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University Writing Center

Mission

Our Vision

Mission Statement

Serving MTSU Students:

The University Writing Center assists writers of various experiences, backgrounds, and skill levels in developing responsible, informed writing practices. Since students’ participation in university academic programs aids in their retention and progression toward academic goals, the UWC prides itself in being highly involved in aiding student success.

Serving UWC Staff:

The UWC promotes staff professionalism by offering numerous learning, teaching, research, and professional opportunities in various local, regional, national, and international academic writing center networks.

Serving the Community:

Understanding literacy as a set of social practices, the UWC is essential to literacy learning both on campus and in the local community where it serves as a community resource through outreach programs and events.

UWC Goals

Goal 1

To help writers of all experiences, backgrounds, and skill levels develop responsible, informed writing practices in the following ways:

  • Work with writers to foster responsible academic research and writing practices.
  • Serve as an audience to help writers consider how their work relates to broader conversations about their topics.
  • Promote writers’ use of emerging technologies to help them experiment with and compose works.
  • Help writers see their work as part of an ongoing academic conversation and understand how their work contributes to that conversation.

Goal 2

To promote professionalism amongst our staff through continued learning and teaching opportunities as well as opportunities to participate in broader academic conversations about writing center work.

  • Encourage UWC consultants to create and deliver instructional materials in their areas of expertise.
  • Provide ongoing trainings about current topics in the professional field of writing centers.
  • Support participation in local, regional, and international writing communities through publication in writing center journals and attendance at writing center conferences.

Goal 3

To serve as a resource for community literacy through outreach programs and events.

  • Sustain relationships with academic departments and other programs on campus to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the MTSU writing community.
  • Develop and participate in on- and off-campus outreach.
  • Support the development of new writing centers in the local community

History

The Margaret H. Ordoubadian Writing Center was founded in 1978. Dr.  Bené Cox, a pioneer in the collaborative learning movement, first proposed the center and helped develop it. Dr. Larry Mapp was appointed as the first director, serving until 1986, and the Writing Center was located in Peck Hall 306. Dr. Margaret Ordoubadian became the director in 1996 and served until 2001. By then, the Writing Center had moved to Peck Hall 326. Dr. Jimmie Cain served as Director from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2006-2009. In 2010 the Writing Center moved to its new location in the James Walker Library, and Dr. Bené Cox became the Director in 2012 and served until her retirement in 2018. Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy was hired to be the new Director beginning in Fall of 2018 and served until Summer 2024. Dr. James Hamby is serving as the Interim Director. Please read about our 45th Anniversary event and peruse our digital archive

Office Phone

(615) 904-8237

Location

Walker Library, Room 362

Email

uwcenter@mtsu.edu

Address:

The Writing Center

Box 70

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 37132


Read about our 45th Anniversary event and take a look at our growing digital archive!

Check out the latest issue of Off Center Magazine!

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