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Writing Center/CAE relocates, provides invaluable service by Cindy Abole Public Relations Helping to prepare South Carolina’s next generation of health care professionals and biomedical scientists is MUSC’s daily mission.       Since 1994, students and faculty learned to value the offerings of MUSC’s Writing Center and Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) as an important resource within a highly specialized institution of higher learning.   In its 11th year of service on campus, the Writing Center and CAE enjoyed a fresh start to the Fall 2005 semester with a new, central location on campus. It provides its clients with a complete range of resources to practice their skills to succeed within a collaborative learning environment.   Since  their relocation to the renovated Education Center/Library building, the Writing Center and Center for Academic Excellence gained meeting and resource space, almost doubling the size of their computer resource lab and other amenities, including use of the center’s 13 high tech classrooms and meeting areas for study and meeting space.    Writing Center associate director Dr. Jennie Ariail assists a medical student in writing his residency personal statement. “Our goal is to help MUSC students excel,” said Tom Waldrep, director of both the Writing Center and CAE. “We want to help students move ahead from where they are, academically, to where they want to be.”   Both programs have thrived because they share a committed vision to helping students, faculty and staff achieve excellence by adopting specific strategies, skills and resources that enhance learning. The team, composed of four faculty and two staff—combining for a total of 150 years writing and teaching experience. They prepare students to become lifelong learners of human health, ever mindful of individuals' varying academic needs and learning styles.   Unlike other traditional comprehensive colleges or universities in the Palmetto state, MUSC houses an academic health center. Its curricula differ from other programs of higher education and challenge already well-prepared students in all aspects of their academic education.   The Writing Center and CAE faculty assist students in all stages of the writing process, according to Waldrep. The staff provides collaborative support, from helping clients to develop and focus scientific argument, to showing them how to edit and hone their own writing. Faculty members assist clients with grammar and mechanics as well. Their goal is not only to improve a particular paper but also to help clients learn skills necessary to become more proficient writers. They help students prepare research summaries, proposals, and scientific papers.   Students, faculty and staff also gain from understanding the basics of learning, a goal of the Center for Academic Excellence.  The program offers students help in developing new study skills, time management and adopting strategies to improve test performance in course tests and professional certifying exams. The center maintains a team of 68 supplemental instructors, advanced peer students representing various disciplines, who provide individual tutoring or group help for specific courses like gross anatomy, pathophysiology and biochemistry. Faculty from each of the six colleges benefits from a resource center of teaching materials; they also consult with CAE faculty, who can help them through developing workshops for students as well as discussing teaching strategies, syllabi and assignments..   “The staff of the Centers for Writing and Academic Excellence are true student advocates,” said Steve Brown, assistant dean for student affairs, College of Pharmacy. “Their attitude is to do ‘whatever it takes’ when it comes to helping students. The Center for Academic Excellence, in particular, has been an important resource for our students and faculty. In addition to their tutoring services, Dr. Ariail is always willing to work with students individually to improve their study habits and test-taking skills. She has also provided valuable workshops to our faculty to determine student leaning styles and test writing.”      Medical students from all levels benefit from the Writing Center and CAE. In the intense world of undergraduate medical education, students are challenged to become self-guided, lifelong learners as they gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand the scientific fundamentals of medicine and their applications.         “Tom Waldrep’s Center for Academic Excellence is an outstanding resource that many of our medical students have used to their academic advantage,” said Jeffrey Wong, M.D., associate dean for Medical Education, College of Medicine. “We have actually studied objective outcomes for those students who have become peer teachers of the CAE and found that their academic performance was better than those of their non-teaching peers.”     As fourth-year medical students prepare for their residencies, they can turn to the centers for help in writing personal statements, curriculum vitae and preparation for national standardized board exams.      “They’ve been absolutely awesome,” said Myra Haney, director of academics and student support, College of Medicine. “In many circumstances, the Center for Academic Excellence staff has provided medical students and faculty with assistance and guidance in many academic difficulties. They’ve made it a priority to be actively engaged with students to make sure they are helped and the appropriate communication and follow-up support are conducted.”   For information, call 792-6390 or visit http://www.musc.edu/writingcenter/wcindex.htm.   MUSC Center for Academic Excellence/Writing Center Tom Waldrep, director; Dr. Jennie Ariail, Writing Center associate director; Dr. Tom G. Smith, CAE associate director; Dr. Shannon Richards-Slaughter; Staff: Bryan Moten and Christy Huggins   Friday, Nov. 11, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. 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