In October, UWC Executive Director Valerie Balester took a group of 15 undergraduate and graduate consultants and administrative staff to the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, held at Penn State University. The majority of those attending from the UWC also presented. Their topics were wide-ranging: One group of A&M panelists discussed their newly created ESL class, while another pair of UWC consultants spoke on the stereotypes and archetypes they have observed in tutoring sessions.

“These conferences are a great opportunity for our consultants—not only do they learn more about helping writers, they also get a chance to experience what it’s like to develop, propose, and create a public presentation,” says Balester.

Another group of consultants will attend the South Central Writing Centers Association Conference at the University of Oklahoma in March.

Dr. Balester also presented two addresses at conferences this year: she was a co-presenter of the keynote at the International Writing Centers Association Conference in Houston and delivered the keynote for the North Central Writing Centers Association in Frisco, Texas.