Thomas Ferrel is the Director of the Writing Studio at UMKC and is heavily involved with the Graduate Writing Initiative.
“I collaborate with our Graduate Writing Specialist, Kara Kynion (Bollinger), to develop goals, long- and short-term plans, events, and resources to support UMKC’s graduate writing community,” he said. “I also serve on the Graduate Writing Advisory Committee and represent the Graduate Writing Initiative’s interests on other campus committees. I also facilitate workshops and consult with graduate students.”
The writing groups and write-ins are Thomas’ two favorite programs thus far.
“They help graduate students make progress on their writing projects in social spaces that recognize the positive role collaboration plays in the writing process,” he said. “Graduate school—and especially thesis and dissertation writing—can feel like a very solitary experience; however, writing groups and write-ins connect graduate students to supportive, scholarly communities that can help graduate writers refine ideas and maintain motivation.”
Thomas described the write-ins and why they are important.
“Write-ins are daylong events that provide graduate students significant blocks of writing time at locations conducive to thinking and creativity,” he said. “They are semi-structured events that emphasize writing but also connect graduate scholars to resources, such as librarians and writing consultants. Graduate students should participate in write-ins because they will help them develop good writing habits in a community setting with other writers. Write-ins also assist writers in learning new strategies and techniques related to writing productivity. Setting goals and creating accountability for one’s self also are important focus areas of write-ins that will help graduate students continue to progress independently.”
Thomas said writing makes up not only a significant part of a graduate program, but also continues to be important to succeeding professionally after degree completion.
“Learning how to organize and communicate information effectively through writing in ways that meet audience expectations is important,” he said. “Scientists and historians alike need to be able write in rhetorically savvy ways that explain concepts clearly and don’t alienate readers because of stylistic elements related to tone, structure, format, phrasing, and word choice. In order to produce sophisticated and polished writing, graduate students must develop complex writing processes for writing in different mediums and for multiple audiences. Revision and collaboration are essential elements of an effective writing process and because of unique environmental factors afforded by a university setting, graduate students should prioritize developing effective revision and collaboration skills within the context of writing as they complete their degree requirements. Developing strong writing skills and habits during graduate school not only will assist students with completing their degrees quickly but also will help them be successful communicators with friends and family throughout life.”
Thomas said he has witnessed countless student gains due to workshops, the writing workstations, writing groups, write-ins, and individual consultations.
“Graduate students have communicated to me that they greatly appreciate how the GWI has created greater awareness that they are part of a vibrant writing community at UMKC,” he said. “While our efforts are framed as an initiative, the support is not a short-term series of actions as the term initiative generally implies because students and faculty are contributing to a scholarly, writing culture that values clear, productive communication; learning; and collaboration.”