Three faculty members and three students were recognized recently at the Department of Writing and Rhetoric’s inaugural awards reception for demonstrating excellence in helping the department reach its goals.

The department, which was separated from the Department of English in 2010, assists faculty members in their efforts to strengthen student writing and use writing to improve learning in their courses.

Honored were:

  • Undergraduate Excellence: Aubrey Marks (Political Science major, writing minor)
    Marks has published work and served as assistant editor in Stylus, a journal of first-year writing, presented at the Knights Write Showcase, worked in the campus writing center, and promoted upper-division writing programs to other students. Her ePortfolio was selected as a model for the department.
  • Excellence in Graduate Work: Jacob Stewart (Rhetoric and Composition master’s student)
    Stewart was credited with demonstrating exceptional work at the graduate level through his research and effectiveness in sharing those ideas with others. He successfully defended his thesis this spring: “Arrangement of Google Search Results and Imperial Ideology: Searching for Benghazi, Libya.”
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, Teaching Excellence: Lissa Pompos (Rhetoric and Composition master’s student)
    During her first year of teaching composition in the department, Pompops provided useful scaffolding to help students work through difficult concepts and material, and created useful handouts that clearly explain course and assignment expectations to student.
  • Outstanding Community Engagement: Leslie Wolcott (instructor)
    Wolcott’s approach to community engagement emphasizes sustainability in both student involvement and community impact. Her rhetoric and civic engagement students participated in and promoted community engagement around local transportation issues, raising awareness about and addressing transportation problems or barriers.
  • Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning: Joseph Longhany (visiting instructor)
    Colleagues say students respond to Longhany’s passion about teaching writing because he goes beyond discussing pedagogical strategies and shares ideas with others to promote learning.
  • Excellence in New Media Innovation: Dan Martin (instructor) Martin creates innovative instructional videos for the department, including a video to help promote the department’s mission that is frequently used during freshman and transfer orientations. Martin created videos for his web and mediated courses and has created instructional videos for other colleagues. He was credited with being a leader in demonstrating the value of technology in courses..