The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW) promotes the teaching of writing through collaborative learning. Peer tutors and NCPTW professionals help students become self-sufficient writers. NCPTW professionals are leaders in collaborative approaches, responding to the challenges of creating and operating writing centers, developing innovative peer tutoring programs, and promoting the work of their peer tutors. The NCPTW offers peer tutors the opportunity to contribute in professional and scholarly ways to the larger writing center community, and we’re dedicated to providing forums for tutors to share and present research at national and international conferences.
Host Institution
The University of Puget Sound is a nationally recognized private liberal arts college of approximately 2,600 undergraduates. Named one of only 40 colleges in the nation included in “Colleges That Change Lives, ” Puget Sound is known for its interdisciplinary majors, innovative study abroad and experiential learning programs, conservatory-level School of Music, commitment to sustainability, active student-run Outdoors program, and nationally ranked science lab facilities—and, of course, for the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching, where our peer tutors in writing and subject tutoring are located. Puget Sound is in the top 10% of colleges for students who go on to earn doctorate degrees, and has been in the top 10 among small colleges nationwide of Peace Corps volunteer-producing schools every year since 2001. Founded in 1888 and located in Tacoma’s residential North End neighborhood, the Puget Sound campus is notable for its beautiful landscaping and campus architecture.
About Tacoma
Named one of America’s most walkable cities, Tacoma is easy to explore on foot, and its downtown corridor is connected by a free Link light-rail system. The Hotel Murano is located in the heart of Tacoma’s historic downtown, with excellent views of Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound. This four-star hotel pairs comfortable guestrooms and conference facilities with a wide-ranging collection of glass art; public areas display impressive blown and fused glass art, and each guest floor features the work of a single artist’s glass art and sketches.
We hope that NCPTW attendees will be able to enjoy some of the local attractions during the weekend. On Thursday night of the conference, our local peer tutors will be available to lead small groups to local attractions in Tacoma and Seattle. Within walking distance of the hotel are four world-class museums: Museum of Glass, home to resident and visiting glass artists who work in the museum’s Hot Shop amphitheater; Tacoma Art Museum, home to a vibrant collection of Northwest and Western art; America’s Car Museum, home to the largest privately owned car collection in the world; and the Washington State History Museum. There are a number of restaurants within easy walking distance of the Hotel Murano as well, ranging from fine and casual dining near the business center to college campus fare near the University of Washington Tacoma campus. Throughout downtown Tacoma, there are good Korean barbecue, Japanese American teriyaki, and Vietnamese pho restaurants run by local families.
On Sunday afternoon, we encourage NCPTW attendees to visit other local attractions before going home. A few of these attractions are Chambers Bay, named the best municipal golf course in the country and home of the 2015 US Open; Point Defiance Park, a 760-acre park along Tacoma’s scenic waterfront which includes a zoo and aquarium, a living history museum, botanical gardens, and hiking trails; and Stadium High School, the original terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, though better known today for its 10 Things I Hate About You fame.