Department of Basic Composition

Faculty & Staff Biographies

DEBORAH MARROTT

(Ph.D. University of Utah) is Professor of Basic Composition. Dr. Marrott has taught composition and literature at the college level for over 20 years. She is in her second term as BC/ESL Department Chair and has served on numerous institutional committees, including chairing the UVU Faculty Excellence Committee and the UVU Tenure Board of Review.  Based on student ratings, she won the 1997-1998 University College Faculty Excellence Award and has since been nominated 12 additional times for that award.  Her scholarship focuses on basic writing pedagogy, social justice in education and educational linguistic anthropology. She is passionate about researching how people use language and seeing the ways in which gaining confidence in reading and writing can change students’ lives.  She loves her large family, the beach, NFL football and spending time with her husband and her two Miniature Schnauzers, Wolfgang and Hank. 

MELINDA BENDER

(M.A.I.S. Oregon State University) is Professor of Basic Composition. She serves on numerous department, school, and university committees. She has published articles in several refereed journals, including Journal of College Teaching and Learning, The Journal of Learning in Higher Education, Western Journal of Communication,  Journal of Business and Economic Research, and Teaching Journal of the ooi Academy.  Her primary research interests are Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning, Civic Engagement, and Arts Integration. She loves animals, enjoys hiking in the mountains, and walking on the beach.

FORREST WILLIAMS

(Ed.D. Brigham Young University) is an Associate Professor of Basic Composition. He has taught in the department since 1994. He served for nearly eight years as the department chair and has developed distance education and hybrid basic writing courses for the department that are enhanced through the thoughtful use of technology. Growing up in Wyoming as the second of eleven children, he spent time training horses and being a guide in the beautiful Wind River Mountains while he discovered his appreciation of good writing. Forrest also has a minor in Italian and knows the difficulties of learning another language as an adult. If you walk into his office, you may hear him speaking Italian to his wife on the phone. His research interests are Digital Literacy, Computer-Mediated Writing, the Training of Department Chairs, and Higher Education Administration and Governance.

CHITRALEKHA DUTTAGUPTA

(Ph.D. Arizona State University) is an Assistant Professor of Basic Composition. Currently, she also serves as a member of the UVU IRB. She is co-editor of The Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Basic Writing and co-author of Everyday Writing, a textbook for basic and ESL writers. Her research interests are basic writing, English as a Second Language and using technology in writing. She loves reading and traveling.

THOMAS HENRY

(Ph.D. Michigan Technological University) is an Assistant Professor of Basic Composition. Dr. Henry has served as Chair of the UVU Academic Standards Committee, Chair of the UVU Faculty Development Committee, and Vice-President of the Utah Council of Teachers of English. As a scholar, his work appears in Computers and Composition Online, Utah English Journal, and the Basic Writing e-journal. He is a contributor to the Bedford Bibliography of Basic Writing (Bedford/St. Martin's Press) and Basic Writing Online (McGraw-Hill Companies). In Spring 2011, he was awarded the UVU Faculty Excellence Award. His research interests include: Rhetorical Style, Rhetorical Grammar, Lexicology, and Technology. On a personal note, he is married to Marianna Henry, the UVU International Studies Program Coordinator, and they have three wonderful children.

JOSHUA HILST

(Ph.D. Clemson University) is an Assistant Professor of Basic Composition. He is also currently the Faculty Director of the UVU Writing Center. His principal research interests are post-process composition, rhetorical memory and technology, and the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze; his work has been published in Enculturation, JAC and the JBWe. He enjoys spending time with his wife and their daughter, and their entire family enjoys being involved in the local theater.

JACQUELINE PRESTON

(Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison) is an Assistant Professor Basic Composition. Dr. Preston holds a Doctorate in Composition and Rhetoric. Her teaching interests include Rhetorical Approaches to First Year Composition, Project-based Learning, and Community Based Research and Learning. In addition to teaching basic composition courses, Dr. Preston teaches undergraduate research as part of the Honors in Action program at UVU. Her research interests include, Rhetorical Ethnography, Qualitative Methods, and Rhetorical Hermeneutics. Her work has been published in First YearComposition, an Instructor's Guide for the University of Wisconsin's FYC program and Community Literacy Journal. She currently serves on the Faculty Senate and is the In-service Coordinator for the Basic Composition Department. Jacque and her husband are avid hikers and campers and enjoy spending their weekends exploring Utah.

