Graduate Student Spotlight
Tiffany Buckingham Barney

Meet the Department of Writing & Rhetoric Studies' new Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) President: Tiffany Buckingham Barney!

“I’m a home-grown U student in every way. I was initially admitted as an undergrad, then transferred to SLCC for my associate’s, then back for a bachelor’s in English and minor in linguistics. While an undergrad, I interned as a technical writer through the U’s Hinckley Institute and tutored at SLCC’s writing center. Shortly after, I took invitations to a master’s/teaching assistantship in linguistics at the U and an adjunct faculty position at SLCC.

Because of my deeply rooted relationship with the U, it seemed natural to include it in my applications for PhD programs and fitting for this program to be the offer I accepted.

Since joining this program I’ve participated in rich seminar classes, cultivated my teaching skills, added scientific writing to my toolkit, and adapted a 1010 course to an online shell. I was also honored to be selected by my students for a teaching excellence award.

I’ve participated in conferences by serving on advisory committees, putting together panels, chairing, and presenting my own research. I also added a new instructor-focused digital publication to Writing Spaces.

Currently, I’m working to formalize our department’s GSAC and am excited to start my elected term serving my fellow grad students as GSAC president this coming January.

This last stretch of my formal education is rich with learning and teaching, presenting and publishing, as well as outside and departmental service opportunities. I’m especially excited to continue grafting my scholarship in English, linguistics, and writing studies with my research on automated writing assessment and genAI. This home-grown U student is ready to blossom.”