(231) 591-2534
[email protected]
1010 Campus Drive
FLITE 120
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Meet the Staff
Joshua Brady, Adjunct Writing Instructor
A Little about Me: I've been with the Ferris State Writing Center as an adjunct since November of 2023. I got my bachelor's here at Ferris State and my master's degree in Art History at the University of Iowa specializing in ancient Rome. In Iowa, I worked at the Writing Center as a tutor and coordinator in addition to teaching introductory rhetoric. I like to spend my free time cooking, gaming, hiking, playing pickleball, and visiting museums.
My Writing Specialties: I can help with a variety of writing, though my favorite subjects are rhetoric, art history, history, and the humanities. I can also help you with your research process, developing essays for applications, technical writing, grant writing, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style.
Will Garason, Student Writing Consultant
A Little about Me: Originally from Paris, Michigan, I’m a student at Ferris and have been working as a consultant at the Writing Center since September 2023. I am majoring in English with a minor in French, and I plan on attending graduate school to obtain a PhD in either Rhetorical Composition or Linguistics. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading fiction and philosophy, fishing the Muskegon River, and practicing my guitar.
My Writing Specialties: While I am capable of writing across many genres, I excel at rhetorical writing including speeches, rhetorical analyses, and argumentative essays. I enjoy and am well-read about topics in socio-political philosophy such as labor relations and capital. Some of my favorite scholars/writers include Baudrillard, Marx, Bakhtin, Hegel, Hemingway, and Murakami.
Brittany Gwisdala, Adjunct Writing INstructor
A Little about Me: As a Ferris alumna of History with a minor in French Language and Literature (2015), I earned my MA in History at Central Michigan University (2019). I have been with the Ferris State Writing Center since January 2023. I also split my time at FSU’s Ready for Life Academy as an Instructional Assistant, where I have been employed since August 2021. I like to spend my free time writing, drawing, playing video games, and expanding my knowledge as a Plague enthusiast.
My Writing Specialties: I am flexible in many areas of writing, though my specialties focus primarily on history and the humanities. My other strengths are analytical essays, research, thesis building, resumes and cover letters, and referencing in Chicago Manual Style.
Sadie Knaffle, Student writing Consultant
A Little about Me: I started working at the Ferris State Writing Center in October of 2023. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree here at Ferris State and am currently working on a second bachelor's degree in nursing. After I graduate, I plan to attend a master's program to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. In my free time I like to find unique places to explore nature, bake sweet treats, and hang out with friends and family.
My Writing Specialties: I have had the opportunity to help others with their writing pieces since my senior year of high school in 2019. I can help with many different writing styles, but I have the most experience working with pieces that deal with healthcare and/or psychology. I can also help with finding sources, APA style, grammar/punctuation, and the overall flow of your writing pieces.
David Marquard, Writing Center Director
A Little about Me: I have been teaching in higher education – and working within writing centers – for over twenty-five years. In addition to directing FSU’s Writing Center, I am a professor of English in the Department of English, Literature and World Languages where I teach courses relating to writing, rhetorical and literary theory, linguistics, literacy and genre studies.
My Writing Specialties: I enjoy all aspects of writing – particularly how writers engage with and understand the nuances of the genres they’re writing within. To be more specific, I enjoy interrogating the various constructs of how it is writers come to understand both the genres they’re writing within and the ways said genres can complicate and restrict the systematic and arbitrary nature of writing and communication.
Missy Mitchel, Adjunct Writing Instructor
A Little about Me: I have worked at the FSU Writing Center as a writing specialist since the fall of
2007. I am also a retired public-school teacher, who has a bachelor’s degree in secondary
education from Central Michigan
University, with an English major and a psychology minor. What I love about working
in-person at the FSU Writing Center is getting to know students and being an encouragement
to them in improving their writing. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with
family and friends, caring for my family’s seven cats, reading, traveling, completing
word and logic puzzles, bowling, attending concerts and plays, and learning about
home décor.
My Writing Specialties: Throughout my career in education, I have taught not only English and psychology, but I have also acquired experience teaching a variety of subjects to different age groups, including middle school, high school, and adult students. Since I have a diverse background working with individuals of all ages, I feel adept in helping college students with any aspect of their writing. In fact, I very much enjoy reading papers from all disciplines, and I am familiar with both MLA and APA formats. My strengths include being a positive support in helping students expand and organize their ideas and guiding them in developing a clear thesis and using effective transitions throughout their writing. I also enjoy reviewing students’ cover letters and résumés, along with personal narratives and application essays as well.
Chloe Powers, Student Writing Consultant
A Little about Me: I have been working at the Writing Center since the spring of 2024. My major here at Ferris is Psychology, but I plan on going to PA school after I graduate. In my free time I love going to antique stores, being a plant mom, hiking with friends, and traveling to new places!
My Writing Specialties: I have had experience with many different types of writing before, but I especially enjoy working with informative and analytical papers. My favorite topics are medicine, history, and psychology. I am also well-versed in APA and MLA formatting.
Erika Roberts, Adjunct Writing Instructor
A Little about Me: I've worked as a writing specialist with the FSU Writing Center since August 2011. I earned my Bachelor of English degree with a minor in French and minor equivalency in German from FSU in 2009. In my free time, I enjoy both reading and writing, primarily in the fantasy genre, and playing tabletop roleplaying games.
My Writing Specialties: Given my varied interests, I enjoy the opportunity to read papers from a wide range of academic disciplines. I am familiar with APA and MLA formats and have occasionally worked with CMS and NLM formats. My areas of special interest include language and linguistics, psychology, and creative writing.
Justin Vance, Adjunct Writing Instructor
A Little about Me: I graduated from Ferris State University in 2006, and returned in 2015 to work as a writing consultant. My academic interests range from literature and poetry to writing instruction and labor history. I have a keen interest in disability rights and workers’ rights, and helped unionize the Writing Center in 2022.
My Writing Specialties: Writing is a messy, complicated, and sometimes scary process, and it is my goal to break projects up into bite size pieces so students can see their way forward. It is my promise that if you show up and put in the effort, I will do all I can to make sure you succeed.