The C. Bascom Slemp Foundation has provided funding for projects at UVa-Wise which will foster research and enhance the writing skills of the region’s teachers and their students.

The Appalachian Writing Project has been awarded $60,000 to continue its summer institute for public school teachers in the region and to continue the “Young Writers’ Camp” for middle and upper primary schools in Southwest Virginia.

“We are thrilled about the opportunities this award will provide for teachers in southwestern Virginia, particularly in a time of such financial uncertainty for education,” said Professor Amy Clark, director of the AWP. “Our programs are designed and taught by teachers for teachers to give them the resources and time they need to develop innovative classroom practice that works. We are particularly interested in offering more programming during our summer writing institute, as well as offering more Young Writers' Camps throughout the region.”

Founded in 2002, the AWP became a member of the National Writing Project and joined eight sites in the Virginia Writing Project network. The AWP bolsters classroom education in the area through the teacher-in-service programs and special projects geared toward students.

The Slemp Foundation also provided UVa-Wise with $30,000 for undergraduate research. The Foundation generously established the C. Bascom Slemp Fund for Undergraduate Research, which enabled several students to present at the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society Conference and allowed additional students to present at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Southeast Regional Undergraduate Research Conference. The funds provided for the purchase of supplies used in research and helped students complete undergraduate research projects.

The most recent gift from the Slemp Foundation ensures that students receive more personalized guidance from faculty mentors and greater access to laboratories, equipment and space to complete research.