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M 03:00 PM-04:00 PM
T 12:00 PM-02:00 PM
R 12:00 PM-02:00 PM

I am the Director of the Siena College Writing Center. I hold a B.A. in History from Siena and an M.A. in English Language and Letters, with a concentration in American Literature and narrative identity, from the College of Saint Rose. I have been teaching English and writing courses at Siena since 2004.  In addition to my administrative position overseeing the daily operation of the Writing Center, I am currently an instructor in the First Year Seminar Program.

Degree Program University
M.A. College of St. Rose

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

 

Education at its best is a process of inquiry and discovery, and I want my staff and my students to examine unfamiliar subjects and formulate questions that provoke further study.  In his oft-used guide to the writing process, Write To Learn, the late Donald Murray likens writers to explorers gleefully embracing a journey into uncharted territory. “The act of writing,” Murray suggests, “is a voyage into the unknown, it’s an adventure in discovering what you know, but didn’t know you knew” (13).  

While Murray’s intended reader is the nascent writer, this notion of process and exploration is relevant to educators as well.  When we create dynamic learning communities and promote the transformative power of each teaching moment, we remind our students that an education in the liberal arts is not a means to an end, but the first stop on a lifelong journey.


What I Love About Siena

 
I often joke that I couldn't leave Siena if I tried--not that I want to!  My father, Joe, was a graduate of the Class of 1952, and my oldest son is a recent alum.  When I moved back to the Albany area to teach at my alma mater, it was a true homecoming.  Siena's emphasis on educating the whole person--body, mind, and spirit--meshes well with my teaching philosophy, and my desire to create a community engaged writing center has been nurtured here.  

My Favorite Courses to Teach

I love teaching in general! My favorite moments happen when students who "hate" writing begin to embrace the writing process.  It's usually not because of anything I've done, but rather, because a peer has offered kind but constructive feedback, the type of feedback that says, "I value what you've created here." Whether those "a ha" moments of empowerment happen in an English class, in a writing course, or in First Year Seminar is irrelevant.  They're all equally meaningful, and they suggest that the liberal arts, with its emphasis on communities of learners, is alive and kicking.

My Professional Experience

Current Research

My current research interests lie squarely at the intersection of writing center studies and the scholarship of teaching and learning.  I am a teacher at heart, and as such, I am focused on improving the quality of the student learning experience in the areas of writing instruction and support.  Meta-analysis of writing center work in the community, especially work that leads to mutually beneficial, democratically engaged partnerships between university writing centers and area primary and secondary schools, is an important aspect of my work.  I am currently studying the effects of these partnerships on writing center staff and the students that they tutor.