Help international students with writing

$5,000

Provide writing assistance for our international student Mustangs.

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Description

This year, SMU’s Learning Enhancement Center (LEC) had a huge increase in demand for writing assistance from our international students. This type of assistance is not something that a typical faculty member or trained writing tutor possesses – we need coverage from a trained professional. The typical hourly pay we offer for adjunct faculty or graduate assistants does not attract such part time help.

Of the 1120 contacts for writing this fall in the LEC, 39% were ESL students. These students worked with writing tutors (upperclass and graduate students) and an English professor who oversees the Writing Center. While these dedicated tutors and staff members have a wide knowledge of English writing skill development, their area of expertise is with native English speakers and few have the unique training to help ESL students master the English language in written form.

We would like to have $5000 to hire someone who is trained to offer better support. At $40 an hour, we could offer 5 hours a week availability to ESL students for 16 weeks a semester. The LEC budget would offset the remaining cost.

“Having writing assistance available for my international students would allow them to have more confidence in submitting their reports. Their statistical analysis may be perfect but better report writing will allow me to focus on their reasoning.”
— STAT professor for Lyle School of Engineering

Special Thank-You Reward Levels

For donations $75 or more

  • Handwritten thank you from an LEC staff member