Outstanding Faculty Service - Thia Wolf

I received my bachelor’s degree in English from UC Santa Barbara in 1978 and my master’s (1981) in English and PhD (1986) in English, with an emphasis on composition studies, from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio.  I taught  composition courses and administered writing programs at CSU, Northridge from 1986-1989, then accepted a tenure-track position at CSU, Chico in ’89.  Originally, I was hired to co-coordinate the university’s Writing Across the Disciplines program with Elizabeth Renfro. In my years at CSU, Chico, I have administered many programs, including the Writing Center, the Academic Writing program, and the English 30 program. 

I accepted the position of First Year Experience, FYE, director in 2006. In the context of FYE, I have worked with my program assistant Becki Clifford, to build a peer mentor program; worked with faculty to revise UNIV 101 to include a strong academic component; collaborated with colleagues in composition to develop and deliver the CSU, Chico Town Hall; and, with student researchers Justin Gonder, Sofie Burton, and Monica Willian, conducted ethnographic and case study research on first-year students. All of my efforts in FYE have benefited from the generous support of the dean of Undergraduate Education William Loker. In the Chico community, I have worked as a volunteer for hospice and as a volunteer teacher for a middle school newspaper.

I have taught a range of writing courses at CSU, Chico, as well as courses for future teachers. My past research has focused on writing programs, program administration, and on student learning in collaborative enterprises. Currently, I am investigating the transition processes of first-year students and the liminal character of students’ first-year experience in college. 
    
My parents, a chemistry professor and a nurse, raised me to believe in the life of service.  My partner, Phil Coppock, and our son, Blake, provide me with daily models of compassion and responsibility. I have never felt successful in serving others well, so the decision of FRAS to award me the Outstanding Faculty Service Award came as a complete surprise to me.  Meaningful service depends on a network of human beings working together to achieve something of benefit to others; at CSU, Chico, in all of my programs, I have been blessed with innovative, caring students and colleagues. I share this honor with all of them.