Tag: NSU Writing and Communication Center

Janine Morris, Ph.D., and Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Faculty Coordinators, were invited speakers at Virginia Tech’s virtual Composition Program Spring Colloquium on February 26, 2021. Morris and Concannon are both faculty members in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts (DCMA) in the Halmos College of Arts & Sciences (HCAS).

Morris and Concannon’s presentation, “Mindfulness, Self-care, & Fostering Well-Being in the Writing Center & Classroom,” focused on using reflective literacy activities, meditation, and yoga to cultivate emotional awareness, mindfulness, and self-care practices. According to Concannon, “The experience allowed us to assist in mobilizing conversations regarding mindfulness and meditation. To that end, we facilitated a workshop that brought together research in mindfulness, meditation, literacy, and yoga into an academic setting.”

Their presentation grew from a mindfulness study that was published in the January 2020 issue of WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship. “Cultivating Emotional Wellness and Self-Care through Mindful Mentorship in the Writing Center” was co-authored by Concannon, Morris, and DCMA MA in Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media alumna Nicole Chavannes and Veronica Diaz.

To learn more about the Writing and Communication Center, visit https://www.nova.edu/wcc/.

To view, “Cultivating Emotional Wellness and Self-Care through Mindful Mentorship in the Writing Center,” visit: https://wlnjournal.org/archives/v44/44.5-6.pdf.

Adara Cox, NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) Graduate Assistant Coordinator, was featured as a keynote panelist for the 2021 Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA) virtual conference, February 11-13, 2021. Cox is a graduate student in the Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (CRDM) master’s program in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS).

The keynote panel was dedicated to elevating the voices, experiences, and practices of undergraduate and graduate tutors who identify as Black/African American. The panel was moderated by Dr. Talisha Hatiwanger Morrison, Director of the University of Oklahoma Writing Center and the Expository Writing Program, and Assistant Professor of Writing. Panelists also included Chanara Andrews-Bickers, doctoral student at the University of Georgia; Genevieve Onyiuke-Kennedy, Georgia Tech alumna; and Micah Williams, undergraduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

According to Cox, “As a second-year attender of the SWCA conference, speaking with an all-Black panel was the highlight of my experience this year! The feeling of having willing listeners from writing centers across the southeastern region listen to my story as a Black consultant made me feel like my voice mattered. Although there is still work to be done, I am honored that I was a part of a panel that allowed me to continue breaking social barriers.”

According to SWCA President and WCC Faculty Coordinator, Janine Morris, Ph.D. (HCAS Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts Assistant Professor), “This year’s conference theme, ‘Trauma and Transformation,’ recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, social unrest, natural disasters, and significant changes in the structure and leadership of higher education have greatly accelerated the pace of change, prompting all of us in the writing center field to reconsider many aspects of our work.”

In addition to presenting on the Keynote, Cox was an individual and co-presenter on several other panels throughout the conference.

To learn more about the CRDM Program, visit https://hcas.nova.edu/academics/graduate/masters/composition-rhetoric-digital-media.html

To learn more about the NSU Writing & Communication Center, visit https://www.nova.edu/wcc/

To learn more about the Southeastern Writing Center Association, visit https://southeasternwritingcenter.wildapricot.org/

NSU’s Writing and Communication Center (WCC) faculty and students presented on ten panels at the 2021 Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA) conference. The conference was held via Zoom Feb. 11-13, 2021. The 2021 SWCA Conference was attended by over 400 participants and featured 100 presentations from over 50 institutions.

From the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, the following individuals presented at the conference:

• WCC Executive Director Kevin Dvorak (Professor) and WCC Assistant Director, Nikki Chasteen (adjunct faculty)
• Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts and WCC faculty coordinators, Eric Mason (Associate Professor), Janine Morris (Assistant Professor), and Kelly Concannon (Associate Professor)
• Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media (CRDM) graduate students and WCC graduate assistant coordinators, Monique Cole, Adara Cox, Jordan Guido, Anthony Laboriel, Sabrina Louissaint, Michael Lynn, Emma Masur, Danielle Pierce, Megan Provenzale, ‘Aolani Robinson, Carlos Rodriguez Rosa, Meredith Sharp, and alumna Veronica Diaz

From the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, B.S. in exercise and sports science undergraduate student (WCC undergraduate consultant), Stephanie Shneydman and Speech Language Pathology graduate student ( WCC graduate consultant), Clarisse El Khouri presented.

From the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Biology and Nutrition undergraduate student (WCC undergraduate consultant), Amber Gulau presented.

From the Fischler College of Education, English & Secondary English Education undergraduate student (WCC undergraduate consultant), Bianca Oliveira presented.

From the College of Psychology, PSY.D in Clinical Psychology graduate students  (WCC graduate consultants), Imani Gibbs and Troy Thisler presented.

To learn more about the NSU Writing and Communication Center, visit https://www.nova.edu/wcc/

About the Panels:

Transforming First-year Composition Course-Embedded Consultant Programs to Meet the Demands of Remote Learning and Consulting (Kevin Dvorak, Nikki Chasteen, Danielle Pierce, Russell Carpenter, Eastern Kentucky University, Clint Stivers, Eastern Kentucky University, Chaise Robinson, Eastern Kentucky University, Jonathon Collins, Eastern Kentucky University)

This panel explored how two SWCA-based writing centers transformed their first-year composition-focused consultant programs to meet the needs of their students and consultants, who have largely transitioned to remote learning and consulting during the pandemic.

