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University Writing Center

Workshops and Events

Events Spring 2024

  • April 9th: The UWC hosted a launch party for Off Center, its literary digital magazine. 

Events Fall 2023

  • August 17-23: The UWC participated in beginning-of-the-semester events including the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s “Newcomer’s Briefing” orientation, new faculty orientation, the Advisor Mastery Program (AMP), international student orientation, and the Scholar’s Academy program. 
  • August 31: The UWC welcomed tutors from Central Magnet School’s writing lab for a morning of tutor training and discussion.
  • September 13: The UWC will participate in the College of Media and Entertainment’s Student Health and Wellness Fair.
  • September 14: The UWC will host two workshops for 75 Blackman Collegiate Academy students. We will introduce the students to our services, help them understand their own writing identities, and work through challenges for large writing projects. During this time, the UWC in LIB 362 will be closed (until 12:00 pm).
  • October 24: This year, the UWC turns 45! Our 45th year anniversary celebration was held from 5:00-7:00 in the UWC (LIB 362) on 10/24. 
  • Month of November: November is National Write a Novel Month (Nanowrimo). Participants are invited to write at least 50,000 words during the month. We’ll be hosting write ins each Wednesday from 2-3pm in person (LIB 362) and virtual. Please join us!

Events Summer 2023

  • May 22-May 26: Please join us for our Thesis and Dissertation Writing Retreat! The retreat will be held in the UWC (LIB 362) from 10:00-3:00 each day. Interested students can find the sign up information below.

Events Spring 2023

  • January 11: The UWC participated in the International Student Orientation to welcome new students and share information about the writing center.
  • January 12: The UWC participated in the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s “Newcomer’s Briefing” Orientation.
  • February 27: The UWC hosted an ePortfolio Kick Off event from 4:00-5:30 in LIB 272 to help students working on ePortfolios for MT Engage scholarship applications or for MT Engage classes.
  • March 16-April 20: Every Thursday at 2:00 from March 16-April 20, the UWC hosted Graduate Writers’ Workshop II: Publish Your Paper in 6 Weeks. 

Events Fall 2022

  • August 15-19: The UWC participated in beginning-of-the-semester events including the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s “Newcomer’s Briefing” Orientation and the Student Transition and Academic Readiness (S.T.A.R.) program. 
  • August 25: The UWC’s Associate and Assistant Directors, Dr. Jim Hamby and Dr. Keri Carter, led a hands-on workshops for the LT&ITC: “Creating Assignment Sheets with the Student in Mind.”
  • August 29: UWC Director, Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, with Academic Integrity Director, Michael Baily, held a workshop in the LT&ITC focused on preventing plagiarism. 
  • August 29: The UWC participated in the annual MTSU Resources Fair to inform students about the UWC and how tutors can help with writing projects.
  • August 31: The UWC’s postdoctoral research fellow, Dr. Iqra Shagufta Cheema, led an LT&ITC workshop entitled “Supporting International Students.”
  • August 31: The UWC participated in MTSU’s International Student Orientation event.
  • September 20-November 20: The UWC hosted a series of graduate writing workshops every Thursday at 3:00. Details below. 
  • October 7: The UWC hosted its first First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester for English students. We welcomed Dr. Iqra Shagufta Cheema and PhD candidate Jenna Campbell Field.
  • October 27:  The UWC hosted two writing workshops for Blackman Collegiate Academy students. Dr. Jim Hamby, Dr. Keri Carter, and 8 UWC tutors helped the juniors explore their writing identities and discuss overcoming writing and research challenges for upcoming capstone projects.  
  • November 3: The UWC welcomed Central Magnet School writing lab tutors for a fun morning of tutoring-centered workshops.
  • November 4: The UWC hosted its final Brown Bag event of the semester welcoming Dr. Brielle Campos, Assistant Professor of University Studies and recent English alum, and Laney Jolley Smith, PhD candidate.
  • November 8, 15, & 22: The UWC hosted a workshop series in collaboration with the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center from 6:00-7:00 in the UWC (LIB 362). Topics included brainstorming and organizing ideas (Nov. 8), revising and editing strategies (Nov. 15), and working on long projects (Nov. 22). 
  • November 29: The UWC organized a “Collaborate with Taylor Swift” song lyric contest. Winners received a UWC and Taylor Swift themed prize package!

