Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.--Fourteen Mississippi State faculty members are new graduates of the university's Maroon Institute for Writing Excellence program.

Now in its third year, the three-week intensive institute recently trained teachers from a dozen university departments to modify course syllabi to incorporate more writing-to-learn strategies into class assignments.

The professional development program is part of "Maroon & Write," which is the university's quality enhancement plan--QEP, for short--to improve undergraduate writing and learning skills across all colleges, curricula and class levels. The QEP is required to maintain accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

As part of the 30-plus hour workshop held during June, participants read a variety of theory-related literature selections and engaged in activities such as journaling, free-writing, peer-evaluation and reflective essay development. In coming semesters, they will incorporate many of the activities into their respective courses.

Participants also heard presentations by Linda Morse, Center for Teaching and Learning director; Stacy Kastner, Writing Center associate director; Amy Barton, instructor for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering's Shackouls Technical Communication Program; and Stephanie Bennett, curriculum, instruction and special education assistant professor and former MIWE participant.

In addition to teaching one QEP course that incorporates writing-to-learn techniques and a formal writing component, MIWE graduates will continue interacting with the Maroon & Write QEP staff throughout the school year.

"By your presence here, you demonstrate that you are wanting to go beyond the normal in the classroom, and for that, I want to thank you," said Jerry Gilbert, MSU provost and executive vice president.

Speaking at the program's Thursday [June 25] concluding ceremony, he expressed the institution's appreciation for the graduates' devotion to teaching, as evidenced by their participation in the intensive training process.

"It's important that we have people like you who are willing to dedicate themselves to doing the very best to give our students the best education possible," Gilbert said. "I know that you're going to do many wonderful things in the classroom with what you've learned in the institute this summer."

Marketing professor Melissa Moore said she already has begun incorporating writing-to-learn concepts in the principles of marketing course she is teaching this summer.

"I'm really excited about the techniques we have learned, and I've put many of those things in place," Moore said, adding, "I already see a difference in the classroom in terms of the energy."

Moore said she would "almost challenge anyone who thinks they've got their course mastered to come here and kind of test that hypothesis."

"I think you might learn some things you can do that are going to make your class even more beneficial and enriching for your students," she added.

The 2015 MIWE summer graduates and the writing-to-learn courses they'll be teaching during the upcoming academic year include (by department):

--Biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology assistant professor Yuhua Farnell, protein methods, fall 2015.

--Classical and modern languages and literatures instructor Rosa Vozzo, economies for the Spanish-speaking world, spring 2016.

--Communication assistant professor Melody Fisher, public relations case problems, fall 2015.

--Counseling and educational psychology assistant professor Daniel Gadke, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions, fall 2015.

--English assistant professor Wendy Herd, introduction to the study of language, spring 2016.

--English associate professor James Kelley, African American literature, fall 2015.

--Forestry professor Donald Grebner, forest resource management, fall 2015.

--Geosciences instructor Christa Haney, water resources, spring 2016.

--Geosciences instructor Athena Nagel, natural hazards, spring 2016.

--Human Sciences assistant professor Lori Elmore-Staton, parenting, fall 2015.

--Marketing professor Melissa Moore, principles of marketing, summer 2016.

--Music assistant professor Ryan Ross, honors history and appreciation of music, fall 2015.

--Psychology assistant professor Kristina Hood, social psychology, fall 2015.

--Student leadership and community engagement assistant director Carmen Wilder, Montgomery Leadership Program first-semester course, spring 2016.

Learn more about MIWE and Maroon and Write QEP at http://qep.msstate.edu/, facebook.com/QEPMSU and twitter.com/MSUQEP.

Discover more about MSU, the state's flagship research institution, online at msstate.edu, meridian.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate, using hashtag #WeRingTrue.