After 29 years at The Writing Center and almost 50 years at WashU, Carolyn Smith will be retiring in December.
As one of the first tutors hired by The Writing Center when it was founded in 1995, Carolyn has served hundreds – perhaps thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, all of whom benefited not only from her skills and insights but especially her genuine warmth and encouragement.
Carolyn first came to WashU as an MA student in the Department of English. Later, she began teaching writing classes including Writing 1 (now College Writing), Fundamentals of Composition, and Expository Writing. She also taught for University College (now CAPS), and from 2000 to 2005 was assistant director of the Department of English’s creative writing program.
For many years Carolyn also taught for the university’s English as a Second Language program, and she was able to combine her interests in teaching language and learning about new cultures by studying at TESOL Summer Institutes in Bratislava, Slovakia and in Barcelona, Spain. She also studied German in Goethe Institutes in Germany. Later in 2006-2007, she lived in China and taught English language classes at Xiamen University in Fujian Province.
Carolyn put all of those incredible teaching and learning experiences to work serving students in The Writing Center as far back as 1995 when The Writing Center was founded. Over the past 29 years, she has seen literally every kind of writing done at our university: coursework, medical school applications, grants, publications, and more. She played an important part in the success of every single student with whom she met, whether that meant completing a term paper, earning a degree, gaining admission to graduate school, or landing their first job. Despite the incredible support she has provided to so many people, Carolyn refuses to take credit, preferring instead to see her students in the spotlight. That kind of quiet humility exemplifies the very best of our writing center: centering our students, believing in them, and celebrating their successes.
As one of our original and longest-serving tutors, Carolyn helped shape our center and set an example followed by tutors who have had the privilege to learn from her and work alongside her. Her warmth and kindness set the tone for the many spaces occupied by The Writing Center from Olin Library to Eads, back to Olin Library and finally to Mallinckrodt. And during the Covid-19 pandemic when so many international students were unable to come to the United States for the academic year, she projected that warmth across the globe to make sure they felt seen and supported.
As Carolyn nears her final writing center tutorial, there is literally no way to capture the impact she has had on so many people. Below, some of her colleagues try their best to offer a glimpse into what Carolyn means to all of us:
Places become special because of the people who inhabit them. For many years, the Writing Center has been a special place in large part because of Carolyn’s presence: Carolyn welcoming every student who ever worked with her with the same warm, open friendliness; Carolyn, talking about her interest in a student’s paper with genuine and heartfelt curiosity; Carolyn, answering every grammar question put to her with patience and grace, many of them repeatedly, and not always but frequently by me. If our Writing Center has become a special place, and I would argue it has, then Carolyn, there from the beginning, has been an irreplaceable part of that becoming. -Steve Pijut, associate director
Once, back when we were still in Eads, a former peer tutor who had also been a student in my Intro to Women’s Studies class, came in for a visit (he was by now in grad school). I thought he’d come to say hi to me, but he ignored me and made a beeline for Carolyn. He clearly felt a strong connection to her, and I recall, back when we had only 2 or 3 peer tutors and many unfilled hours, that she spent no-show hours listening to the peer tutors’ woes and giving them sympathy and understanding. I don’t think she ever gave any student the feeling that, because of their age difference, their experiences or ideas were not interesting to her. -Ruth Berson, senior tutor
I’ve known Carolyn as long as I’ve known anyone at Washington University, and I’ve enjoyed working with her for many years at The Writing Center. Her patience, kindness, and pragmatism have inspired my own tutoring. She has often provided a sanity check to my occasionally loopy claims and analogies, and has always offered helpful, clear advice, whether I knew I needed it or not! I will miss her calm, good-natured presence in this space — we’ve all been lucky to have her as our colleague. -Roy Kasten, senior tutor
A Writing Center without Carolyn? Say it isn’t so! To me, she is The Writing Center. Indeed, the very first time I set foot in The Writing Center – in any writing center – Carolyn was the one who warmly welcomed me and introduced me to the very concept. In those days, the Center was tucked away in a far corner of the fifth floor of Olin Library, in a tiny cubbyhole of a room designed as a faculty carrel. I had heard about this fledgling new Center and was curious to learn what it was all about. Carolyn showed me around the small space and described the center’s philosophy. A few semesters later, I joined the Center, now located in a comparatively luxurious space in Eads, with all of four desks, squat blueberry-colored iMacs, and a tiny office. And once again, Carolyn warmly greeted me and made me feel at home. In my third and last foray into the Center, now in its palatial basement quarters, Carolyn’s was again one of the first faces I saw. Sitting at her preferred corner desk right by the front door, she is a calm presence, speaking quietly with students while unknowingly also sharing her vast knowledge of the ins and outs of English grammar, as I eavesdrop and steal yet another of her techniques and explanations. -Fran Hooker, senior tutor
Carolyn has been a constant, positive presence throughout the years that I’ve been lucky enough to tutor alongside her at The Writing Center. Watching her work with students, centering each session with her patience, warmth, and poise, has influenced the tutor I am today. Little moments, like Carolyn asking after my family and children or catching up during staff meetings, always remind me just how deeply thoughtful and considerate Carolyn is. The Writing Center won’t be the same without Carolyn, and we are lucky to call her our friend. -Jo Ell, undergraduate support coordinator
Carolyn is such a calm, steady presence, and an absolute grammar queen! A pillar of our Center with a wealth of experience, she has guided so many students through stress or uncertainty around their writing, offering generous feedback and support. With her encouragement, countless WashU students’ academic experiences, not to mention their papers, have improved. Carolyn is an excellent tutor and a lovely coworker! We’ll all miss her! -Kate Harnish, graduate support coordinator
I always brightened when I saw Carolyn walk into our staff meetings or if I noticed that we overlapped during tutoring hours. She is such a gentle, sharp, and kind presence—I always knew that if I had a question or, most often, just wanted to chat, she would be the perfect person to turn to. I learned a lot just by overhearing her tutoring sessions and reading her student notes. She always made The Writing Center feel like an even more fun and welcoming place and she helped me immensely, simply by example, back when I was a brand-new tutor. -Sara Brenes Akerman, senior tutor
Through leading by example, Carolyn has been a large part of the welcoming environment at The Writing Center. I have learned how to be a better tutor by observing how she interacts with students. When I encourage students to get another set of eyes on a piece of writing, it is often Carolyn that I suggest. Enjoy your well-earned retirement, Carolyn! -Kyria Brown, senior tutor
Although I only had the privilege of meeting Carolyn a couple months ago, I appreciate how welcoming she’s been during my transition into The Writing Center, and I admire her calm, steady demeanor. When I observed one of her sessions earlier in the fall, a long-time regular student of hers raved about how helpful and kind she is. It was obvious that she had made a positive impact on him and no doubt countless other students as well. -Kelly Janis, senior tutor
When I came to The Writing Center, there were four senior tutors who had already been here for many years. I came to see them as the four pillars of our center. Carolyn is one of those great pillars and combines incredible insight and experience with a genuine interest in the perspectives, ideas, and successes of her students and colleagues. As I think about what our writing center will look like the day after her retirement, I am grateful that although Carolyn is a bit on the quiet side, she casts a long shadow that will always keep us true to The Writing Center’s and Carolyn’s values. -Rob Patterson, director
Congratulations, and thank you for giving so much to our center!