Events Spring 2022

  • February 4: The UWC hosted its first First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester! We welcomed Dr. Amanda Swenson, Assistant Professor of English, and Patrick Gilchrest, M. A. English student. All Brown Bag events start at noon on Zoom. 
  • March 18: The UWC hosted its second First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester! We welcomed Dr. Patrica Gaitley, Professor of English, and Nich Kraus, Ph.D. English student. All Brown Bag events start at noon on Zoom. 
  • April 1:The UWC hosted its final First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester. We welcomed Dr. Ellen Donovan and Dr. Laura Dubek who spoke about their latest editorial project for a special issue of College Literature. We also welcomed Ph.D. student Harlow Crandall.  
  • April 5: The UWC’s Associate and Assistant Directors led a hands-on workshop for the LT&ITC: “Creating Course Documents with the Student in Mind.”
  • April 18: The UWC Director led an LT&ITC workshop for faculty entitled “Turbo-Charge Your Summer Writing.”
  • April 19: The UWC along with the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, general education English department, and the James E. Walker Library hosted Write-On! The event welcomed veterans and any other students working on projects in their English courses. 

Events Fall 2021

  • September 1: The UWC’s Director, Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, along with the Director of Academic Integrity, Michael Baily, presented the LT&ITC workshop “Helping Students Prevent Plagiarism: Hacks, Tips, and Resources.” The workshop’s purpose was to help professors identify best practices to decrease plagiarism and offer ways to mitigate student anxiety about accidental plagiarism.
  • September 3: The UWC hosted its first First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester! We welcomed Dr. Erica Stone, Assistant Professor of English, and Sarah Wolfe, English Ph.D. candidate. All Brown Bag events start at noon on Zoom. 
  • September 21 & September 24: The UWC MT Engage Assistant facilitated a writing workshop entitled “ePortfolio Writing: Engaging in Reflection to Establish Connections” designed to help students deepen their reflective practice. This 60-minute, interactive workshop was a part of MT Engage Week. The September 21 workshop began at 5:00 in LIB 362, and the September 24 workshop began at 10:00 in LIB 362. Students enjoyed food and beverages at the event. 
  • October 1: The UWC hosted its second First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester! We welcomed Dr. Laura White, Professor of English, and Ashley Quinn, English Ph.D. candidate. All Brown Bag events start at noon on Zoom. 
  • October 28: The UWC, in partnership with the Daniels Center, General Education English, and the James E. Walker Library, hosted the event “Write-On!” Tutors, librarians, and faculty were available to help writers on English 1010, 1020, 2020, and 2030 projects. We were excited to work with our veteran students and anyone else who wanted to stop by! The event took place in the Daniels Center in KUC 124. The schedule was as follows:
    • 1:00-3:00: General Drop-In
    • 1:00-1:20: Focus on 1010: Genre Analysis
    • 1:20-1:40: Mini Revision Workshop
    • 1:40-2:00: Focus on 1020: Integrating Secondary Sources
    • 2:00-2:20: Library Mini Workshop
    • 2:20-2:40: Focus on 2020 and 2030: Literary Analysis
    • 2:40-3:00: Mini Reflection Workshop
  • November 5: The UWC hosted its final First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester. We welcomed Dr. Mischa Renfroe, Professor of English, and Brooke Massey, English M.A. student. All Brown Bag events start at noon on Zoom. 
  • November 6: UWC administrators and staff participated in TuColla 2021 (Tutor Collaboration Day), a statewide writing center conference. 

Events Summer 2021

  • May 21: The UWC’s Associate and Assistant Directors led a workshop entitled Effective Business Writing for the Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO) at their Support Staff Workshop.
  • May 24-28: Our summer Graduate Writing Retreat was a success! We welcomed graduate writers from all disciplines working on theses, dissertations, seminar papers, conference papers, and grant applications. The Graduate Writing Retreat is sponsored each semester by the University Writing Center and the James E. Walker Library. 
  • July 27 and July 29: The UWC’s Associate and Assistant Directors led two hands-on workshops for the LT&ITC: “Creating Course Documents with the Student in Mind” and  “Creating Assignment Sheets with the Student in Mind.” 

