Faculty Profile: Michael Turner

Profile by Mark Guartambel, ’20

How it all started

Michael Turner was in a PhD program but wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do. He was always interested in reading and writing but was never really sure how that would manifest itself.  While he was doing that he was working in the writing center and had an administrative position. This really helped him pursue different kinds of projects that opened new doors for him. Michael had always been attracted to the work that happens in writing centers.

“Being able to work one on one with someone enables you to do a kind of work that usually can’t happen in other kinds of context.”

It really helps better understand someone individually than rather it being a classroom setting environment. 

Inspiration

Michael Turner was reading books that he did not like in high school. Part of it was making him dislike reading—something that had always been enjoyable for him.

Then he read Toni Morrison in high school and he thought to himself “Who has been keeping this from me?!”.  It was an assigned book called Song of Solomon. He said it was hard for him to imagine that book being in the world and him not knowing about it. He became super obsessed with Toni Morrison. He also took a class in college about Toni Morrison but then dropped it because it was taught in an overly simplistic way.  Toni Morrison really sparked his love for literature.

Reading and Writing throughout his career

Michael Turner is a creative writing professor at Pace University as well as the coordinator of the Writing Center at Pace University in Pleasantville. What surprises him every day is how hard the students work.  The students who work in the Writing Center do far more than “just sit with other students and help them.” Writing Center tutors provide one-on-one full engagement as they commit to someone’s work, almost like putting themselves in someone else’s shoes.

Advice

One of the most important things that anyone can do is find a mentor—a person that you have a good relationship with.  Stay in regular contact with that person.

Also find a person that reads your writing critically enough and that is honest enough so you can start to internalize their perspective. Michael explains that was helpful for him. When he would write, he would think of that person and say “ohhh” then make changes based on what he imagined they would say about his writing. Michael also shared writing with people who developed “friendly competition”: They all wanted to do well and would feed off each other in productive ways.

Travel and Reading and Writing, Oh My!

Study Abroad Profile: Alex Maitland-Ward
By: Taylor Rossi

All About the Awesome Alex

       Alex is a senior on the Women’s Lacrosse team here at Pace University.  She is a great teammate and an incredible player. Having the opportunity myself to play with her is an honor.  Along with being a great teammate, she is a great friend who is always sharing her positive energy. Alex is a senior, dual-major in Human Resource Management and International Business.

Her Journey Abroad

       When asked how she decided that it was her passion to travel abroad, Alex stated, “I’ve always had a love for travel and knew that I would want to study abroad before I graduate.  The program I chose was the Fall Semester Program in London at Regents University.  London is such a central location for traveling and also offers a diverse culture available.”  

       She chose to miss her Junior year fall lacrosse by going on this journey to London. Many of my teammates asked her if she regrets missing a huge chunk of our season and her answer is always no without a single doubt. Many of our teammates, including me, are extremely jealous of her and decision to travel. She told us that she found her passion easily.  She said, “I think like most people the way to do that is through experimenting and trying new things. For me I love traveling and there could be cheaper passions but I love traveling/ experiencing new cultures.”   

The Role of Writing

       Alex, who is a fiction lover, used writing as a large part of her experience.  She told me that she kept a journal that she wrote in various times during her travels.  She often wrote in it when she had an experience that impacted her. She wrote at these times to make sure that she fully remembers how she felt in that exact moment.  Alex stated, “I think this made me value everything I did as well as give me a creative outlet, other than my school studies.”

The Role of Reading

       Alex taught me how she was an avid reader all her life and took a book with her whenever she traveled.  Her mindset behind this is reading about various places in the world and then visiting them allows you to connect on a deeper level to the author and the story he/she is portraying.  London is the home of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and she was fortunate enough to get to watch a play at The Globe. She explained how it was amazing to see where the plays she read were originally portrayed.

The Gift of Alex’s Parents    

       Both of Alex’s parents are English and have both been to London before.  They both have an accent which I find to be very interesting. Talking to them at our games amazes me because they both talk with a strong accent and Alex doesn’t.  Alex said, “Although I do not think this was necessary, I do think it helped me not face a culture shock when I was there.” She also prepped for the various customs for the different cultures she visited so that she would wear appropriate attire/ where to go/stay.  She was surprised with how many relationships she made with people that she is still close with. She described how amazing was to be able to create such strong bonds with new people in such a short period of time.

Alex’s Advice

“Always push your comfort zone and try new things until you find out where you fit.  Build relationships with people whenever you get the chance. A professional and personal network will help you in your career enhancement but also fostering relationships.”

Harlem Walking Tour

by Jaime Reuter

On Wednesday, November 14^th, Professor Laurie McMillan’s Intro to Literary Studies class took their education outside of the classroom in a walking tour of historic Harlem. The class left from Pace University’s Pleasantville campus in the early afternoon and set off for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

The biting cold of the 33º wind chill couldn’t stop the class from learning all about the Harlem Renaissance on this two-hour tour. The students were often prompted to relate real life sites to events in the historical fiction novel Passing by Nella Larsen, which they subsequently completed researched literary analyses on.

