Our mission is to provide GVSU students, faculty, and staff the support and resources needed to succeed as writers.
In the 2008-2009 academic year, we conducted almost 8500 one-to-one consultations with students.
Of the 7600 exit questionnaires completed by students last year:
99% indicated that students found their sessions helpful or very helpful to their writing. (86% responded "very helpful").
95% indicated that students felt more confident in completing the assignment successfully after a writing consultation.
A recent assessment study shows that students are just as apt to work with writing consultants on content, organization, and development issues as grammar and mechanics.
Writing consultants work with students one-to-one or in small groups on a weekly basis in all first-year writing classrooms (150 sections per year).
Graduate student writers make up our fastest-growing demographic of clients.
Our fastest growing location is at the downtown/Pew campus in DEV 101B. Traffic has increased in that location by 81% over the past 4 years.
Writers from all across the university visit the writing center, though we do see many students from English and writing courses. Here are the top 10 disciplines (other than English and writing) from which we saw student writers in 2008-2009:
Communications
History
Liberal Studies
Management
Nursing
Philosophy
Psychology
Public Administration
Social Work
Sociology
We strive for disciplinary diversity among our peer writing consultant staff. Our current staff includes writing consultants majoring in nursing, history, cell and molecular biology, international business, journalism, advertising and public relations, psychology, writing, English, music--and more!
Our staff includes:
51 undergraduate and graduate peer writing consultants
2 graduate assistants
4 student receptionists
1 full-time COT-3
1 part-time assistant director
1 half-time faculty director
Writing consultants are required to successfully complete WRT 306: Seminar for New Tutors and participate in weekly mentor group discussions during the first semester they work at the center. New consultants also must complete a two-day initial training. All consultants--new and returning--are observed, attend staff meetings, and participate in regular professional development seminars.
We provide a number of services to faculty and staff writers. Our graduate writing consultants are available to meet with faculty and staff. Additionally, select Friday afternoons are Faculty/Staff Fridays in the Writing Center--mini-writing retreats. Week-long writing retreats for faculty and staff are held each May and August.
What's new in the writing center during the 2009-2010 year? Lots!
