November 11th, 2014: Over 225 delegates from 34 institutions across 11 countries gathered at Canadian University Dubai for the international conference of MENAWCA (Middle East-North Africa Writing Centres' Alliance) 2014, which this year featured as many presenters from the student peer-tutor community as from the teaching faculty.
Student representatives from across Middle East institutions, including American University of Sharjah, Zayed University, Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University, King Saud University and Georgetown University Qatar, brought their own insights into the conference theme, "Sustaining Writing and Writing Centers in the MENA region", through presentations, interactive workshops and panel discussions.
The conference was organized and co-chaired by Dr. Kathy O'Sullivan, CUD's Executive Director of Student Affairs; and Ms. Nadine Ashkuri, Lecturer in the School of Liberal Arts. Both executive board members of MENAWCA, Dr. O'Sullivan and Ms. Ashkuri were determined to have the student voice take centre-stage at the event, in line with CUD's ongoing mission to adopt innovative approaches to engaging students and promoting success.
Ms. Ashkuri said, "The 2014 MENAWCA conference was an absolutely empowering 48 hours. It was fantastic to be so well received by the academic community in and around the Middle East. Best of all, I was so proud of the community of students who both assisted and presented over the weekend."
The keynote speaker at the event was the world-renowned Clint Gardner, fresh from receiving the International Writing Center Association Muriel Harris Service Award in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. He reiterated that research proves a focus on writing and writing centres leads to student retention.
In her own reflection on the conference theme, Dr. O'Sullivan reiterated Clint Gardner's point that writing centers are central to student retention, saying, "What is referred to in the research as freshman-to-sophomore persistence, which is the technical term for retention, is positively related to the provision of services such as those provided by a Writing Centre.
"Discussions that start when a student walks into the Writing Centre to ask for help with an assignment can easily turn into discussions that are as personal as they are academic. This is what ultimately helps students adapt to a university environment. Writing Centres matter - we've seen that in the quality of student peer-tutor presentations this weekend."
The two-day interactive conference was characterised by the energy and passion of the participants, particularly the youth contingent who embraced the opportunity to present on an international platform. With many of the delegates visiting Dubai for the first time, it was also an opportunity for other writing centre practitioners to tour CUD's dedicated Writing Centre facilities.
Dr. Molly McHarg, president of MENAWCA concluded, "I have been truly blown away, truly impressed, by the commitment of all the participants attending the conference this weekend. It is a delight to see the MENAWCA organization grow and flourish, and I am so grateful to CUD and all of this year's sponsors for making this possible."
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