english resource center

Proposal for an English Resource Center at

UNC Charlotte PREPARED FOR | National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street SW, Washington DC 20506

PREPARED BY | Madeline Lemieux, Ashley Brandon, Lindsay Parkhurst and Bryant Carter on behalf of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223 !

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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE - ENGLISH RESOURCE CENTER PROPOSAL

OVERVIEW / TABLE OF CONTENTS !North Carolina is home to two universities offering English programs that rank in the top 25 nationwide. To compete with these top institutions, UNCC must think outside of the box and expand on both curriculum and campus resources to provide English students a comprehensive and rich educational experience. !In our proposal we will first discuss the importance of offering a competitive and ever-growing English program in today’s University system. !Next we will examine where the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s English Department ranks today: the strengths of our department, our curriculum offerings, and our accomplishments compared to top-ranking institutions in the state. !Finally, we will present our solution to closing the competitive gap by proposing our idea for creating a dedicated English Resource Center that would function as both a meeting place and service for students and faculty. We will include a proposed blueprint, cost schedule and detailed budget information. !

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Why does English Matter?

5 The English Department Today: Our Strengths & Accomplishments

6 Compared to Other Schools: Where do we Stand?

8 Solution: The English Resource Center

9 Blueprints / Design

11 Cost Schedule & Budget

12 Financial Overview

13 Conclusion

14 Works Cited

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WHY DOES ENGLISH MATTER? !In 2013, the Association of American Colleges and Universities partnered with the Hart Research Associates to find out what employers are hoping for from college graduates. Out of 318 employers, 80% agreed that colleges and upcoming graduates need greater skills in written communication (AACU). Most believe this press for excellent written communication comes from advancements in technology that are swiftly directing our main sources of communication to social media and emails. The traditional careers for an English major - like journalism and teaching - will be expanding to meet the needs of a growing business world. Establishing content messages, communicating within an office, participating in social media, and writing advertisements or business documents are just a few of the new uses of English. Dr. Margot Northey, an advocate for excellence in the work place, said it best: “Good writing is good business” (494).

Creating a content message is the first step in developing effective marketing and sales strategies. Public Relations firms will first define a company’s three main messages before they begin any media interaction. Every advertising campaign, blog post, social media blast, and informational pamphlet that a company makes will come back to one of the key messages they want to communicate to their potential consumer. In 2014, the Social Media Examiner found that 58% of marketers have established their original written content as the most important content that they use for marketing (Stelzner 5). For an English major, creating a content message is the first step in writing a successful paper. “What is the goal of this paper? Who is my audience? What are the three points I want them to walk away?” are the questions asked before the pen hits the paper. English majors are trained to establish key messages and craft every word and sentence to support those messages. Establishing an audience and creating content messages that will engage and connect with that audience are one of the skill sets an English major can provide a growing company.

Communication within the office is just as important as communication with potential clients. Dr. Margot Northey, Vice President of the International Association of Business Communicators, performed a study within numerous accounting firms titled “The Need for Writing Skill in an Accounting Firm.” She studied the interoffice communication between the firms as well as direct contact with the firm’s clients. The results were extremely telling of the need for excellent writing skills in any environment. One of the accounting firms that participated in Margot Northey’s research states, “Discussions with our staff indicate that the communication aspect of our business is critical. We have found that the wrong message is often conveyed or taken by the recipient as a result of poorly worded

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communiques” (Northey 486). Great writing is not just a matter of properly placed semicolons; great writing produces an ease of communication. Well-written articles, newsletters, emails, and memos within any office breed productivity and efficiency. English majors can create and contribute to inner office communication, simply with their ability to clearly define a message.

While most view the skill set of writing as a personal, creative, or inter-office skill set, growing companies are finding a new venue for the practice: social media. There is no arguing with the rapid expansion in social media, where all communication is word and image based. Social Media has the potential to be the cheapest and most effective form of marketing, giving instant and direct communication with a targeted audience (Conley). The Harvard Business Review found that over 50% of companies actively involved in social media believed that they received increased awareness of their products from prospective buyers (The New Conversation 6). The Social Media Examiner is seeing a dramatic increase in businesses’ desire to blog. They found that 68% of business will be developing blog sites and content for blogs within the next year (Stelzner 5). In order to reap the many benefits of Social Media Marketing, it is essential to have strong writers that can define the messages of a company, target the correct audience, and communicate those messages in an approachable and desirable manner. English majors have training and experience in content developing, audience targeting, and persuasive writing. With aggressive movements towards social media, strong written skills will no longer be optional- they will be required to thrive.

Poor writing skills could cost a company more than miscommunicated details and a confused office staff: grammar mistakes have put companies out of millions of dollars. In 2006, Rogers Communications, a large cable television provider in Toronto, Canada, lost a lawsuit worth one million dollars because of one ambiguous comma in a 14-page contract (Austen). In 2011, a cheerleader from Texas lost a civil rights lawsuit with help her lawyer’s grammar mistakes. In the words of the ruling judge, “Here, the miscues are so egregious and obvious that an average fourth grader would have avoided most of them” (Weiss). Poorly written instruction manuals have bankrupt companies. Confusing descriptions have increased refunds and costs, and articles packed with complicated jargon and lifeless tones shoo potential costumers away everyday. In today’s highly competitive market, businesses cannot afford setbacks- especially ones that could have been stopped by a comma. English majors and college students with excellent writing skills will add tremendous value to every work place. Excellent written communication is not a luxury- it’s a necessity.

