Jehn is appointed director of the Harvard College Writing Program

Thomas R. Jehn, an expert in writing pedagogy, has been appointed Sosland Director in the Harvard College Writing Program, effective immediately.

Jehn has served as interim director of the Harvard College Writing Program since August 2007. The program encompasses “Expository Writing,” a course required of every Harvard undergraduate; the Writing Center, which provides resources and assistance to student writers; and the Harvard Writing Project, which aims to foster effective writing instruction in the College.

“We are delighted that Dr. Jehn will continue to lead and develop Harvard’s vibrant writing programs,” said Jay M. Harris, dean of undergraduate education at Harvard College and Harry Austryn Wolfson Professor of Jewish Studies. “He displays a deep commitment to teaching the craft of writing, and his vision for curricular and co-curricular initiatives will provide new support for writing activities throughout the College.”

Jehn has been teaching at Harvard for more than a decade. He first came to campus in 1997 as a preceptor in the Expository Writing Program, and served as the nonresident writing tutor for Adams House the subsequent year. In 2000, he was named director of the Extension School Writing Center. Jehn became assistant director of the Harvard College Writing Project in 2003.

“Dr. Jehn’s experience in a wide array of writing initiatives at Harvard makes him uniquely positioned to lead and develop the College Writing Program successfully,” said Evelynn M. Hammonds, dean of Harvard College and Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies. “We are confident that the program will continue to flourish under his guidance, as it serves the varying needs of College writers.”

Jehn holds a B.A. in English language and literature from the University of Chicago. He received his M.A. (1992) and Ph.D. (2003) in English language and literature from the University of Virginia. He is co-author of “Writing in the Disciplines” (Bedford, 2007) and has contributed to many college writing textbooks, including “A Writer’s Reference” (Bedford, 2007) and “The Bedford Handbook” (Bedford, 2006).  He has written articles for the Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Baltimore Sun, among other publications.

In addition to his teaching duties, Jehn serves as director of the Writing Mentor Program for the Harvard Allston Education Portal. As a program officer and board member for the Boston Athenaeum’s education charity, he designed and led financing for university-partnered writing centers at eight underresourced public high schools serving more than 3,000 students. Jehn also advises university writing programs across the United States and conducts professional development seminars for teachers and writers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.