University Writing and Reading Board

Membership

The board sends invitations to join, reviews any requests to join and elects its own chairs. Personal communication and dialogue are key components of UWRB recruitment efforts. The UWRB includes the following ex-officio members: director of Composition and director of the Writing Studio. All members of the UWRB are voting members

Individuals from (though not limited to) the following units may be members of the board or may be non-member consultants to the board: Academic Advising, Composition, University Libraries and the Writing Studio.

The duration of UWRB service terms is open. At the beginning of the Spring semester, board members communicate with the UWRB whether they intend to serve on the UWRB during the next academic year. The UWRB then reviews its membership together and collaboratively decides its recruitment needs to maintain a diverse membership in three senses.

  1. The UWRB strives to foster an environment of inclusive opportunity and excellence.
  2. The UWRB strives to have at least one member from each of UMKC's academic units. The UWRB strives to have at least four to six members representing each of the following general academic areas: (1) Education and Social Sciences, (2) Humanities and Arts and (3) Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences.
  3. The UWRB seeks representation of faculty teaching writing at the lower- and upper-division undergraduate level, in writing-intensive classes, at the graduate level and within various disciplines.

UWRB Members

  • Antonio Byrd, Department of English
  • Crystal Doss, Department of English
  • Thomas Ferrel, UWRB co-chair, ASM, Writing Studio
  • Roland Hemmings, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs
  • Marcus Meade, graduate writing specialist in Writing Studio and School of Graduate Studies
  • Steven Melling, Department of Communication and Journalism
  • Alexis Petri, Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence and School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences
  • Alice Reckley, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
  • Aaron Reed, Department of Science and Engineering
  • Courtney Strimel, UWRB co-chair, UMKC University Libraries

UWRB Steering Committee

  • Antonio Byrd
  • Thomas Ferrel
  • Marcus Meade
  • Alexis Petri
  • Courtney Strimel

Board Responsibilities

  • Promote reading and writing across the curriculum and support the professional learning of faculty in teaching reading and writing at the undergraduate and graduate level. Professional learning aligns with best practices and is responsive to our assessment data.
  • Maintain and update writing-intensive course guidelines, approve WI courses proposed across the campus and review or help assess such courses as needed or requested, including transfers of similar courses from other institutions.
  • Review assessment reports of student reading and written communication, such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) and general education written communication courses.
  • Maintain the UWRB website, especially the WI archive, providing reading and writing teaching resources for faculty across campus.