The Department of Writing Studies at American University of Sharjah (AUS) celebrated the grand opening of the new Writing Center, now located in the AUS Library, at a ceremony held on Sunday, March 18, 2012. 

Located in the AUS Library room LIB 024 and with approximately 240 square meters of floor space, the new Writing Center allows for more student appointments with the center's dedicated tutors. 

Mark Rush, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, stated, "This is a truly important event for AUS and our students.  The expansion of the Writing Center manifests the university's commitment to ensuring that our students have a first-rate learning experience.  Developing and improving communication skills is vital not only to students' intellectual development but also to their success after graduation," he added. 

"We're very excited to have such a large space. More students are able to come and visit us whenever they need help with their writing," said Dr. Maria Eleftheriou, Director of the Writing Center.

"It's a fresh start," said Feras Ahmed, a senior student majoring in finance, who is also tutor at the Writing Center. "It's about four times bigger than the old Writing Center. The center is a place where both tutors and writing fellows can utilize their skills in helping students," he added.

Students of the College of Art, Architecture and Design and students of the Department of Mass Communication have enhanced the site's atmosphere with an exhibition of their artistic photographs, which are permanently installed on the walls of the Writing Center. These images were first featured in the new custom textbook of the Department of Writing Studies, entitled Where I Stand: The Center and the Periphery.