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Printer-Friendly ModeUniversity awards honor top student writings
April 19, 2010 —
Sociology freshman Scott Merrow’s bills are now paid, thanks to the money he won at the 13th annual Writing Awards Reception held Tuesday.
At the event, students were presented with a number of awards, including the Tyner Prizes for fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and the Ruth and Ted Braun Awards, which recognize nine categories of nonfiction writing.
The event was hosted by the University Writing Committee, a group of professors from subjects as diverse as business and mathematics. All submissions were nominated by a professor before being evaluated by different faculties coordinated by the committee.
Merrow’s work won him two Braun Awards, in the divisions for General Education and the College of Health and Human Services.
“It shows that writing stretches across all professions,” Merrow said. “It’s nice to have people celebrate what you do.”
According to one study, by the time a student becomes a senior, he or she will have written 172 pages of academic papers. The writing awards were devised to reward students who further engage themselves in their writing and offer a publication to their credit.
But awards didn’t go only to students. Kinesiology professor Jennifer Bridges won the fifth annual Innovative Writing in Teaching Faculty Award for her project, which encouraged her students’ growth in their written capabilities.
The awards have evolved, drawing a wider range of submissions within the past five years. As a result, the committee is considering adding categories for next year.
“We want to recognize more student writers,” said Diane Boehm, director of the University Writing Program and member of the committee.
When receiving an award, students presented an excerpt from their work and discussed the thought and inspiration behind it.
Chad Goebel, a business and creative writing senior who won the Tyner Prize for fiction, presented a piece from his story on competitive eating. He said he is grateful for the award, and added that an event like this can help motivate students to develop their writing.
A creative writing scholarship was also presented to professional and technical writing junior Kirsten Mcllvenna.