Events Spring 2021

  • January 11-15: The UWC hosted “The Graduate Writing Retreat” for all MTSU writers who are working on theses or dissertations. We will continue to offer these retreats at the beginning of each semester!
  • January 28: The UWC participated in a workshop welcoming students from the Blackman Collegiate Academy. We discussed “Writing Identities” and “Writing Challenges” with the students. Welcome, Blackman students!
  • March 5: The UWC hosted its First Friday Brown Bag event and welcomed Dr. Elyce Helford, Professor of English, and Dr. Christopher Weedman, Assistant Professor of English. They shared their collaborative experience in putting together an edited collection. Joining them was English Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth McGhee Williams, who spoke about her dissertation project on feminist disruptions within digital academic communities. 
  • March 23: The UWC partnered with the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) to present Poster and Pitch, a workshop to help students prepare for Scholars Week, conference presentations, research posters, or simply improve presentation skills.  At this workshop, students learned how to strengthen design decisions and deliver elevator pitches to capture an audience’s attention. 
  • April 2: The UWC hosted its second First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester. We welcomed Dr. Bridgett Donnelly, Assistant Professor of English, and Madonna Kemp, English Ph.D. candidate. 
  • April 19: The UWC’s MT Engage ePortfolio Program Coordinator guest lectured at the Spring 2021 Honors Lecture Series (UH 3000) at 3:00. The workshop outlined the basic elements of ePortfolio, provided a step-by-step guide for engaging in reflection, and established connections between the skills developed by reflective ePortfolio practices and those required to engage effectively in the pursuit of social justice.

Events Fall 2020

  • September 4: The UWC hosted its first First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester for graduate English students and faculty. We welcomed Dr. Poushali Bhadury and Katie Musick.
  • October 2: The UWC hosted its second First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester for graduate English students and faculty. We welcomed Dr. Christopher Weedman and Sidney Blaylock.
  • November 6: The UWC hosted its final First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester for graduate English students and faculty. We welcomed Dr. Fred Arroyo and Katherine Bronson.
  • November 7: The MTSU UWC hosted TuColla 2020 (Tutor Collaboration Day Conference) virtually on Zoom featuring an interactive keynote with Muriel Harris! Please visit the TuColla 2020 website for more information and the CFP. TuColla 2020 is sponsored by the Southeastern Writing Center Association. 
  • November 18: The James E. Walker Library and the Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center hosted a special virtual program with award-winning poet Michelle Peñaloza. Joining Michelle were the student winners of the inaugural 2020 Eureka! Creative Writing Contest.

