The Writing Center

The Writing Center is the branch of the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching dedicated to teaching students how to improve their academic writing. We don't proofread. Instead, we try to teach students the tools and skills that will help them improve their papers.

What do we do?

Well, besides the behind-the-scenes stuff like writing and revising grammar handouts, our job is to sit down with you in an hour-long, one-on-one conference. We will read your paper, try to assess its strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully give you advice that's helpful to both your paper and you as a writer.

Students from all academic disciplines use the Center to overcome writer's block, approach an assignment, or assess the audience and purpose of a paper. Working on a one-to-one basis with a peer or faculty writing advisor, students also receive help with developing, organizing, and focusing their written work.

While the Center staff will not proofread papers for students, they will show students how to become better proofreaders

Students may make an appointment by stopping by the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching, Howarth109, sending an e-mail request, or calling x3404.

Before contacting us, please check the Writing Advisor Schedule and our policy on scheduling and missing appointments.

Writing Excellence Awards

To encourage and reward good writing in all disciplines, the university sponsors the Writing Excellence Awards. There are eight annual awards: two prizes awarded in the natural sciences, two prizes in the humanities and fine arts, two prizes in the social sciences, one prize in the graduate programs, and one prize for a paper written by a freshman.

The 2006 Writing Excellence Award winning papers are on reserve in the library for your viewing pleasure under "Writing Excellence."

Entry papers may be picked up in Howarth 105. These will be kept on file for a limited time, so please pick them up as soon as possible.

Writing Advisor Applications

Students are invited to apply for Peer Writing Advisor positions at the Center for Writing, Learning and Teaching Writing by submitting the application materials.