The Wall of Fame

When the University Writing Center moved from the Humanities Building to its current location in the Forest Drive Building in 2001, we had a lot of wall space to fill and not a lot of posters to do it with.  Taking an idea from a poster session he had seen at a NWCA conference, the center's director asked faculty members, deans, and department heads at GSU to provide some quotes about the importance of writing in their disciplines.  It was our hope that by posting these statements in the writing center (along with pictures of the faculty members), we could help students to see that writing was important in every discipline, be it business, engineering, the fine arts, or liberal studies.  The response to this initiative was so positive, we decided to expand our efforts and ask a wide variety of national figures -- politicians, celebrities, authors, editors, musicians, athletes, and corporate CEO's -- to contribute similar statements.  Once again, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and we have to date  received more than 50 personal letters attesting to the value of good communication skills.

Among the people who have generously shared their thoughts, reflections, and observations with us are:

Celebrities:  Ted Danson (Cheers, Becker), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Bill Maher (Politically Incorrect), Deborah Norville (Inside Edition), Timothy Russert (Meet the Press), Arnold Palmer (golf legend), James Earl Jones (movie star)

National politicians and legislators: President George Bush Sr., President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Bob Dole, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg, William Rehnquist, and Stephen Breyer.  

Authors: Maya Angelou, Barbara Kingsolver, Jackie Collins, Clive Barker, Scott Adams, Larry McMurtry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Doris Lessing, Ursula K. LeGuin, Jonathan Franzen, Joy Harjo, Joanne Harris, Mary Higgins Clark, Ed McBain, John McPhee.

Editors: Slaton White (Field & Stream), Norman Pearlstine (Time), Paul Maidment (Forbes), James Kelly (Time), Lesley Jane Seymour (Marie Claire), Sabrina Weill (Seventeen).

Corporate CEO's: Michael Eisner (Walt Disney Co.), Henry A. McKinnell (Pfizer, Inc.), Glenn F. Tilton (ChevronTexaco), Robert Ulrich (Target Corp.), Joseph A. Pichler (The Kroger Inc.), Douglas N. Daft (Coca-Cola Co.), C. Michael Armstrong (AT&T), Kenneth D. Lewis (Bank of America).

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This page last updated on 2/3/03