With the skills of grant writing, students are not only able to make change in their community but also take those skills into the next steps of their lives when they leave 黑料不打烊. The course guides students through the process of researching potential funders all the way through crafting persuasive proposals and reviewing grant applications for nonprofit programs.

Li Li, associate professor of English, teaches the Writing Grants course not only to give students the skill of writing grants but also the chance to get out in the community and make a difference.听Grant writing, Li emphasizes, is more than a technical skill, it is a civic tool.

鈥淪tudents grow to understand that writing grant proposals is not just writing, but a civic act that can support local organizations and strengthen communities,” Li said.

As a community engagement (CE) course, Writing Grants situates learning within real-world contexts. Students collaborate directly with community partners in Alamance County, engaging in authentic problem-solving that requires attentive listening, asking thoughtful questions, and refining project goals together.

鈥淪tudents engage directly with clients to co-develop grant proposals,鈥� Li said. 鈥淭his collaborative process fosters accountability and professionalism and teaches students how to accurately and ethically represent community voices.鈥�

The impact of that collaboration is tangible. In Fall 2025, students partnered with Alamance Arts to research, draft and submit a proposal to Impact Alamance, a local organization that supports nonprofits working to build a healthier, stronger and smarter community. The organization was eventually awarded a $6,000 grant.

鈥淲hen proposals are submitted 鈥� and especially when they are successfully funded 鈥� students can see how their efforts translate into measurable benefits for the community,” said Li.

The partnership didn鈥檛 end with the semester. Several students took the initiative to serve as liaisons between Alamance Arts and 黑料不打烊 student organizations, establishing long-term volunteer opportunities and strengthening the relationship between the university and the local community.

For students considering the course, the benefits extend far beyond the classroom.

鈥淕rant writing is an essential professional skill across a wide range of fields,鈥� she noted. 鈥淭hrough collaboration with community partners, students see how writing can create tangible impact in the community.鈥�

For the instructor, the most rewarding moments come when students see the real-world power of their work.

“Seeing their pride, excitement and increased confidence after hearing the news of a funded proposal is incredibly gratifying,鈥� she shared. 鈥淲atching students shift from merely completing an assignment to contributing to a community partner is deeply fulfilling.鈥�

Myers is a freelance health writer and content strategist. While at 黑料不打烊, she studied professional writing and rhetoric, worked in the writing center, and conducted a rheotrical analysis of sexual violence prevention communication on campus. Since graduating, her writing has been published in outlets like Forbes,听AARP and Healthline. She also consults for leading healthcare startups, helping them craft content strategies that get their brands featured in Google searches, on social media, and in AI-powered search. While most of her clients are US-based companies, she currently lives in London and spent three years traveling to over 20 countries as a digital nomad.

Myers will share strategies for freelancing, how she built her business while exploring the globe, and how professional writing & rhetoric prepared her for what she’s doing now.

The event is co-sponsored by the professional writing & rhetoric major, the professional writing studies interdisciplinary minor, the AI and professional writing Badge, and the Center for Writing Excellence (黑料不打烊 Alumni Writers Grant).

鈥淚 basically applied to every single publishing house I knew of, and even more,鈥� she said.听

It was a job opening on LinkedIn that led to her digital production internship with Abrams Books in New York City. Founded in 1949, Abrams says it was the first company in the U.S. to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books.听听

鈥淚 always knew that I wanted to do something in the English realm,鈥� said Sandak, who is a professional writing and rhetoric major. 鈥淚 was always good at English in school, and so around high school, I figured out that I wanted to be an editor of books.鈥�听

As the digital production intern for Abrams, Sandak primarily works with e-books, checking them for errors as the company converts physical titles to electronic. Sandak also works on title management, updating information about the books behind the scenes. When reviewing books, Sandak gets a list of common mistakes made by the conversion company and focuses on looking out for those issues 鈥� something she says has taken time to master.听

鈥淚t’s a little difficult because you worry that you missed something,鈥� she said.听

