwyer (Psychology), Dr. Charles Hall (English), and Dr. Robert Koch (Nursing), chaired by Brad McAdon (English).  The 2010 proposal was co-authored by Eric Link, Charles Hall, and Brad McAdon.

 Go Tigers!

 M. David Rudd, Provost