The Writing and Communication Center (WCC) was founded at the New Economic School (NES) in September 2011 in connection with the launch of the joint Higher School of Economics (HSE) and NES Bachelor of Arts in Economics (BAE) program. With its emphasis on the development of students’ communication skills and critical thinking, the BAE program was the first to benefit from the WCC services as early as September 2011. The WCC was conceived as a free and voluntary academic support service for NES students wishing to become stronger writers and speakers in both English and Russian and for NES faculty wishing to integrate written and oral communication into their courses. These two branches constitute our priority in allocating resources. In the course of its development, the WCC has begun helping faculty who wish to enhance the quality of their written and oral academic communication. Also, in response to the growing interest in academic writing skills and composition pedagogy from colleagues across universities, the WCC has made outreach efforts. Currently the WCC offers services to NES students in all academic programs – BAE, Master of Arts in Economics (MAE), and Master’s in Finance (MiF) – alumni, and faculty. Occasionally, we also assist NES staff with their editing needs.
