Dr. Susan Dinitz has made extraordinary and lasting contributions to the UVM community. She has been among the most active faculty members in shaping the writing culture at UVM and promoting skills and methods of inquiry that are now recognized as integral to all majors and careers. She led in the development and growth of an undergraduate writing center and tutor-education program that serve as national models.

Dr. Dinitz directed the UVM Writing Center from 1983 to 1988 and again from 1998 to 2018. As a strong voice on the Foundational Writing and Information Literacy Committee, she played a fundamental role in developing this as one of the four General Education requirements.

Dr. Dinitz is an active scholar in writing center studies, presenting at national and international conferences, hosting the New England Writing Centers regional conference, and publishing in peer-reviewed venues. Her teaching is equally influential and effective. She is a Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award winner and a Carnegie Foundation Vermont Professor of the Year.  She developed eight new classes at UVM, most related to expository writing and is a role model to thesis students, many of whom have sought her as a committee member.