Noel Studio Already Offering Consultations, Orientation Sessions

Also, faculty members can schedule orientation sessions via a form on the Noel Studio’s website, studio-old.eku.edu. Studio representatives are even available to visit classrooms for 5- to 10-minute presentations about services and programs.

The Noel Studio, a $2.8 million project, embodies EKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which calls for the University to develop informed, critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively. It is unique in its integration of services, all in a technologically sophisticated environment, designed to enhance students’ writing, speaking and research skills and inspire individual and collaborative learning.

“We see these areas as informing and extending each other,” said Studio Director Dr. Rusty Carpenter. “It’s an interdisciplinary and collaborative space through and through, from training to execution.”

The thoroughly prepared consultants, a mix of graduate and undergraduate students, can assist students on papers, projects and presentations, as well as resumes and applications, and more.

“Wherever they are in the communication development process, we encourage students to bring in their ideas and questions for objective feedback,” Carpenter said, “but it’s not an editing service. “We’re not here to tell students what to do, but to help them develop lifelong communication skills that will transfer to any career.”

In addition to individual and group consultations, a variety of workshops and seminars will be scheduled throughout the academic year.

The Studio will offer a variety of spaces that allow students to develop their communication skills through critical and creative thinking: invention spaces where ideas are born, presentation practice rooms, a presentation suite for delivering and refining oral communication, breakout spaces for spontaneous collaborative group work or creative work with manipulatives, conference space for networking with colleagues on campus and remotely along with practicing and capturing group dynamics, and a discovery classroom for orientations, guest speakers, conferences, and instruction sessions.

Students will be able to utilize technology such a CopyCam system, flat-screen monitors, touch-screen technology, and video equipment, as well as a variety of low-tech resources for collaboration and invention, including mobile whiteboards, thought-provoking games, and manipulatives.

The Noel Studio space is designed to encourage communication and collaboration, Carpenter noted, and supports different learning styles of students.

“We want this to be a busy, vibrant place, tightly connected to the academic fabric of this institution, and a central component of what it means to be an EKU student,” Carpenter said.

The student consultants in the Studio were carefully selected on the basis of faculty recommendations, demonstrated leadership, academic record, and writing samples, among other factors. “The interviews proved that students are very knowledgeable about what the Noel Studio can accomplish on this campus,” Carpenter said.

Three coordinators – Shawn Apostel for communication, Trenia Napier for research, and Leslie Valley for writing – comprise the Studio’s professional staff, responsible for daily operations.

The exciting new space bears the name of Ron and Sherrie Lou Noel of Union, Ky., long-time supporters of the University whose $1 million-plus gift helped make the facility possible.

Dedication ceremonies for the Noel Studio are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29.

For more information about the Noel Studio, visit studio-old.eku.edu, call 622-7330 or e-mail noelstudio@eku.edu.