Appreciating Empathy: How Writing Center Collaborations Inform Leadership Development for Student Wellness and Success

The purpose of my action research project was to understand the practice of collaboration within the University of San Diego’s Writing Center as an emerging leader in Higher Education. The goal of this study was to explore the benefits of empathy and relationship development as practiced by the Writing Center to develop leadership strategies for other campus organizations that regularly interact with the institution’s student population. Using several research cycles of Appreciative Inquiry, I observed that the Writing Center functions as a stellar example of collaboration, focusing on peer-to-peer writing consultations with an emphasis on student empathy and relationship development. Working with leaders of the campus community, I then developed a workshop that highlights this style of collaboration as an educational practice and its potential benefits towards students\u27 academic success and sense of belonging to the campus community