Events Spring 2020

  • January 16: The UWC participated in beginning-of-the-semester events including the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s “Newcomer’s Briefing” Orientation and MTSU Online orientation. 
  • January 30: UWC Director, Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, with Academic Integrity Director, Michael Baily, held a workshop in the LT&ITC entitled Helping Students Prevent Plagiarism: Hacks, Tips, and Resources at 11:30. 
  • February 7: The UWC hosted its first First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester for graduate English students and faculty.
  • February 12-13: The UWC with MT Engage held an ePortfolio write-in from 2:20-4:20 on Wednesday and 1:00-3:00 on Thursday.
  • February 24: The UWC hosted university advisors from across campus for a workshop at 9:00 am. 
  • February 25: The UWC with the Career Development Center hosted a workshop on resumes and elevator pitches at 4:30 in LIB 272. 
  • March 3: The UWC with URECA held a workshop entitled Poster and Pitch to help students get ready for upcoming poster presentations at 3:30 in LIB 272. 
  • March 4: The UWC with the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center and the English department hosted Waffles and Writing in the Daniels Center from 9:00-12:00. Veterans enjoyed waffles and received help on current writing assignments. 
  • March 4: The UWC administrators in conjunction with the LT&ITC facilitated Effective Teaching Philosophy Statements: A Hands-On Workshop at 3:00.  
  • March 18: The UWC with James E. Walker Library held a graduate writing workshop for theses and dissertations in LIB 272 at 10:30 am and 6:00 pm (postponed).
  • March 19: The UWC with the Career Development Center hosted a workshop on resumes, CVs, and cover letters at 4:30 in LIB 272 (changed to a digital event due to COVID-19).
  • March 20: The UWC will host its second First Friday Brown Bag event (postponed).
  • March 24:  Win $100! The UWC with James E. Walker Library held a creative writing contest with the theme of Eureka! Three categories of entry were poetry, short fiction, and short creative nonfiction. One winner from each category received a $100 prize.
  • March 27: Check out the MTSU News story about how the UWC helped students during COVID-19 remote learning: MTSU Writing Center Guides Students Through Classwork in Cyberspace
  • April 3: The UWC will host its final First Friday Brown Bag event of the semester (postponed). 
  • April 7: The UWC with the Career Development Center held a workshop on personal marketing and branding online at 4:30 in LIB 272 (digital event). 
  • April 9-10: The UWC with MT Engage held an ePortfolio Write-In in LIB 272. The April 9 write-in will be from 1:00-3:00, and the April 10 write-in will be from 2:30-4:30 (postponed). 

Events Fall 2019

  • August 19-22: The UWC participated in several beginning-of-the-semester events including: New Faculty Orientation, International Student Orientation, College of Graduate Studies Orientation, the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center’s “Newcomer’s Briefing” Orientation, and the Student Transition and Academic Readiness (S.T.A.R.) program. 
  • August 28: The UWC Open House: Attendees had coffee and treats on us and learned more about the UWC! 
  • September 4: The UWC joined the Makerspace for an Open House.  
  • September 18: The UWC with MT Engage presented an LT&ITC workshop on Designing and Evaluating Reflective Writing Assignments at 11:00. 
  • September 19: The UWC hosted Central Magnet School writing tutors for a professional development workshop day. 
  • September 24: The UWC welcomed Siegel High School tutors for a professional development workshop day. 
  • September 26: The UWC participated in a workshop series for graduate writing with Walker Library and the College of Graduate Studies. The UWC hosted its workshop on Graduate Level Writing at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm in LIB 272. 
  • October 4: The UWC held the very first First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester for English graduate students and English graduate faculty.
  • October 10: The UWC and MTSU Online hosted Dr. Beth Hewett, an expert on online writing instruction and support, for a dynamic guest lecture at 11:00 in HONR 106. Anyone who teachers online/hybrid courses that have reading and writing components were encouraged to attend. 
  • October 17 and October 21: The UWC along with Walker Library and the College of Graduate Studies hosted two Writing Center Writing Retreats for graduate students. Both were held at 10:00 am in LIB 272. 
  • November 1: The UWC held the second First Friday Brown Bag Lunch of the semester. 
  • November 2: The UWC was proud to host Tutor Collaboration Day (TuColla) 2019 sponsored by the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA)!  Please see our TuColla 2019 website for details and CFP. 
  • December 3 and December 4: The UWC with MTEngage hosted an ePortfolio write-in from 3:00-5:00 in LIB 264.

Events Spring 2019

  • The UWC collected  books for the Children’s Book Drive until April 12, 2019. The books were donated in April. 
  • TheUWC hosted “First Friday” Brown Bag Lunch Series for English graduate students in fall and spring semester. Here are some highlights from spring 2019:
    • February 1, 12:00-1:00pm, LIB 362: Dr. Eric Detweiler and PhD student Sarah Wolfe.  Download Flyer for more details
    • February 22, 12:00-1:00pm, LIB 362: Dr. Poushali Bhadury and PhD candidate Rachel Donegan. Download Flyer for more details
    • March 29, 12:00-1:00pm, LIB 362: Drs. Ellen Donovan, Rhonda McDaniel, William Levine, Chris Weedman, Eric Detweiler, and Martha Dixon discussed their upcoming summer and fall courses.  

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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