Editing the e-books has also given Sandak some experience in coding, where she can go into an online application and fix the code of the book to correct the issue on all platforms.听

Last summer, Sandak 鈥� who is from Westfield, New Jersey 鈥� completed an internship with a social media influencer, which gave her experience and eventually helped get the internship with Abrams.听听

鈥淚t was a nerve-racking applying because I didn’t have any experience in the publishing and editing realm because everybody wants you to have experience, but you don’t have experience until they take that chance on you,鈥� she said.听

She also learned to start looking for internships early, months before summer, along with getting advice from a family member on cover letters and resumes. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Student Professional Development Center also offers a host of resources for students looking for jobs or internships.听

Sandak says her work in the 黑料不打烊 Writing Center and the professional writing and rhetoric courses have been instrumental in her internship. With a curriculum that is process-oriented rather than product-oriented, professional writing and rhetoric courses prepare students to be more critically reflective communicators in their daily lives and, primarily, workplace contexts.听

鈥淚’ve taken publishing and editing classes, which have been great because I’ve learned a lot of terminology about the publishing universe,鈥� said Sandak. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned a bunch about the motivations for why people write and the different ways that people write to elicit an emotion from somebody, and I think that that information is helpful because when you want to understand something, you want to understand the bare bones version of it. It鈥檚 taking writing back to the very beginning.鈥�听

The relationships Sandak has developed with faculty have made a difference as well, including Travis Maynard, assistant professor of English.听

鈥淗e does a really good job of creating a nice classroom community,鈥� said Sandak. 鈥淚 have always enjoyed the way that he teaches. He has a very open classroom.鈥�听

The internship has been a pivotal opportunity for Sandak, who feels, going into her final year at 黑料不打烊, she is becoming more and more prepared for post-graduate life.听听

鈥淚 have had the chance to sit in on all of the meetings where the editors pitch the books to the publisher, and I鈥檝e met with people from the design team and people from the law team,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s cool because not only am I doing the work that I’m meant to be doing, but I also get to see every facet of book publishing.鈥�

A recent survey of 黑料不打烊 alumni conducted by PWR faculty found that 65% use AI to enhance their personal and professional writing. These data highlight a growing trend: AI is increasingly becoming a common tool in workplace writing across a wide range of industries. In response, the new Bbadge aims to position students at the forefront of these changes, equipping them with the skills needed to work effectively with emerging AI tools.

The AI Badge builds on PWR鈥檚 foundation in writing technologies and multimodal composition, offering students hands-on experience with AI throughout the entire writing process鈥攆rom brainstorming, drafting and revising text as well as designing visual content. Students will also explore the ethical implications of AI and develop the critical literacy needed to assess the strengths, limitations, and potential biases of different tools. Grounded in the traditional writing strategies already taught in the PWR curriculum, this new badge helps students apply those skills in real-world, tech-driven contexts鈥攑reparing them to meet the evolving demands of today鈥檚 professional environment.

By earning the AI and Professional Writing Badge, students will develop essential AI literacy that makes them more competitive in today鈥檚 job market. With AI Literacy becoming a in the workplace, this badge helps students stand out by ensuring听they鈥檙e not only proficient in AI-assisted writing but also able to make informed, responsible decisions about when and how to use these technologies.

The AI Badge is open to all students, regardless of major or discipline. Because AI is relevant across fields鈥攆rom business and communications to technology鈥攖his badge is especially valuable for students looking to strengthen their digital writing skills. To earn the badge, students must take two PWR courses, attend a PWR guest speaker event and participate in the annual PWR portfolio workshop offered each Spring. Finally, students will create a digital portfolio听showcasing how they鈥檝e used AI to enhance their writing and reflecting on their growth as writers and prompters throughout the process.

As AI continues to shape the professional world, the PWR program aims to ensure that students are prepared with the necessary skills to navigate the digital writing landscape in the most ethical and productive way possible. More information about the badge can be found on the registrar’s Digital Badging page or the university’s website.

