Brad Campbell is the new director of The University of Mississippi’s Writing Center. Campbell, originally from Como, graduated from the university in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English. He later obtained his master’s in English with an emphasis in Renaissance literature and rhetoric and composition from Mississippi State University in 2008.
Post-graduation, Campbell worked at Mississippi State University as a lecturer and an instructor in the English department. He also became a coordinator of the Mississippi State online writing center before becoming the interim director of the Mississippi State writing center.
“I was interested in the writing center work as a graduate student,” Campbell said. “I loved working in the writing center so much that I continued working as a full-time faculty member.”
Campbell said he is reaching out to department heads and directors of undergraduate studies to inform students who need writing assistance about the service at Ole Miss.
“We have a lot of undergraduates from the writing courses using the writing center,” he said. “We also have a lot of students who use it from across the disciplines, and that’s something we would like to see more of.”
As a part of his job, Campbell said he tries to hire staff members who have diverse backgrounds.
“We have students who come from diverse backgrounds, and we want our tutors to have different backgrounds as well,” Campbell said.
Rich Raymond, the head of Mississippi State’s English department, met Campbell in 2005.
“He enrolled in my seminar on literary research strategies,” Raymond said. “He excelled in every way: active participant in class discussions, helpful peer responder, careful researcher, thoughtful theorist and strong writer. We happily hired him as a lecturer to teach basic writing, composition and introduction to literature. We rewarded his fine work by promoting him from lecturer to instructor.”
Raymond said that as an instructor, Campbell took on administrative duties at the writing center and helped to expand services online and at satellite sites.
“We miss Brad terribly, but know that he will thrive at Ole Miss as director of the writing center,” Raymond said.
The writing center is currently establishing a mobile branch in the Luckyday Residential College. The mobile branch will allow students to walk in and receive tutoring without an appointment.
The center located on the third floor of the J.D. Williams Library generally tutors students who have made appointments first and walk-ins if they can be fit into the schedule between appointments.
— Randall Haley
arhaley@go.olemiss.edu