Building Connections in the Online Era: Developing a Social Media Strategy Based on Inclusion and Technology

(Monique Cole, Meredith Sharp, Anthony Laboriel, Michael Lynn, Sabrina Louissaint)

This presentation focused on how writing centers can utilize their platforms to build a more supportive and welcoming environment for students through creating inclusive content and utilizing technology.

Transforming STEM-focused Course-Embedded Consultant Programs to Meet the Demands of Remote Learning and Consulting (Kevin Dvorak Nikki Chasteen, Russell Carpenter, Eastern Kentucky University, Clint Stivers, Eastern Kentucky University)

This panel explored how two SWCA-based writing centers have transformed their STEM-focused course-embedded consultant programs to meet the needs of their students and consultants, who have largely transitioned to remote learning and consulting during the pandemic.

Emotions and Affect in Tutoring Interactions (Janine Morris, Kelly Concannon, Elise Dixon, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Rachel Robinson, Michigan State University, Lauren Brentnell, University of Northern Colorado, Steven J. Corbett, Texas A&M University – Kingsville, Anna Rita Napoleone, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Luke Iantorno, Texas Tech University)

This synchronous roundtable examined the ways that emotions and affect are implicated in tutoring interactions and tutor training.

Get it Published: A Conversation with Journal Editors

(Eric Mason, Scott Pleasant, Coastal Carolina University, Devon Ralston, Winthrop University, Nikki Caswell, Eastern Carolina University, Eliana Schonberg, Duke, Ted Roggenbuck, Bloomsburg University, Karen Johnson, Shippensburg University, Julianne Newmark, University of New Mexico)

 This Q&A session was aimed to speak with editors from Southern Discourse in the Center, The Peer Review, The Writing Center Journal , WLN: A Journal of Writing Center Scholarship, and Xchanges about any part of the publishing process.

Developing a Social Media Campaign Workshop: Bringing a Heightened Sense of Consistency and Engagement to your Center’s Social Media (Monique Cole & Sabrina Louissaint)

This interactive workshop described the experience of developing the SWCA 2020 social media campaign.

Emotions and Affect in Writing Center Administration: A Roundtable on the Emotional Dimensions of Administrative Work (Janine Morris, Kelly Concannon,

Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, Middle Tennessee State University, Kelin Hull, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Elizabeth Leahy, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Genie Giaimo, Middlebury College, Marilee Brooks-Gilles, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Kristi Costello, Old Dominion University, Tabatha Simpson-Farrow, Arkansas State University)

This synchronous roundtable examined the ways that emotions and affect appear in writing center administration.

Transforming Writing Centers: Continual Dialogue on Diversity Training (Adara Cox)

This presentation focused on diversity training in writing centers to encourage healthy dialogue among leadership, staff, and tutors using Saul Alinsky’s ‘dialectic approach’ as the first step in organizing diversity training to better serve minority students.

Supporting Graduate Writers Across the Disciplines (Veronica Diaz, Clarisse El Khouri, Imani Gibbs, Megan Provenzale, Troy Thisler, Janine Morris, Kevin Dvorak)

This synchronous roundtable featured current and former graduate consultants from clinical psychology, speech-language pathology, and composition/rhetoric to discuss their experiences working with graduate student writers from across the disciplines.

Embracing the Pod-demic: A Discussion of Podcast Production in Writing Centers in the Time of COVID-19 (Eric Mason, Michael Lynn, Adara Cox, and Emma Masur)

This roundtable discussion brought together staff from multiple centers to discuss the challenges and charms of producing podcasts to support the work of writing centers. WCC Podcast: “The Writer’s Edge”

Remote Control: Developing Effective Writing Center Training at a Distance (Carlos Rodriguez Rosa, Jordan Guido, Danielle Pierce, Adara Cox, ‘Aolani Robinson, Eric Mason, Kelly Concannon)

This presentation provided access to sample materials developed by WCC staff to train new consultants in a fully online setting.

Leadership in Isolation: Successes and Challenges of a Virtual Consultant Leadership Program (Adara Cox, Amber Gulau, Sabrina Louissaint, Bianca Oliveira, Stephanie Shneydman)

This panel described an immersive leadership development program launched in Fall 2020 aimed to empower and encourage consultants to build their leadership experiences and share challenges, lessons, and best practices.

Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D

Kevin Dvorak, Ph.D., Executive Director of the NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC), and Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts, published “Administrative Best Practices for Engaging Millennial Faculty” in vol. 31, no. 2, fall 2020 edition of The Department Chair, a publication for administrators.

In the article Dvorak and Bruce, along with Michael G. Strawser, Ph.D.(University of Central Florida) and Russel Carpenter, Ph.D. (Eastern Kentucky University), discuss how millennials (or Generation Y) are uniquely suited to engage with other faculty at the department level and beyond. Through newfound technological expectations, emphasis on teaching and learning strategies, and community engagement, the authors argue that millennial faculty members are a unique, yet necessary addition to the current professoriate. Bruce et al. suggest that integrating technology into workspaces, establishing mentor programs, and designing systems for acknowledging success are some of the ways in which to engage millennial faculty in higher education classrooms.

This article provides readers with a strong foundational knowledge of supporting new faculty members within collegiate classrooms. The authors remind the audience that “purposeful leadership can help millennial faculty understand their roles and responsibilities in a clear and helpful manner.” For more information and to read the article fully, be sure to check out The Department Chair’s website, and be sure to follow the NSU Writing and Communication Center on Instagram at @nsuwcc.