MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center recently received two top honors from the nationally recognized Southeastern Writing Center Association, or SWCA.
The writing center, led by Associate Director James Hamby, was awarded the SWCA Center Acknowledgement and Recognition of Excellence certification, or CARE. MTSU alumna Briley Welch, who is working on her master’s in English, earned the 2025 SWCA Graduate Tutor Award.
“The certification indicates that we are functioning at a very high level of professionalism,” said Hamby, who was scheduled to attend the annual SWCA Conference alongside Welch for an awards presentation, but inclement weather prompted the cancellation of the event.
Welch said she is proud of the dedication she’s made to helping others at the writing center. And it’s not the first time she’s been spotlighted.
“I was very shocked, but it feels great to be recognized and know that my contributions to the writing center have been meaningful,” said Welch, who was awarded the 2024 Bené Cox Excellence in Tutoring Award at MTSU.
MTSU writing center ‘inspirational’
The CARE program certifies writing centers that are committed to literacy, learning, and writing. The certification establishes professional criteria relevant to diverse local contexts, providing writing centers the opportunity to articulate their unique stories and celebrate their accomplishments.
In order to garner the certification, Hamby assembled an extensive application to the SWCA, compiling 60 pages of data and examples to support the entry.
The SWCA CARE Committee praised center staff’s dedication.
One reviewer wrote, “The disciplinary engagement among the staff, from the administrative team to the consultants, is admirable and inspirational. … They have devoted labor and scholarship to (show) that their center is deeply impacted by and impacting the larger community.”
Another committee member noted, “MTSU’s center is one to be emulated in their comprehensive and foundationally solid programmatic infrastructure, widespread reach across campus, and multifaceted influence.”
Hamby commended his team.
“We have outstanding training for our staff, our administrative team is professional and up to date with the most recent writing center and pedagogical theories, and we have a variety of services that we offer for free to help in student success,” Hamby said.
How it works
Founded in 1978, the University Writing Center is one of the oldest of its kind in the Southeast, Hamby said.
The center assists anyone from the campus community from any class, level and discipline with any writing needs. Whether it’s a freshman needing help with an entry-level English course, a graduate student writing a thesis or a faculty member working on a project, “We help everyone,” Hamby added.
Assistance comes at varying levels of need, which makes MTSU’s writing center unique, Hamby said.
“We have our traditional face-to-face appointments, which are 45 minutes each, and that’s just where students can go over their paper or they don’t even have to have anything written yet,” Hamby explained. “From there, the tutor can help a student formulate ideas and strategies.”
The writing center offers a live chat where a student engages in real-time communication with a tutor while working online with a shared document. The most popular option is a document drop, where a student uploads a draft and assignment sheet and receives tutor feedback via email.
One of the most effective programs is the writing partnership, which pairs a student and tutor for weekly meetings throughout the semester to work on regular assignments or long-term projects, which is Welch’s favorite aspect of the center’s programming.
“I like being able to help someone who may not feel confident in themselves, and then helping them develop their confidence,” Welch explained. “I just love watching people become confident and grow, not only as writers, but also as they learn about the writing process.”
Off Center launch party
A launch party for the 2025 Off Center creative writing magazine will be held at the writing center at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17. The writing center’s annual publication provides a venue for campus-affiliated poets, writers, designers, photographers and artists.
The event will also announce winners of the inaugural Will Brown Creativity Writing Award and Bene Cox Excellence in Tutoring Award for 2025.
Refreshments will be served and the public is invited.
To learn more about the writing center or to make an appointment with a tutor, visit https://writing-center.mtsu.edu/.
— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)
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