The Writing Workshop, 1987-1996
In 1986, 英语系主任琳达·休伯特(Linda Hubert)希望扩大系里的努力，帮助学生提高写作水平. She began exploring the possibility of establishing a writing center. The following year, Buttrick 306 was designated the Writing Workshop. 两名学生辅导他们的同学英语和其他课程的写作. 休伯特成功地给凯洛格基金会写了一笔赠款，用于购买电脑和家具. With the help of Myrtle Lewin, director of academic computing, she planned the facility and ordered the equipment.
The following year, 在克里斯汀·科赞斯的指导下，写作工作坊演变成了一个更正式的辅导体系. Tutors increased from three to seven. 每周的培训会议使导师们熟悉写作教学的原则. 来自不同院系的教师参加了会议，讨论如何提高学生的写作水平.
From the beginning of the program, 所有学生都可以免费获得所有院系课程的书面辅导. 努力发展辅导，使之成为各级作家的一项宝贵服务. 写作工作坊从每学期几百个预约开始，人气和效率成倍增长.
The Center for Writing and Speaking, 1996-2011
In 1996, Dean Sarah Blanshei, Associate Dean Ruth Bettandorff, the chair of the English department Christopher Ames, and the director of the Writing Workshop, Christine Cozzens, discussed expanding the program. Blanshei wanted to develop writing across the curriculum. 科赞斯和艾姆斯认为导师是整个课程中写作最重要的代理人，因为他们已经与所有学科的学生和教师合作过.
In addition, 学院的预期增长和对大一新生人数的预期强调了需要更多的辅导时间. 几项关于学生意见的研究表明，他们寻求“更有意义的工作”，以获得经济援助和其他校内工作. 扩大辅导计划似乎是对这些问题的合理而有价值的回应.
Meanwhile, 在大多数课程中，对口头陈述的日益重视提高了对学生进行公开演讲训练的必要性. 在后来的一次会议上，包括戏剧和舞蹈系的成员, the idea of training “speaking” tutors emerged. 达德利·桑德斯(戏剧和舞蹈系)提出了一个初步建议.
In 1996, the Speaking Center opened in Buttrick 207, 一间配有录音、录像和播放设备的教室. Pamela Turner was the first coordinator of the Speaking Center. In its first year, 特纳和她的工作人员模仿了写作中心的许多做法，但也试图确定一个致力于口头表达技巧的中心的独特身份.
After a succession of coordinators, Veronica Henson-Phillips took over the position in the fall of 1998. Wendy Atkins-Sayre succeeded her, 监督一个重大的转变，向更多的修辞为基础的方法辅导. 温迪发起了一个成功的教师发展计划，在课堂上使用演讲作业. Dave Lawrence, the next Speaking Center director, 使这个项目和中心的专业知识和效率达到了一个新的水平, 为写作和演讲中心带来了数字通信方面的专业知识.
1996年的扩建还包括为CWS提供新的外联项目. 课程导师计划在课程中安排一位专门的导师来支持学生的学习，并与教师一起加强写作或口语的教学. 合作伙伴计划为一学期或一学年创建辅导对. 它针对的是那些想要定期和持续地进行写作或口语工作的学生(国际或ESOL学生), senior thesis writers, students with learning disabilities, creative writers, etc.).
Cozzens继续担任新命名和扩大的中心的主任, with Professor David Lawrence directing the Speaking Center. The two programs used similar tutoring practices, met together regularly as a whole staff, and in January of 2001, were united in a shared, 在翻新后的麦凯恩图书馆一层特别设计的空间.
2012 and Forward
In 2011 drastic college-wide budget cuts transformed the CWS. The tutor salary budget was replaced with an all-work study plan, 这意味着只有勤工俭学的学生才能用学校的预算聘请导师. It was a dramatic change from the past, when a dedicated salary budget allowed hiring the best candidates, regardless of their work-study status. To ensure that the quality of tutoring remains high, designated funds are used to supplement the salary budget.
Other changes dismantled the salary structure, allowing us to hire a full-time speaking center director. To address these new circumstances, CWS的管理人员和导师一致认为，所有的导师都应该指导写作和口语. 将不再有单独的写作和口语中心，而是一个. 写作与口语中心成为英语系写作工作坊的新名称, joined with the newly devised Speaking Center. 这两个项目在行政、哲学和实际目的上是统一的.
In the spring of 2012, 一项新的招聘计划开始生效，该计划要求候选人展示写作和口语技能，并对广泛的沟通理论进行反思, skills, and activities during their interview.
In addition, 我们用已故赞助人捐赠的资金设立了帕特里夏·柯林斯·巴特勒奖学金, who argued cases before the United States Supreme Court. 巴特勒研究员将教授公开演讲课程，并在与口头陈述有关的问题上担任CWS的顾问和培训师, rhetorical theory, and more. This position, designed for an advanced PhD student, 是否会给接受者作为同伴辅导中心工作人员的宝贵经验，从而为竞争激烈的就业市场做好准备.
写作和口语中心旨在为所有人创造一个舒适、有益、刺激的地方. 研讨会和其他特殊活动也将学生吸引到该中心. 这些活动庆祝并加深了我们对写作和口语的共同理解. 周一晚上的预约时间允许学生来CWS进行短期访问. 物理空间是开放给所有学生使用作为一个地方做他们的工作.
Tutors conducted research on teaching writing and speaking topics, and they attended conferences to learn and present their research. They also observe their peers as part of their education. This vital feature is part of the CWS’s training program, 强化我们一直在学习的观念，并帮助每个导师记住做学生是什么样子的.