{"id":236392,"date":"2026-06-22T10:41:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=236392"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:47:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:47:52","slug":"writing-center-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/22\/writing-center-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Founder\u2019s family makes historic $630K<\/abbr> donation to UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Writing Center"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Peer tutors help fellow students brainstorm ideas and refine their work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Foundation<\/a> has received a $630,000 estate gift—the largest in the history of the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> Writing Center<\/a>—to establish the center\u2019s first permanent endowment, ensuring long-term support for student writing services. The gift was directed by historian Lisa Olsen Tait in honor of her late aunt, LaRene Despain, an English professor who co-founded the Writing Center in the 1970s.<\/p>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/bnr59sGXfJc” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

The endowment provides stable, ongoing funding to expand tutoring, outreach and support services, particularly for first-generation and international students. Writing centers are often among the most heavily used academic resources on campus, offering one-on-one guidance that helps students succeed across disciplines.<\/p>\n

“This historic gift ensures the Writing Center will continue to be a vital resource, helping students from all backgrounds find their voices and strengthen their writing,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the College of Arts, Languages & Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A legacy of teaching and mentorship<\/h2>\n

Despain joined UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> in 1972 while completing her PhD<\/abbr> at the University of Connecticut and became an early leader in the emerging field of composition studies. She advocated for a collaborative, student-centered approach to writing, emphasizing drafting, peer feedback and mentorship over rigid instruction.<\/p>\n

“The \u201970s and \u201980s were a formative time in English studies, and LaRene was on the cutting edge of that movement,” Tait said. “Her work shaped how writing was taught, including her textbook Writing: A Workshop Approach<\/em>, which I used in my own teaching.”<\/p>\n

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LaRene Despain joined UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> in 1972 and helped establish the Writing Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond the classroom, Despain was known for her commitment to students and colleagues, particularly through her work at the Writing Center.<\/p>\n

“The Writing Center became a really important place for LaRene,” Tait said. “She valued the opportunity to work one-on-one with students and to mentor both writers and tutors.”<\/p>\n

Expanding impact for future students<\/h2>\n

Leaders say the new endowment will allow the Writing Center to grow its reach and deepen its impact across campus.<\/p>\n

“This gift gives us the ability to build partnerships, expand outreach and create resources we\u2019ve long envisioned,” said assistant professor of English Isaac Wang, who also serves as the director of the Writing Center. “It allows us to turn ideas into reality.”<\/p>\n

Read more on the UH<\/abbr> Foundation website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The endowment provides stable, ongoing funding to expand tutoring, outreach and support services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":236393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,12],"tags":[1471,342,1466,319,9,56],"class_list":["post-236392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-video","tag-college-of-arts-languages-and-letters","tag-english","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t