2008 ECWCA Board Nominees

Nominee’s Name:	Jackie Grutsch McKinney
Institution:	Ball State University
Position/Title:	Assistant Professor of English & Writing Center Director
Biographical information:	my writing center life, abridged version 1995: used the writing center as an undergraduate English major at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) 1997: began tutoring at New Mexico State University Writing Center (Las Cruces, NM) 1998: took a graduate course on Writing Center Theory and Administration 1998: tutored at the Writing Center at University of North Carolina (Greensboro, NC) 1999: presented at my first National Writing Centers Association Conference 2001: worked as Assistant Writing Center Director at UNCG 2003: took a position as director of the Writing Center at Ball State University 2005: published my first Writing Center Journal article: “Leaving Home Sweet Home: Towards Critical Readings of Writing Center Spaces” 2006: presented at my first East Central Writing Center Association Conference: “Visualizing the Writing Center: Training Tutors to Work with New Media” 2008: will teach a graduate-level writing center course for first time
Statement of writing center philosophy and potential contributions to the ECWCA Board:	Writing Centers change lives. Both students and tutors are changed by meeting over texts and just talking about writing. I know I was. Writing centers need to discover ways to evolve with changing definitions of writing and tutoring and maintain what works. There are three things I think I could contribute to the ECWCA board. First, I am an active writing center scholar particularly interested in intersections of writing center work and new media. Second, I would bring my perspective as a newish faculty director in the region. And, third, I have experience working in writing centers in other regions as well. Thank you for your consideration.