Historic Site Stops

The tour included a span of nearly ten Harlem blocks. Some of the stops on the tour included the Harlem Hospital Center and the NAACP headquarters. The murals on the Harlem Hospital Center depicted black people having important roles in society, which was (and even still is in some places) an unheard of concept.

Harlem Hospital Center mural

The students were able to see the many different parts of Harlem where black culture flourished in the 1920’s—fom Striver’s Row, where black socialites lived in beautiful brownstones, to small tenement buildings for impoverished and unemployed people.  They also got to learn and witness the place of the near fatal stabbing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The class had the opportunity to see the sites that used to house some of Harlem’s most famous nightclubs, like the Cotton Club. They learned that while some clubs and bars were for black people, others actually catered towards white people who fetishized black culture.

Relating to the Readings

Students were taught about the Great Migration, which is highly prevalent in Passing.

Perhaps one of the most powerful parts of the trip was for the Pace students to see DJ Henry’s name written into a tribute to police brutality victims. This brought the racial issue into a different lens, and hit most closely to home for the students.

contemporary mural protesting police violence 

The trip definitely helped all the students who participated gain a better understanding of the Harlem Renaissance through the immersive learning experience of a hands-on tour.

Special thanks to Big Onion tours and Professor McMillan!

Speech Pathology with Jenny

Alum Profile: Jenny Weisberger (’17)

Profile by Coral DiMichele (’21)

“Language is at the core of reading and writing”

Recognizing Passion

Jenny has always wanted to help people; her grandma was a nurse and she saw how happy helping people made her. While Jenny thought she would go into education, she realized speech pathology would allow her to help people across various age groups.

Background

Jenny attended Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Marywood’s five-year speech pathology program. Currently, she is working at several clinics. Jenny says speech pathology is broader than many people expect. Pediatric sessions are proactive and the main focus for clients is to fix delays in their speech development. In geriatrics the primary focus is getting a client’s skills back to how they were before an accident or event occurred.

“The main difference is between developing skills and re-developing skills”

Speech pathology focuses on receptive language; it is important to develop fluency and correct stuttering. Developing feeding and swallowing skills are also primary objectives.

 Role of Reading & Writing

Although speech pathology might not come to mind when one thinks of a writing career, reading and writing play an important role in Jenny’s profession. Jenny uses writing in her evaluations, client reports, IEPs (Individualized Educational Plans), and writing emails or letters. As a therapist, Jenny’s writing is crucial in obtaining the appropriate services for her clients.

“How therapists phrase sentences are really important because it affects insurance agencies and their willingness to provide aid, especially for adults receiving therapy.”

“Language skills lead to proper and future success in reading and writing.”

Reading and expanding vocabulary provides clients with sociolinguistic awareness. Despite Jenny’s pediatric clients not being able to read, in sessions she shows them a picture of an apple, and says the word “apple”, in order to enforce the idea that the picture is fact an apple and what the word “apple” looks like. To explain abstract ideas to children, Jenny read It’s Raining Cats and Dogs, a book that demonstrates the use of sarcasm and idioms.

First-grade phonics is also imperative in learning how to read; incorporating the knowledge that every letter makes a sound with whole language to create balanced literacy aids reading skills.

“There is a song we teach for the sounds of letters; it goes like this: ‘T says Tah Tah.’”

Jenny’s writing skills are not only crucial for her clients’ progress, but also her own professional development. Reports are necessary because they show the growth of the client to parents/caregivers. If a family feels inadequate service is being provided or their child is not making progress, written reports serve as documentations to avoid law-suits. Similarly, speech pathologists can get audited by the state and they must have records to account for each client.

“Writing evaluations are hard work, but they are so fulfilling because it fuels my clients’ needs.”

 Personal Growth

Jenny has found that speech pathology intertwines English and science. The English aspect involves teaching language, vocabulary, pronunciations, phonics, and fluency. Science ties in the anatomy of muscles and the body.

“I am grateful I took AP English and science in high school, it provided me with a good background of both, since my profession is a combination of the two.”

Throughout her career, Jenny has seen growth not only in her clients, but also herself. She has always been a people person and hearing her clients’ stories has allowed her to become more empathetic.

“It is crazy to see disorders and struggles my clients have, it reminds me how good my life is. When I see what others are struggling through it reminds me what could have been.”

Aspirations

For college students Jenny’s advice is to find a balance between doing well academically and taking care of yourself. She recommends teachers to get to know the speech pathologist in your school to create beneficial sessions to foster children’s success.

 “I want my clients to be successful, so I take time to learn what other people are doing with them.”

 “You do not need to be perfect, just work at getting better and growing in what you are doing.”

What’s an English major?

Four Pace students offer surprising and thoughtful analogies that help us appreciate the joys and challenges of majoring in English.

Which of the comparisons resonates most with you? Do you have your own fun way to think about your identity as an English major? Tell us in the comments!