Welcome to the University Writing Center!

The mere imparting of information is not education. ~Carter G. Woodson

 I mean I’ve revised six times, seven times, thirteen times. ~Toni Morrison

Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

What are Aggies saying about the UWC?

• "I like how patient and helpful the writing [consultant] was. It was a way to help bring my ideas to life." ~Junior, computer science major
• "I liked that I was able to go in person and that they had handouts to take back to help you with the assignment." ~First-year, journalism and mass communication major 
• "Friendly and amazing staff. Knowledgeable and broke down everything I needed to know. I love this service." ~Sophomore, education major
• "[The writing conference] felt like a workshop. I have a lot of work to do." ~Third-year PhD, nanoengineering major
• "[The consultant] helped me understand the writing process and enlightened me on the necessary steps of supporting my argument. And was patient with me when I didn't know what I was doing." ~Senior, pre-law major 
• "She helped me without telling me exactly what to do." ~First-year, business economics major
• "How intentional Dr. Faulkner-Springfield is. She truly cares about each student she works with. I can tell in her workshops and in scheduled meetings. It’s not just about writing [developing and organizing ideas] but also about grammar. I really appreciate her as a whole because she breaks down everything and shows that she assertive and actively trying to help." ~Senior, biology major

 Mission

The University Writing Center (UWC) promotes excellence in writing. Its mission is to provide high-quality writing service to all N.C. A&T State University undergraduate and graduate students. The UWC is dedicated to supporting students in their efforts to become confident, proficient academic and professional writers and to fostering a community of critical writers and critical thinkers in accordance with the University’s mission to engage "high-achieving scholars” in life-changing pedagogical practices. Hence, our motto is "Writers Transform Writers!" as coined by the UWC's director Dr. Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield.

Goals 

Through in-person and online strategies such as consultations, presentations, workshops, and panel discussions, the UWC

• provides a dialogic space for students to develop and refine ideas with an engaged audience,
• helps students understand the relationship among the writer, the text, and the reader,
• develops students' ability to make effective rhetorical decisions,
• develops students' ability to produce effective academic and professional writing by teaching the revision stage of the writing process, and
• develops students' generative artificial intelligence literacies. 

We assist students with any writing and speaking assignment such as essays, research papers, literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, theses, dissertations, manuscripts, presentations, and posters, and with extracurricular projects such as application essays, cover letters, and resumes. 

Evidence-Based Practices

We believe writing is a way of learning, so we promote writing as a recursive process and a product. We assist writers at any stage of their writing process (reading, prewriting, drafting, researching, revising, and publishing). 

Equally important, we apply evidence-based practices such as

• reading (read-aloud protocol),
• thinking (Socratic questioning),
• writing instruction (note-taking),
• teaching digital literacy (functional, critical, and rhetorical), and
• providing immediate, effective feedback (verbal comments and written conference reports).  

Writing Consultant Development and Philosophy

The UWC is staffed by professional writing consultants (current and former professors) and writing consultants (upper-level undergraduate students). The staff is deeply committed to helping students strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills. They continually expand their knowledge of writing center pedagogy and writing scholarship to inform their consultations and enhance the support they provide to students.   

Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy

The UWC centers students as a human writer, critical thinker, analytical thinker, change agent, and producer of knowledge. Our work supports writers in developing their ideas, engaging critically with information, making intentional decisions about their writing based on the prompt, learning outcomes, or rubric, and using writing to participate in and influence the world around them. While we believe that generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) might serve as a tool within this process, we also recognize that it must not replace the critical thinking and intellectual work that writing requires from human beings. Based on our own engagement with the tools and scholarship on gen AI, we have learned that when efficiency becomes the primary purpose for their use, gen AI can displace the cognitive process through which students develop as writers, thinkers, and agents.

Consultants work with students who use gen AI and consider its use within the policies and expectations of the writer’s particular course, discipline, or professional context. Students are responsible for understanding and following those expectations. Consultants might address questions about gen AI when they are relevant to a writer’s needs, but consultants are not expected to incorporate gen AI into consultations.

Students are encouraged to share information about their use of gen AI because doing so would help the consultant better understand their writing process or provide more effective support. Information shared during consultations is treated as confidential and is not disclosed outside the consultation and the report without the writer’s permission.

Finally, consultants and students will collaborate to help students develop the gen AI competencies employers value across industries.

Hours of Operation

Visit and Contact Us

A309 General Classroom Building (adjacent to Crosby Hall and Craig Hall)
336-285-3531 (phone) | www.uwc@ncat.edu (email)
Follow us on Instagram  

Dr. Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield

Director, University Writing Center
University Student Success Office
Division of Academic Affairs
A308 General Classroom Building
sespringfield@ncat.edu (email) | 336-285-3523 (phone)

Shirley E. Faulkner-Springfield, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Faulkner-Springfield has directed writing centers for nine years including coordinating activities of a law school writing center for four years and has taught writing for 20 years at universities such as Bowling Green State University, Duke University School of Medicine, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and North Carolina Central University. 

Her most recent scholarly work is scheduled for publication by SUNY Press in 2027. Dr. Faulkner-Springfield's publications appear in Serendipity in Rhetoric, Writing, and Literacy Research; Computers and Composition Online; Reflections: Writing, Service-Learning, and Community Literacy, and Feminist Teacher.

Her pedagogy and research lie at the intersection of academic, professional, and community writing. Dr. Faulkner-Springfield seeks to understand the connections among students’ identities, literacy activities, and potential professions. Because writing is intricately linked to our identities, I challenge writers to self-assess by answering three philosophical questions:

• Who are you? (What skills, interests, and values do you possess?)
• Who am you becoming? (Do you need strong writing skills in your potential profession? Do your values align with your potential profession? What value do you place on writing in your academic, personal, social, and professional lives?)
• How are you becoming who you are becoming? (Are you acquiring and applying the writing, reading, speaking, thinking, and technological skills needed to thrive in your potential profession and in the wider society?) 

Professional Staff

LaKela Atkinson, Ph.D.
Professional Writing Consultant
Dr. Atkinson has a combined 15 years of teaching and writing center experience. She is an adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University. Dr. Atkinson has a PhD in Rhetoric, Writing, and Professional Communication. 

Andrea Chase, M.A.
Professional Writing Consultant
Professor Chase has 25 years of teaching experience and has taught first-year writing courses in the Department of English at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for 18 years. She has a Master's degree in English and creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University.

Adri-Anne Jones, M.A.
Professional Writing Consultant
Mrs. Jones is a seasoned educator with 35 years of experience teaching writing in the Department of English at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is also a co-founder of the University Writing Center where she has served a assistant director and a writing specialist. Mrs. Jones has a Masters of Arts in American and African American Literature from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is deeply invested in providing Aggies with the writing tools they need to succeed in academia and beyond.   

Student Staff

Serenity Seal
Writing Consultant
Serenity is a fourth-year undergraduate English major who aspires to become an editor with a major book company. She has served as a writing consultant for two semesters and enjoys supporting her peers on their journey to becoming stronger writers and critical thinkers. 

Danissa White
Writing Consultant
Danissa White is a fourth-year undergraduate public relations major in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an aspiring public relation specialist whose focus includes strategic communication, inclusive branding, media strategy, and leadership. Danissa has worked as a writing consultant for two semesters.

We'd love your feedback! Your success matters, and your voices help us understand what we are doing well and what we can improve. Please complete a Student Satisfaction Survey.