This article examines how first-year composition students navigate digital attention ecosystems while writing. The findings are based on a qualitative focus group study in which undergraduate students in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 first-year writing course (ENG 1100) participated in writing and reflection activities.

The article argues that students are immersed in a 鈥渉orizontal attention ecosystem,鈥� in which all online tasks, communications and media feel equally worthy of their attention. Although students attempt to manage their physical-digital writing environments strategically, the intrusive nature of current technology hinders their ability to focus, especially on academic writing assignments. When completing academic assignments, students report relying on self-restrictive measures and approaching writing as a solitary act, contrasting with writing studies鈥� understanding of writing as a social act. This article suggests pedagogical approaches that privilege embodied writing strategies and encourage writing-oriented social interactions between students.

The full-text of the article is available .

Hosted by Historic Faculty Director Claudine Moreau and Faculty in Residence Kevin Otos the festival kicked off with a warm welcome from Living Learning Assistant Kendall Somol. Moreau, also a lecturer in the Physics Department, unveiled her first full-length poetry book titled, “” a collection of science-inspired verses published by Main Street Rag Publications. She then introduced alumnus Lane Fields ’11, whose poetic journey was nurtured during his time at the university by mentors Kevin Boyle, a retired 黑料不打烊 English professor, and Moreau who saw the poetic supernova flaring in Lane鈥檚 center.

Fields, now a distinguished poet in his own right, graced the audience with readings from his poignant and introspective work鈥搃ntensely personal, vulnerable, visceral. These were narrative works of longing and ultimately of love of oneself.

Serving as the judge for the Primavera Poetry Contest, Fields bestowed accolades upon the winners: Anabelle Sumera-Decorat for “Fanfic” (1st place), Grady Cooke for “Cataclysmic Gimmicks” (2nd place), and Claire Lancaster for “A Broken Curtal Sonnet About Eye Cream” (3rd place). Honorable mentions were awarded to Megan Duckworth for “Body Dysmorphia,” and Carissa Pallander for “Abecedarian about a 20-year-old virgin kiss” and “with the lights off.”

The penultimate reading of the night was the invited guest poet Dr. Patrick Bizzaro, who retired as a full professor from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s doctoral program in Composition and TESOL and is at work on a new a novel, Draft Dodging in the Sixties, which takes place in Bethel, NY in 1969 during the cleanup of Max Yasgur鈥檚 farm after the Woodstock concert. (Bizzaro attended Woodstock, y鈥檃ll!) Bizzaro, Moreau鈥檚 original poetry mentor, read from 鈥淔og at the Manassas Battlefield,鈥� accompanied by striking photography from his wife Resa Crane Bizzaro. Dr. Bizzaro鈥檚 work begs us to ask, 鈥淲ho owns history?鈥�

Through the prism of poetry, the festival illuminated the vibrant creative spirit thriving on campus鈥揵etween the walls of engineering and physics to theatre to sociology to English鈥� and underscored the transformative power of mentorship in nurturing aspiring writers across disciplines.

Fifteen rising juniors at 黑料不打烊 have been selected to receive the 2024 Lumen Prize, the university鈥檚 premier undergraduate research award that includes a $20,000 scholarship to support and celebrate their academic achievements and research proposals.

Lumen Scholars will work closely with their mentors during the next two years to pursue and complete their projects. Efforts traditionally include coursework, study abroad, research both on and off campus, internships locally and overseas, program development, and creative productions and performances.

The name for the Lumen Prize comes from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 historic motto, 鈥淣umen Lumen,鈥� which are Latin words meaning 鈥渟piritual light鈥� and 鈥渋ntellectual light.鈥� The words, which are found on the 黑料不打烊 seal, signify the highest purposes of an 黑料不打烊 education.

