ODU Writing Center Gets High Marks from Military Accreditation Team

The Joint Advanced Warfighting School (master's program) and the Joint & Combined Warfighting School (a shorter course) recently received reaccreditation as part of the Joint Staff Professional Accreditation of Joint Education (PAJE). The schools are part of the Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, in Norfolk.

The ODU Writing Center supports the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) directly through a contract Bryon E. Greenwald, professor of history at the school, facilitated with ODU last September, and he recently wrote Provost Carol Simpson to recognize ODU's role in the reaccreditation.

"Dr. Beth Vincelette and Mr. Jeff Turner, MFA, taught classes on logic, organization and grammar to our students (and military faculty) and supervise a graduate teaching assistant who tutors our students on an as-needed basis," he said. "Given the high number of writing assignments, including a thesis, our students have found the instruction and tutoring very helpful."

Greenwald said the PAJE evaluators singled out the JAWS Writing Program, with its strong support from the ODU Writing Center, for special recognition and urged other military universities/colleges (e.g., Army, Navy and Air War Colleges and

Command & Staff Colleges) to establish similar programs.

"We are proud of our small association with ODU and very happy with the work of Dr. Beth Vincelette and Jeff Turner," Greenwald said. "I am revising the statement of work for next year and look forward to having the Writing Center support our new class when it starts in July."

Dana Heller, Eminent Scholar and chair of ODU's English department, said Vincelette deserves the credit for building this partnership. "She has shown extraordinary dedication and skilled leadership in her role at the Writing Center."