Department of Writing

Ellen Schendel

Associate Professor
Director, Fred Meijer Center for Writing & Michigan Authors

Ph.D., University of Louisville
M.A., Florida State University
B.A., Birmingham-Southern College

I teach courses in academic and professional writing, such as Consulting with Writers, Introduction to Professional Writing, Introduction to Style, and Genre & Writing.

My research and writing projects are informed by my classroom teaching and work in the writing center--and, I hope, help me to become a more knowledgeable and effective teacher. Recent projects have focused mainly on writing assessment, writing program administration, and writing center programming.

In addition to the teaching, scholarship, and service I complete at Grand Valley, I enjoy serving as a manuscript reviewer for Composition Studies, WPA: Writing Program Administration, and The Journal of Writing Assessment.

Selected Publications

Building Meaningful Writing Center Assessments. With William J. Macauley. In press at Utah State University Press.
"Retreating Into the Center: Supporting Faculty & Staff as Writers." Writing Lab Newsletter 34.6 (February 2010): 1-6.
"A Working Methodology of Assessment for Writing Program Administrators." With Brian Huot. Allyn and Bacon Sourcebook for Writing Program Directors. Irene Ward & William Carpenter, Editors. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2011. 207-227. [Reprinted in Longman Sourcebook for Writing Program Administrators. Longman, 2008.]
"Defining Assessment as Research: Moving from Obligations to Opportunities." With Peggy O'Neill & Brian Huot. WPA: Writing Program Administration 26.1/2 (2002): 10-26.

Recent Presentations

"(Re)Conceiving of the Writing Center as a Site of Transfer." Conference on College Composition and Communication. St. Louis, March 22, 2012.
"Making Noise in the Library: Designing a Student Learning Environment to Support a Liberal Education." With Lee A. VanOrsdel. Special Session at the Southeast Writing Center Association Conference, Eastern Kentucky University, February 17, 2012.
"It's Like a Consultation: Writing Center Assessment as Reflection and Revision." Keynote Address with William J. Macauley. East Central Writing Centers Association Conference, Western Michigan University, March 4, 2011.
"Speaking isn't Writing: An Assessment of Professional Writing Students' Presentations." With Christopher Toth. Association for Business Communication Conference, Chicago, October 26, 2010.

Professional Memberships