Writing and Oral Communication Center Expands Support for Students by Erik Bakke, Writing Center and Intensive English Program Director
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he Writing and Oral Communication Center has a new name and expanded focus. Dr. Marianne Neuwirth began her first full-time semester on campus this past fall as the Director of Oral Communication Programs, and Erik Bakke continues in his role as Writing Center & Intensive English Program Director. The Writing and Oral Communication Center had a record 1168 visitors to its Bowman Library location in Fall of 2015 and also delivered and sponsored several special presentations, such as The New York Times reporter Steven Lee Myers discussion of his 2015 book The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin. The Center’s other workshops, evening events, and classroom lectures served an additional 777 students, for a record total of 1945 students.
The Writing and Oral Communication Center provides support for all students throughout their years at Menlo College, including guidance on course, co-curricular, and extracurricular writing and oral communication needs. The Center has continued to work extensively with students completing their Senior Capstone and Senior Thesis projects, and it has begun training students in effective interviewing and presentation skills, including the dos and don’ts of PowerPoint. This last semester, the Transition to College course for first-year students included mandatory visits to the Writing and Oral Communication Center, the Math Center, and the Academic Success Center. During a review of their first semester, students said the Writing and Oral Communication Center was very helpful: “The staff is really nice and I have one-on-one connec-
tions with faculty that I wouldn’t have elsewhere” and “They aren’t in a rush to get it over with. They’ll spend time with you.” The Writing and Oral Communication Center continues to support the Journalism Club as it and the Menlo Oak Press grow, with the student paper moving from monthly to biweekly publication. It is also supporting the resurrection of the campus Radio Club, and for 2016, a Multimedia Center is in the works. Dr. Marianne Neuwirth and Erik Bakke will be facilitating workshops and educational seminars for students, faculty and staff, supporting their work with digitallybased communication and various webbased platforms. Training students in interpersonal and professional communication etiquette to help them be “job ready” is also part of the agenda for 2016.
“They aren’t in a rush to get it over with. They’ll spend time with you.” A student review
Dr. Marianne Neuwirth, Director of Oral Communication Programs, and Erik Bakke, Writing Center and Intensive English Program Director, welcome students to the Writing and Oral Communications Center.
MENLO COLLEGE
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