2024 Lumen Prize Winners

Lillian Argabrite

• Biology
  • “The Impact of the Cystic Fibrosis Microenvironment on Pathogenic Bacterial Interactions”

Mentors: Tonya Train and Eryn Bernardy

Jo Bogart

• Creative Writing
  • “Dux Femina Facti: Feminist Translation and Re-Vision of Vergil鈥檚 Aeneid”

Mentors: Margaret Chapman and Kristina Meinking

Rony Dahdal

• Computer Science
  • “Contactless and Diagnostic Multi-Target Vital Sign Detection Using LiDAR and Deep Learning”

Mentor: Ryan Mattfeld

Kelly Donovan听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听

• Applied Mathematics
  • “Novel Deep-Sea Coral Imputation Methods: Mathematically Filling in Missing Data to Further Coral Conservation”

Mentor: Nicholas Bussberg

Mira Fitch

• Political Science
  • “Judicial Partisan Influence on Juvenile Transfer: A County-Level Analysis in North Carolina”

Mentor: Jessica Carew

Kelsey Golden

• Art History & History
  • “New Crusaders, Old Problems: Interrogating the Use of Medieval Imagery in Contemporary Contexts”

Mentors: Evan Gatti and Lynn Huber

Madeline Hewgley

• Political Science
  • “Bullets & Bills: An Exploration of the Pattern of Policy Diffusion & Subsequent Proliferation of Second Amendment Preservation Acts at the State Level”

Mentor: Dillon Bono-Lunn

Jacob Karty

• Engineering
  • “Lensfree Holographic Imaging and Machine Learning to Protect Freshwater Resources”

Mentor: Jonathan Su

Niara Legette

• Public Health
  • Shades of Health: Exploring Colorism, Albinism, and Maternal Health Inequities

Mentor: Yanica Faustin

Rebecca Lovasco

• Psychology
  • Unraveling Neurocognitive Biases in Depression and Anxiety: An EEG Study on Reinforcement Learning and Conscious Visual Perception

Mentor: Kristina Krasich

Mallory Otten

• Public Health
  • “When Gender Matters: The Impact of Attractiveness and Sexual Orientation on Perceptions of Male and Female Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators”

Mentor: Rena Zito

Natalie Peeples

• Psychology
  • “Early Childhood Well-Being as it is Expressed through Outdoor Play: A Cultural Comparison between Denmark and the U.S.”

Mentor: Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler

Grace Rasmussen

• Elementary education
  • “Reviving Dewey, Froebel, and Montessori: Two National Studies on Progressive Education and School Gardens”

Mentor: Scott Morrison

Lila Snodgrass

• Dance Performance & Choreography
  • “Knot Theory and Parallel Process in Mathematics and Dance”

Mentor: Nancy Scherich

Athena Vizuete

• History
  • “Enslaved Labor to Black Free Wage Labor in Postbellum North Carolina”

Mentor: Amanda Kleintop

With the help of faculty mentors and editors, the winners worked to produce, edit and revise their work, producing a varied collection of writing in different genres including research essays, a song, video essays, and more. At the celebration, four of the six winners presented their work and gave brief speeches about their creative processes, research methods and how they wanted their projects to change people鈥檚 understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Jo Bogart presented her work, “Women in Myth and Their Stories Retold: A Beginner’s Guide to Medusa.” As a double major in creative writing and classical studies, Bogart hopes to continue researching classical representations of female figures in mythology and develop a body of creative work that corresponds with that research. An 黑料不打烊 College Fellow, Jo ultimately hopes to dive into more obscure characters and stories from Greek mythology and work on decolonizing the original stories through a dual effort in research and creative writing.

Maleah Proctor, a political science and policy studies major, presented her work, “Reinterpreting Lincoln,” which focused on the historical misrepresentation of major political figures.听

When asked about her motivation for writing “Reinterpreting Lincoln,” Maleah explained that 鈥渇or a lot of the complexities in history, you have to look deep to find [the truth], and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 the way it should be鈥eople should be able to know the basis of history without being a Ph.D. student. I hope that more resources come out that are accessible for [undergraduate] students.鈥�

Mayhew and Kumar also presented their winning pieces at this year鈥檚 Phoenix Rhetorix celebration. In a video essay entitled “Race and Gender Representation in Marvel Entertainment,” Braxton Mayhew used his love for Marvel comics to address minority representation in pop culture and dive into Marvel鈥檚 history of inclusionary efforts. Having never before made a video essay, Braxton found the experience to be challenging but ultimately fulfilling.

