Michelle Marvin

Background

About Michelle Marvin

I specialize in helping individuals grow as writers. I believe that writing is not only a tool for academic success but also a means of reflection, civic engagement, and personal development, especially in the context of higher education.As Associate Director of a large university Writing Center, I support 55 undergraduate and graduate tutors in providing thoughtful, research-informed writing support. In my administrative work, I focus on cultivating reflective tutoring practices, developing inclusive approaches to writing instruction, and guiding student and postdoc mentors through these changing times of writing and technology (particularly the responsible use of generative AI). My goal is to create an environment where writers find a curious reader and feel encouraged and equipped to grow.As an Assistant Teaching Professor in the University Writing Program, I teach undergraduate courses in multimedia writing and rhetoric, where students explore how their beliefs take shape through language and learn to write persuasively across genres and media. I also teach Writing Center Theory and Practice, a course that prepares undergraduate tutors to engage in dialogic and inclusive peer support. Additionally, I co-teach a Great Books seminar for adult learners as part of the Inspired Leadership Initiative, a program supporting late-career professionals during a year of discernment. In all of my teaching, I invite students to think critically about how writing shapes their understanding of the world and their engagement with others.My academic and pedagogical interests include the rhetoric of sustainability, writing center development, digital/media literacy, and the ethics of writing with AI. I believe in building writing programs that are curious, rigorous, and human-centered, and that evolve in conversation with the diverse communities they serve.