In January, the Writing Center @ UNMC held its grand opening in a newly refurbished space on the sixth floor of the McGoogan Library of Medicine at Wittson Hall.
The Writing Center @ UNMC is a pilot project, said Cheryl Thompson, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for academic/student affairs. Personnel from UNO’s established writing center will be on the UNMC campus at designated times each week. It also will be accessible from UNMC’s other campuses, Dr. Thompson said, noting that there will be technology to connect with the consultants during their office hours.
Video: UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., discusses the writing center with Dr. Thompson
“We encourage all students and faculty to use the Writing Center @ UNMC,” Dr. Thompson said. “All students need to leave UNMC understanding the basics of expressing themselves in writing in both the clinical and scientific context.”
A survey in the fall semester found there was considerable interest in a writing center at UNMC, and the pilot project will gauge if, and how much, the center is used.
“At the end of the semester we will evaluate actual interest,” Dr. Thompson said. “For example, was use of the center targeted to certain weeks of the semester such as at midterm or end of the semester? This information will help us to make decisions regarding staffing at the conclusion of the pilot.
“I believe faculty will use the center for preparing grants and manuscripts,” she said. “Use by students is expected to be for end-of-semester papers, dissertations, theses and capstone projects. But the center is there to assist in any student, faculty or staff writing project, even business letters.”
The library is pleased to be hosting the new center, said director Emily McElroy.
“For many years, the McGoogan Library has wanted to host the writing center,” McElroy said. “We received so many comments from faculty and students on the need for writing resources that we wanted to do everything possible to make this happen. The opening of the writing center coincides with our interest in creating collaborative spaces for student, faculty, and staff engagement.”
Consultants will answer questions, provide feedback and coach students or faculty through any stage of the writing process. They will not serve as editors or evaluate scientific content, instead working with writers to identify errors and learn how to avoid them. Faculty members seeking extensive grant or manuscript editing should contact the Research Editorial Office, which provides those services for a fee.
The Writing Center @ UNMC staff can offer instruction in a variety of areas, including organization, clarity, grammar, writing style, formatting, documentation and overcoming writer’s block.
Hours will be 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. To make an appointment, click here. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to consultant availability.