Department News
April 2008
MATC Writing Center honored
 The Two-Year College Association of English recently honored The MATC Writing Center for its innovation and quality.
TYCA conducted a national survey of two-year college writing programs and recognized The MATC Writing Center for “excellence in practice,” according to Sarah Z. Johnson, director of the MATC center (see photo). The national association also concluded that The MATC Writing Center is one of the top 30 two-year writing centers in the nation.
The MATC Writing Center was honored for both its growth and “quality of theory,” Johnson said.
She explained, “TYCA conducted this national survey to collect best practices around the country. And they were impressed that MATC built something good from practically nothing.”
The MATC Writing Center was started by one English instructor – Janice Mettauer – in the late 1990s. Back then, Mettauer was the only writing center tutor, and her second-floor office at Truax was where students would meet for one-on-one writing help three days a week.
Today, The MATC Writing Center consists of 33 writing tutors who meet with students at The MATC Writing Center locations at Truax (in the library) and the Downtown campus (third floor).
With Johnson as the center’s director, The MATC Writing Center has also hired an assistant: Kurt Bouman.
TYCA sees that The MATC Writing Center has more than grown “exponentially”; the national association believes that the MATC center offers quality tutoring. This quality, Johnson added, is accomplished by how the center is staffed – by both full-time and part-time English instructors. Many writing centers across the country are staffed by students, and not faculty.
TYCA was also impressed by how MATC administrators found ways so faculty could work in The MATC Writing Center. Full-time faculty receive a course release to spend up to three hours a week as a writing center tutor; part-time faculty get paid on an hourly basis for this work.
TYCA also noticed how The MATC Writing Center brings together full-time and part-time instructors.
Johnson explained, “Our writing center has become a place where part-time and full-time faculty get together. Therefore, part-time instructors feel more a part of our institution.”
Creative Writing Certificate developed at MATC
MATC’s creative writing faculty has just developed the English Department’s third writing certificate: a Creative Writing Certificate.
To receive the certificate, students need to take at least 15 credits of creative writing and literature. The certificate has one required course, Intro to Creative Writing; two creative writing electives; and two literature electives.
The Creative Writing Certificate is the third writing certificate offered at MATC. The other two are the Technical Communications Certificate and the Journalism Certificate.
Matthew Guenette, chair of the department’s Creative Writing Committee, explained the benefits of the Creative Writing Certificate: “The Creative Writing Certificate was developed for two main reasons: to recognize students who pursue these courses, and to promote MATC’s creative writing culture."
”Students might want the certificate for any number of reasons. Most importantly, it would be worth having for its own sake, for what it represents: validations of an artistic effort sustained over a period of time.”
For more information about the Creative Writing Certificate, contact Guenette at mguenette@matcmadison.edu.
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