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THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT TODAY OUR STRENGTHS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

UNC Charlotte’s Department of English is housed within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. It was founded in 1965, when the then Charlotte College was introduced into the state-wide university system as the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Today, the Department of English offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in several diverse fields of study such as, Creative Writing, Literature and Culture, Language and Digital Culture, and Pedagogy.

• Has around 430 currently enrolled undergraduate majors and 94 graduate students

• English majors can declare a concentration in Creative Writing, Language and Digital Technology, Literature and Culture, or Pedagogy

• There are undergraduate English minors in Children’s Literature and Child Hood Studies, Diverse Literatures and Cultural Studies, and Technical/Professional Writing

• UNCC offers Bachelors of Arts Degrees in English, and the Graduate Program gives a Master of Arts degree, with concentrations in Children’s Literature and Technical/ Professional Writing

• There are emphasis in Applied Linguistics, Composition/Rhetoric, Creative Writing, English for Specific Purposes, and Literature

• There are 34 track tenured faculty currently teaching courses in Children’s Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Literature, Rhetoric/Composition, and Technical Writing

• Next Spring the department will offer up to 70 courses in diverse English fields.

• Department faculty have won awards for; Bonnie E. Cone Distinguished Professor for Teaching, Bank of America Teaching award, Bernstein Award, and North American Review’s Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize for an original short story.

o The department was selected to win the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 1996

• Faculty have won grant funding from:

o National Writing Project

o National Institute of Education

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o National Endowment for the Humanities

• Several faculty members are award winning, published authors

o Aaron Gwyn

o A.J. Hartley

• Department of English alumni have gone on to have successful careers

o Terry M. Bellamy, Former Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina

!COMPARED TO OTHER SCHOOLS WHERE DO WE STAND?

The University of North Carolina -Charlotte’s English Department is not ranked on U.S News 2013 Best English Graduate Schools, like its North Carolina counterpart schools Duke University and University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Duke University ranks as number 10 on the list, while UNC- Chapel Hill ranks as number 15 (“Best Graduate Schools”). If awarded the grant, UNC-Charlotte can provide the same benefits as its top ranking counterparts and gain a spot on the list as well.

Duke Universities Thompson Writing Program is acknowledged to be “one of the premier academic writing programs in the country. The Thompson Writing Program promotes excellence in teaching with a focus on active learning and writing as a means of critical inquiry.” The Thompson Writing Program provides four branches for their students and faculty to benefit from. The First- Year Writing branch provides a semester long course that is required to be taken by all undergraduate Duke Students and teaches them the basics of Academic Writing. The Writing Studio branch hosts contests, workshops, and functions as walk-in or appointment facility to aid undergraduate and graduate students in any writing –related endeavor. UNC-Charlottes Writing Resource Center provides First-Year writing program and tutoring services as Duke does; however, it does not host contests or workshops that would encourage students to be more active. Their Writing in the Disciplines program is designed to support their faculty members in “all aspects all aspects of their work with student writing. This includes courses and workshops on grading and giving feedback.” They also provide a faculty write program in addition to the courses and workshops, which supports the faculty community of writers (“Duke Thompson Writing Program”).

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Duke University provides other resources and benefits to their students. Duke University English Department has an extensive list of courses available to students, with specialized courses in sports writing, a course in young adult novels, travel writing, etc. (“Duke University Undergraduate Courses-English"). Duke’s student newspaper, The Chronicle has several online blog components that encourage students to contribute, like The Big Blog, The Blue Zone (sports), Playground (arts and entertainment), and Backpages (“The Chronicle”). It is also easy for students to get involved / apply to become a writer for the paper, compared to UNC-Charlotte’s Niner Times, which doesn’t clearly lay out the process for interested students. Beyond college students, Duke also offers a youth writing camp (“Young Writers’ Camp”).

The University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill’s Writing Center provides tutoring for graduate and undergraduate students. They also allow students to list their tutoring services for profit on the “Help for Hire” page. The center also has on line component where students can submit their piece on line for review, rather than visit the location. Their Writing Center also offers a Dissertation Bootcamp, which is a week-long workshop for students writing dissertations (“The Writing Center”). The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill’s newspaper is The Daily Tar Heel and, like Duke, features blogs in addition to print and on line articles, but like the Niner Times, there isn’t a clear route to getting involved on the website (“The Daily Tar Heel”). A review of the course offerings shows that UNC Chapel Hill has more literature-based courses than writing-based, much like UNC Charlotte ( “English and Comparative Literature”)

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SOLUTION: THE ENGLISH RESOURCE CENTER We would like to propose the construction of a designated English lounge that would serve as a resource to all students and faculty looking to explore the subject outside of the classroom setting. !SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES | The proposed lounge would function not only as a walk-in computer lounge specifically intended for English students, but would also provide a designated location for English and Communication-related activities and events. The services and activities that would take place in the lounge include: ! !

