The Writing Center: Building on a Strong Foundation
The fall semester brings some significant changes to the Writing Center, formerly known as Student Writing Support in the Center for Writing. These changes build on the strong foundation established through years of supporting student writers across the University. In addition to a new name, the Writing Center has an updated mission statement, a new scheduling platform, and a new partnership with First-Year Writing. We are still located in Room 15, 216 Pillsbury Drive and welcome both undergraduate and graduate students to schedule a one-to-one writing consultation with us.
The updated mission statement carries forward the previous mission’s commitment to supporting student writers. It continues to emphasize cultivating a welcoming environment, developing tools for critical thinking, learning, and communicating, fostering a culture of equity, inclusiveness, and openness, and affirming linguistic diversity. To acknowledge the changing landscape surrounding writing, the updated mission now includes promoting critical literacies around writing technologies and futures. This recognizes the impact that AI has on writers in the University community and emphasizes the Writing Center’s commitment to developing students’ technological literacy and their ability to critically engage with emerging writing technologies.
To make it easier for students to schedule appointments, the Writing Center has implemented a new scheduling platform, WCOnline. The platform can accommodate multiple modalities of support, an exciting development as the Writing Center explores the potential of expanding offerings for students including asynchronous consultation feedback.
The Writing Center partnership with First-Year Writing has the goal of connecting every First-Year Writing student with the Center in some way. One unique feature of this partnership is a Write-In series. Write-Ins offer students who may not need a one-to-one session with a consultant the opportunity to spend focused time in the Writing Center working on their writing, while having a consultant on hand to provide feedback and encouragement as needed. This opportunity to write in community with access to real-time support from Writing Center consultants has been popular with students, and the Writing Center is excited to increase the number of opportunities for students to participate.
As the name and structure of the Writing Center evolves, its commitment to helping student writers thrive both in and beyond the classroom remains the same. The Center appreciates the support of the Department of Writing Studies, the College of Liberal Arts, and the campus community as it works to serve student writers across the University. You can contact the Writing Center at [email protected].