SHERI RYSDAM

(Ph.D. Washington State University) is an Assistant Professor of Basic Composition. Her PhD is in Rhetoric and Composition from WSU. She has been teaching college-level writing since 2003. Composition Theory is her specialty, and her scholarly publications are in political economy, contingency studies, social class, and responding to student writing. In her free time, she teaches and practices many forms of yoga.

RYAN FURNER

(ABD University of Utah) is Lecturer of Basic Composition. He has been teaching Basic Reading and Writing at Utah Valley University since 2009. Prior to his career at Utah Valley University, he taught and served in a variety of college/university positions. In addition to teaching, he serves as the Official Adjunct Instructor Liaison. He is student-centered, creates student engagement opportunities, and loves enhancing student abilities. Personally, he loves biking, singing, and service activities.

PACE GARDNER

(M.A. Chapman University) Pace Gardner is a lecturer for the Department of Basic Composition and ESL. He received his Master’s of Arts in English from Chapman University in 2011. In addition to his MA, he also possesses a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Chapman University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Utah. Before beginning his lectureship, Mr. Gardner taught as an adjunct faculty member at both at Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College. The focus of his research, publication and presentation history is multifold; Mr. Gardner has studied and presented comparative literature papers on the formative genesis of mid-20th century American authors, he has also crafted and published several works of creative short fiction, and he has worked previously as a freelancer sports reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune. Despite these pursuits, Mr. Gardner possesses a significant background in composition and rhetoric, honed through his substantial experience as both writing tutor and writing teacher.

MICHAEL HILBERT

(M.A. Washington State University) Mike Hilbert received his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Utah in 2009. In May of 2012 Mike graduated with his M.A. degree in Rhetoric and Composition from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Mike’s scholarly and research interests include large-scale writing assessment, student placement within composition programs, and collaborative learning in first-year writing courses. Mike is a past instructor of English 101—Introduction to College Writing at Washington State University, and has held several internships in Washington State University’s Writing Programs in which he assisted administrators in programmatic design, student advancement, and student placement. When he isn’t teaching, Mike enjoys playing basketball, watching the Utah Jazz, camping, and fly-fishing. He lives in Lehi, Utah with his wife and daughter.

 

LISA WILLIAMSON

(M.Ed. Westminster College) is an Academic Advisor for Basic Composition. Lisa has been an academic advisor for four years in Basic Composition and ESL. She has a BA in English Literature from UVU, TESOL certification, and an M.Ed. with an emphasis in Adult Learning from Westminster College. In her less sane moments, she considers a Ph.D every now and again. When she is not advising or teaching, Lisa spends her time watching documentaries, reading mostly non-fiction books, and discovering and eating at good local restaurants.

ELIZABETH NIELD

(B.M. La Salle University, Cancun) is an Administrative Assistant of Basic Composition. Elizabeth is from Cancun, Mexico. She earned her Bachelor’s of Business Management from LA SALLE CANCUN University. She has experience in human relations, customer service, and quality control for 8 years at hotels in Mexico and in United States. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, snowmobiling, swimming, camping, hiking, and watching movies. Also, Elizabeth likes to work for Basic Composition and ESL department because she gets to meet interesting students and the different cultures that they are from.

SUHYEN PEREZ

(B.A. Kyung Hee University) is an Administrative Assistant of Basic Composition. SuHyen Um is from Seoul, South Korea. She has B. A. in Economics, Applied Linguistics and Education from Kyung Hee University. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah. Previously, she served as a VISTA(Volunteer in Service to America) at UVU Volunteer and Service Learning Center. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring, training dogs, gardening, attending cultural events, and being involved in community activities. She loves to support and interact with people of all different backgrounds.