OPEN MIC NIGHT | students could share poetry or spoken word pieces, or perform monologues. !GUEST SPEAKERS / BOOK READINGS | visiting authors or noteworthy guests could use the lounge to speak to students or host readings. !BOOK CLUB | the lounge could function as a meeting place for a campus book club. !PEER REVIEW | students could share their work with their peers for review and constructive feedback. !TUTORING | the lounge could function as an expansion of the Writing Resource Center by offering tutoring and writing assistance to students. !

THE SPACE | The proposed lounge would be a classroom-sized space with the capacity to accommodate around 30 to 50 students, and would be equipped with tables, chairs, desks, computers, a printer, and a projector. Prospective locations for the lounge include Atkins Library, the Student Union, Cone or Colvard. !!!!!

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BLUEPRINTS / DESIGN

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COST SCHEDULE & BUDGET !ITEMIZED COST SCHEDULE 12 carrels - $8000 30 chairs - $4500 20 rectangular tables – $2000 3 round tables – $1500 12 computers – $24000 Network color printer – $600 Smart podium – $6500 ————————————————— TOTAL COST for FURNISHING ENGLISH RESOURCE CENTER | $47,100 !

!Total grant funds (NEH plus match) $51,000

! Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Total

!NEH funds (federal) Offered !

!$ 4,250

!$ 4,250

!$ 4,250

!$ 4,250

!$ 17, 000

Nonfederal Funds to be Raised $ 8,500 $ 8,500 $ 8,500 $ 8,500 $ 34,000

Total Grant Funds (Federal +Nonfederal) $ 12, 750 $ 12, 750 $ 12,750 $ 12,750 $ 51,000

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!FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

!Total Budget Needed for English Resource Center | $51,000

Amount Secured from Department Programs | $13,000

Amount Secured from Sponsors | $21,000

Total Amount Secured | $34,000

Amount Needed | $17,000

We are requesting $17,000 for English Resource Center from National Endowment for Humanities

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33%

41%

25%

Department Programs Sponsors Amount Needed


CONCLUSION At the core, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the English department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte pursue the same goal: an excellence in education that contributes and benefits the culture and world around us. Studying English provides the necessary tools for that contribution. When we study literature, we study the stories of humanity, from every corner or the world. When we write, we develop our own voice as well as the ability to reach and engage any audience. The need for English is being recognized outside of its traditional applications, and we need your support to continue growing our program. We, as the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, want to produce excellence in our classrooms, our future workplaces, and our communities. We believe our proposed addition to the English department is a great place to start. With a center dedicated to the pursuit of education outside of a classroom, students can participate in groups that understand the importance of the humanities. They can be inspired by guest speakers, given guidance by tutors and teachers, as well as receive suggestions from peers with a similar passion and drive. We need a space where we can develop and apply the reading and writing skills that we are being taught in the classroom. With the support of the National Endowment for the Humanties, UNCC can further provide outstanding education and applicable experience to it’s students. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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WORKS CITED “2013 Best Graduate Schools – English". Rep. US News and World Report, 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.

<http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-

schools/english-rankings>

Austen, Ian. "The Comma That Costs 1 Million Dollars (Canadian)." The New York Times. The New York

Times, 24 Oct. 2006. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

Conley, Megan. "A Beginner's Social Media Guide for Small Businesses." Social Media Examiner, 24

Apr. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

"Duke Thompson Writing Program." Duke University. Duke University, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://

twp.duke.edu/>.

Duke University Undergraduate Courses-English." Duke University. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

<http://english.duke.edu/undergraduate/courses>.

"English & Comparative Literature." Undergraduate English Courses. University of North Carolina -

Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://englishcomplit.unc.edu/english/courses>.

Northey, M. "The Need for Writing Skill in Accounting Firms."Management Communication Quarterly 3.4

(1990): 474-95. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Roomstyler [Design Software] <http://roomstyler.com>

Stelzner, Michael A. "2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report." Social Media Examiner 6 (2014): n.

pag. May 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

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"The Chronicle." The Independent Daily at Duke University. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://

www.dukechronicle.com/>.

"The Daily Tar Heel." The Daily Tar Heel. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 04 Nov. 2014. Web.

04 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dailytarheel.com/>

"The New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to Action." Harvard Business Review (2010): n.

pag. SAS. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services/ SAS Analytics, 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

"The Writing Center." The Writing Center. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 02 Nov.

2014. <http://writingcenter.unc.edu/>.

Weiss, Debra. "5th Circuit Tosses Cheerleading Suit, Hits Law Firm for Grammar and Spelling

Errors." ABA Journal. ABA Journal, 18 July 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

"Young Writers' Camp -- Youth Programs -- Duke Continuing Studies." Young Writers' Camp -- Youth

Programs -- Duke Continuing Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://

www.learnmore.duke.edu/youth/youngwriter/academic.asp>.

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