Ryan Wins Maxwell Award

Leigh Ryan, Director of the Writing Center, has won the 2009 Ron Maxwell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Promoting the Collaborative Learning Practices of Peer Tutors in Writing.

The award was announced by the Penn State Learning program at Pennsylvania State University, and it will be presented to Ryan at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW), November 6-8, at Mount Holyoke College.

"The award recognizes a professional within the NCPTW organization for dedication to and leadership in collaborative learning in writing centers, for aiding students in together taking on more responsibility for their learning, and, thus, for promoting the work of peer tutors.  Its presentation also denotes extraordinary service to the evolution of the conference organization," according to the award letter.

The letter goes on to celebrate Leigh for her leadership in NCPTW, her authorship of the standard-setting Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors; her creation of innovative programs in collaborative learning; and her personal embodiment of the values of "collaborative, supportive, peer-centered" mentoring.

The award "testifies so eloquently to a career filled with the highest service to students," says Kent Cartwright, Chair of the Department of English.