University Writing honors students and faculty at 2025 Celebration of Writing

University Writing presented the Outstanding ePortfolio Award and the Award for Excellence in Writing Across the Curriculum at the Celebration of Writing Awards Luncheon in May.

The 2025 Outstanding ePortfolio Award winner was Ema Smith, a senior majoring in event management.

The committee praised Smith’s site for its artifacts and ease of navigation, saying “Outstanding ePortfolio! The viewer learns so much about you! You provide a clear message about what has impacted your life and where you are going.” Smith was nominated by Associate Profess Alecia Douglas. 

The runner-up was Caitlin Finger, a senior majoring in apparel design and production management. The committee also selected two honorable mentions: Lyndsey Haskins, a graduate student in the College of Human Sciences' child life program, and Abigail Odom, a senior majoring in English on the professional and public writing track. 

The Award Committee uses University Writing’s ePortfolio rubric to score entries across nine criteria based on themes of critical thinking, visual literacy, technical competency and effective communication. Leslie Cordie, Jeff Kim, Megan Heim LaFrombois, Silvia Vilches, Okunola Odeniyi, Jennifer Jones and Pathmanathan Sivashankar served on this year’s committee. 

The winner of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Writing Across the Curriculum was the College of Nursing.

This award honors academic programs and their faculty who have demonstrated sustained and successful efforts to integrate evidence-based pedagogical practices across an undergraduate major. This award includes a $20,000 cash prize for faculty professional development. 

“The committee was impressed with the ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, the integration of writing throughout the nursing curriculum and the recent innovations implemented after a Writing Across the Curriculum Academy and the college’s accreditation review,” said Christopher Basgier, director of University Writing.