This fall, the Department of Writing at Grand Valley State University will celebrate 25 years since becoming an independent department in Fall 2001.

The Silver Jubilee celebration will feature a full day of events designed to welcome current students, alumni, current and former faculty, and friends of the department. It will be an opportunity to reconnect and celebrate the milestone. On Friday, October 2, 2026, guests can participate in a “living archive” of the department's history, attend workshops and readings, and hear from alumni about the diverse paths that writing makes possible. At the center of the celebration is the Silver Jubilee Reception, where alumni, students, and faculty are invited to mingle over light refreshments, revisit shared experiences, and make new ones. The reception will include a department trivia event, highlighting moments from the past 25 years, along with opportunities to participate in raffles.

The celebration will also mark the release of a WRT Dept Silver Jubilee Commemorative Publication.

GVSU Writer Series Presents: Katie Jean Shinkle ('07)

• Check-in and Commemorative Button Pick-up
• 25 for 25: Artifact Showcase
• Living Archive
• Commemorative fishaldder Poster Display
• Campus Tours
• Writing Workshops
• Alumni and Faculty Lightning Reading Series
• Alumni Panel on Careers in Writing
• Alumni Panel on AI in the Workplace
• Alumni Writing Center Consultant Meet-Up
• Silver Jubilee Reception (hors d'oeuvres, swag bags, class photos, department trivia, raffles, and more!)

• Department of Writing Tailgate
• Homecoming Football Game (vs. Wayne State University) [purchase game tickets on your own]

Check back for schedule updates through the summer.

This Silver Jubilee publication celebrates 25 years of the Department of Writing's history, community, and impact. Through photographs, alumni memories, infographic milestones, student voices, and academic, creative, and professional work, the publication honors the people and experiences that have shaped the department across a quarter century. More than a retrospective, it also looks ahead to the future of writing, communication, and storytelling in a rapidly changing world. Designed for alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the department, this commemorative edition highlights the creativity, collaboration, and curiosity that continue to define the Department of Writing and the generations of writers connected to it.

In honor of the 25th milestone anniversary, the Department of Writing is launching a new WRT Legacy Fund. Your donation will help support a WRT Dept Silver Jubilee Commemorative Publication, which will be available during our celebration in October. You have the opportunity to sponsor the project and be recognized as a publication patron if you give by June 1.

The WRT Legacy Fund will continue to support the next 25 years of writing students through supplemental unpaid internship support, student conference travel, books, technology, visiting writer events, writing contest prizes, department-sponsored student organization support, etc. Please consider contributing today!

https://www.gvsu.edu/giving/give-now-writing-student-support-gifts-1234.htm