Mission Statement

The George Mason University Writing Center is committed to supporting writers in the Mason community as they work to construct and share knowledge through writing. We provide writers with the opportunity to test out ideas with a tutorial staff comprised of trustworthy and attentive readers and listeners. We believe that the best writing support is achieved with tutors who listen and ask questions in order to foster a writer’s own curiosity. We help writers develop the strategies and knowledge that make them stronger writers in the long term. We believe that achieving a strong piece of writing takes time, multiple drafts, and revision. We support writers from the beginning, exploratory stages of the writing process to the final phases of polishing the final version. 

In service of these ideals we offer the Mason community the following:

  • Supportive and well-trained graduate and undergraduate tutors who are invested in the writing process, as they are experienced writers themselves
  • ESL specialist tutors with a linguistics background
  • An administrative staff well versed in current teaching and tutoring writing research and practice
  • The opportunity to meet with tutors face-to-face or to receive email-based tutoring through our Online Writing Lab
  • A collaborative relationship with Mason libraries to support writers in their research and research integration
  • Writing workshops designed to address the needs of student writers
  • A wealth of resources in the form of guides, handbooks, and handouts available in hardcopy or electronically at our website
  • A quiet space to write, read, study, and think

We believe that all writers, students and professionals alike, should have access to this support. As such:

  • We work with students and professionals from all disciplines and departments
  • We work with faculty by helping their students meet university-wide expectations and those expectations outlined in individual courses
  • We work with alumni to cultivate their success as writers beyond the university context
  • We work with all students—undergraduates, graduates, native English speakers, multi-lingual writers, international students, experienced and beginning writers—on any writing task including personal, creative, and academic work
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