Across-the-University Writing Program’s Mission

The program’s mission is to make available to all students additional support in enhancing their writing skills and to provide a venue for continuous faculty development.

Program’s History

In 1989, a committee composed of faculty in all four academic colleges and the library, formed to plan, organize, and implement a program. Current committee members are Dr. Roger Abshire, chair, Management and Marketing; Dr. Steven Cuvelier, Criminal Justice; Dr. Teri Lesesne, Library Science; Dr. Len Breen, Language, Literacy and Special Populations; Dr. Bill Bridges, chair, Department of English and Foreign Languages; Dr. Diane Dowdey, Department of English and Foreign Languages; Ms. Susan Strickland, Newton Gresham Library; and Mr. James Van Roekel, Director of Academic Institutional Technology and Distance Learning.

Dr. Bill Bridges is currently the director of the program and chair of the committee. This group continues to oversee this program that offers workshops, a reception to honor outstanding student and faculty writers, and a newsletter.

Workshops

To date, we have offered over 150 workshops for faculty, staff, and community members. Topics include writing, reading, and technology. For a complete listing of events, please click here.

Reception to Honor Outstanding Student and Faculty Writers

Each spring semester, the Across-the-University Writing Program committee, Student Government Association members, and the Texas Omicron Chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Scholarship Society members sponsor a reception to honor outstanding student and faculty writers. Each faculty member is asked to nominate excellent writers, and these students receive certificates at this special occasion.

In addition, faculty who teach freshman composition courses are asked to provide copies of the year’s best papers. Then, a panel of faculty judges select the best essays, and these students are given plaques and monetary awards. One student receives the Dr. A. J. Koinm Best Freshman Composition Award. The 2002 recepients of this award were Retta Price for her literary analysis of "The Blind Man" by Kate Chopin, and Kim Castell for her personal narrative "The Last Beating". Lorie Rose Gonzalez received an honorable mention for her personal narrative "Not Guilty."

To support the program’s goals and to implement a writing center,the Houston Endowment Inc. board awarded a $450,000
grant/endowment to Sam Houston State University. Through this partnership, SHSU created the Sam Houston State Writing Center (formerly the Academic Enrichment Center). The center is available to all students, faculty and the community free of charge.

Writing consultants receive intensive training to help individuals with all written work, including such diverse assignments as teacher education portfolios, criminal justice research papers, and ballet critiques. In May 2001, the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) recertified the Academic Enrichment Center’s tutoring program at the master’s level for a three year period.

Along with consultations, we offer free writing workshops, numerous videos/CDs on writing and reading topics, and access to the best technology on campus. We house Windows-based and Macintosh networked computers, printers, scanners, a SMART Board, CD burner, a DVD player, a digital camera, and a video camera.

Writing-Enhanced Courses

To ensure that writing is infused throughout the curriculum, all undergraduate students are required to complete six writing-enhanced courses before graduation: two in English, two in their majors, and two in any discipline. A writing-enhanced course is defined as one in which fifty percent or more of the grade is based on writing.

Today, Sam Houston State University offers over 500 writing-enhanced sections. Students may enroll in such diverse writing-enhanced courses as The Evolution of Mathematics 384 (mathematics), Physiology of Exercise 373 (kinesiology), and Seminar in Research and Creative Activities 468 (music).

Contact

For additional information, you may contact Dr. Bill Bridges, director
of the Across-the-University Writing Program,
(936) 294-1402 (telephone)
(936) 294-1408 (fax)
eng_cwb@shsu.edu (e-mail)
or
Dr. Diane Dowdey, director of the Sam Houston State Writing Center,
(936) 294-1438 (telephone)
(936) 294-3560 (fax)
eng_dxd@shsu.edu