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URI Academic Enhancement Center now home to combined Writing and Speaking Studio 

New studio within Roosevelt Hall will offer undergraduate students in any major opportunity to improve speaking, writing skills

A student presents in the writing and speaking centers studio
URI’s Academic Enhancement Center has formally combined the University’s writing and speaking centers into a single studio, allowing for expanded individualized support to any student seeking to learn how to speak and write with more confidence and less anxiety. (URI photo)

KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 30, 2026 – Citing a campuswide need to assist University of Rhode Island students in bettering their writing and verbal communication skills across all fields of study to enhance successful career outcomes, the URI Academic Enhancement Center has combined the University’s writing and speaking centers into a single combined Writing and Speaking Studio.

Part of the URI Fannon Institute for Student Success, the AEC offers students academic coaching and tutoring to help them meet stringent coursework demands and develop effective learning strategies. AEC had previously housed the Writing Center in Roosevelt Hall while the Speaking Center, located in Ranger Hall, was part of the Harrington School of Communication and Media.

AEC Director Jennifer Burgess says that she was approached by URI Interim Chair of Communication Scott Kushner last summer on how AEC could partner with URI’s communications school to support student speakers in all majors. Burgess says combining the speaking center with the writing center at the AEC allows for expanded individualized support to any student seeking to learn how to speak and write with more confidence and less anxiety.

“Having strong oral communication skills and the ability to articulate to an audience is more important now than ever. In some cases, students may not feel as comfortable speaking in front of someone as they do writing an email or a paper,” Burgess said. “Learning strong writing and speaking skills in this combined studio can positively impact students’ confidence. We hope that when students leave URI and enter the workforce or graduate school, they have highly developed skills in speaking and writing so they can thrive.”

The Writing and Speaking Studio—located in Rooms 20 and 21 in the lower level of Roosevelt Hall—will employ URI students to help peers strengthen their class presentations and various group projects in academic settings. Consultants can also support writing and practicing career-related skills such as networking, writing cover letters, and interviewing. Plus, they can help students gain confidence in everyday situations such as speaking up in class or visiting office hours. 

Heather Price, AEC’s assistant director who will oversee the Writing and Speaking Studio, says employing students at the studio to mentor their peers, helping them hone their skills and relax nervous emotions through certain situations, is greatly beneficial. That connection and camaraderie will establish a comfortable learning environment within the studio for all to thrive in, she said.

“The consultants can help students understand how to navigate through anxious feelings by learning strategies and techniques to overcome those fears during presentations,” Price said. “Having that relatability will help students break through those barriers while speaking and writing.”

Both Burgess and Price emphasized that even as society relies more and more on artificial intelligence, having individualized support by trained peers and students engaging with one another is critical to long-term professional success. The real-life experience students will receive at the Writing and Speaking Studio cannot be replicated with an AI tool, Burgess said. 

“We’re going to have a space that looks and feels a lot like a classroom with podiums and display boards, simulating settings where one is speaking in front of an audience,” Burgess said. “If students can practice that with our staff, they can develop confidence when it comes time to present live—and maybe enjoy it.”

Price says students seeking services from the Writing and Speaking Studio can make appointments through AEC’s TutorTrac in their Microsoft Office 365 account. University departments and colleges are also encouraged to notify students of the various services offered by the AEC, including the Writing and Speaking Studio, to help them achieve academic success.

For more information about the Writing and Speaking Studio at the URI Academic Enhancement Center, or to schedule a visit to your classroom, contact AEC Director Jennifer Burgess at (401) 874-5173 or jlburgess@uri.edu; or AEC Assistant Director Heather Price at (401) 874-5065 or hprice@uri.edu.