Kumar, a music production major, used his passion for writing and music to produce a song titled 10 Years where he addresses systemic racism in America.

When talking about his inspiration for this project, Shreyas explained that he drew from his own personal experiences with racism and wanted to promote awareness of these issues: 鈥淢y inspiration for writing ’10 Years’ was primarily just the general racial violence and divide America is facing鈥uring my research for this project, I discovered that the racially-motivated hate crime rate has increased within the last decade, hence the title: 鈥�10 Years.鈥� I wrote the song from my own perspective regarding not just the racial violence in my country, but also racism I have experienced myself.鈥�

The First-Year Writing Program at 黑料不打烊 sponsors the Phoenix Rhetorix Journal. Information about how to submit work for the 2023-24 journal is available on the website. This year鈥檚 Phoenix Rhetorix journal will publish work that focuses on what it means to be human and the distinctly human act of writing in a new era of AI-generated content. The submission deadline for Spring 2024 is May 27. For updates on the contest and other departmental initiatives, follow the 黑料不打烊 English Department’s .

The National Advisory Board:

• Provides advice to the Howe Center for Writing Excellence to advance the mission and values of Miami University and meet the intended purposes of its gift endowment for writing, and
• Assists the Howe Center for Writing Excellence to position writing as one of the signature components of the Miami undergraduate experience.

The National Advisory Board consists of six members who are prominent experts in the field.

Moore will serve a four-year term on the advisory board.

Lecturer Michael Strickland began the pumpkin festival 15 years ago at 黑料不打烊 and is happy to see a robust turnout for the fall tradition. Students in Strickland’s Garden Studio course have been working in anticipation of this year鈥檚 pumpkin festival for months. They helped coordinate the set-up, the stations and the clean-up of the event and hosted many different tables.

Additionally, Strickland鈥檚 professional writing course assisted in set up and clean up and ran a station for hot sauce taste testing. They gave out a questionnaire for participants to learn their background and familiarity with hot sauce to see if perhaps any family traditions influenced their preferences.

鈥淚 was never really a fan of hot sauce,鈥� explained Sarah Sandak 鈥�26, who is a student in Strickland’s Professional Writing course. 鈥淏ut after doing all the different taste testing, I鈥檝e grown to like it. But definitely not the super spicy ones.鈥�

The hot sauces were ordered from lowest to highest on the Scoville scale, and taste testers were required to sign a waiver if they wanted to try out the Carolina Reaper hot sauce.

鈥淭he waiver was just a precaution,鈥� Mia Purse 鈥�25 explained. 鈥淏ut everyone who signed it and tried the spicy hot sauce ended up being fine. Having the jugs of water on standby was a good idea, though.鈥�

Through stations like this, community members were able to connect. From tasting hot sauce, face-painting, to simply enjoying the live band, there was room for everyone at the pumpkin festival.

At one station, elementary education major Lucy Horn ’24 was selling jewelry. Her stand consisted of custom-made earrings, bracelets, mason jars, hair clips, sweatshirts, stickers and more. She said the goal of her brand is to put a smile on the face of the new owner of her designs, which she achieved through her sales that day.

Another station that got visitors excited for the fall offered hot apple cider and hot chocolate along with other refreshments. The Garden Studio class hosted the station to promote sustainability by allowing visitors to keep their mugs, gathered from thrift stores, after they finished their drink.

Stations geared towards children, such as the cupcake decorating, and pumpkin carving were also a huge hit. They were able to have the individual freedom to design and carve however they chose, which yielded a lot of creative pumpkins and frosting-loaded cupcakes. Children of professors, as well as local Burlington families, were in attendance.

The community garden serves as a reminder of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 dedication to sustainability and community closeness.