Here to make students more effective writers and speakers

“The Writing and Speaking Initiative plays a central role in all educational experiences at our University. The ability to communicate effectively makes all of our graduates an indispensable part of our nation’s future success.” – President Brian Sandoval

"The goal of the Writing and Speaking Initiative is to ensure that the ability to write and speak effectively is a hallmark of every University of Nevada, Reno, graduate.” - Marc Johnson, Former University President

To reach that important goal, Writing and Speaking Initiative (WSI) programs, including Writing and Speaking in the Disciplines - for faculty and instructors; the University Writing and Speaking Center - for students at all levels, in all disciplines; and the Writing and Speaking Initiative Fellows program - which pairs peer writing and speaking consultants with courses across disciplines, help to ensure that students are given and supported through multiple formative and challenging opportunities to improve their writing, speaking and communicating throughout their undergraduate and graduate coursework in every major. Research clearly shows that writing and speaking are learned and reap benefits for students, over time. The University's WSI programs ensure that strong teaching and learning with writing is happening beyond Core Writing and Basic Communication courses - all the way to graduation.

The WSI, which supports both faculty and students across the curriculum, responds to evidence that strong writing and speaking skills are vital to a student’s academic success as well as their career prospects. Well-designed writing and speaking assignments are high-impact teaching tools that deepen students’ learning in all disciplines (AAC&U’s “High-Impact Practices”).

National surveys repeatedly indicate that employers rank the ability to communicate effectively among the top skills they seek in a new employee (AAC&U’s “How College Contributes to Workforce Success: Employer Views on What Matters Most,” "Why Mastering Writing Skills Can Help Future Proof Your Career").

WSI programs

The goals of the University's Writing and Speaking Initiative are achieved through three outstanding University programs.

University Writing and Speaking Center

The University Writing and Speaking Center offers free writing consultations to all undergraduate and graduate students for academic, creative, career, business and personal writing as well as speeches and presentations. Consultants are undergraduate and graduate students from a range of academic disciplines. Our consultants help all stages of the writing process, including brainstorming and development, planning and drafting, revising and editing. We offer a space where all students are valued as writers and critical thinkers. During consultations, students are actively engaged in discussion and activity with their project.

The University Writing and Speaking Center is located in the William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center (PSAC), Room 350. Please contact the director, Maureen McBride, at mmcbride@unr.edu.

Writing and Speaking Initiative Fellows Program

The Writing and Speaking Initiative Fellows Program brings trained undergraduate peer consultants and faculty together to support student learning. Offering peer consulting within major coursework, fellows work closely with instructors and students on writing or presentation projects in disciplinary course settings.

If you'd like more information on the program or have questions, please contact the co-directors:

The Writing and Speaking in the Disciplines (WSID) Program

The Writing and Speaking in the Disciplines (WSID) Program supports faculty as they teach writing and speaking in all disciplines. The program is built on the belief that writing and speaking are foundational tools for deepening learning and producing flexible and effective writers and communicators. WSID collaborates with faculty from all disciplines – anthropology, engineering, public health, etc. – to integrate writing and speaking assignments and activities across the curriculum, creating a culture of writing and communication that enables students to succeed in and beyond the University.

If you'd like more information on the program or have questions, please contact the director, Elisabeth Miller, at elisabethmiller@unr.edu.

Contact us

For more information or to find resources to support students or faculty to reach the goals of the Writing and Speaking Initiative, please reach out to Writing and Speaking Initiative Director Elisabeth Miller at elisabethmiller@unr.edu.