New York University

Gallatin Writing Program Director June Foley would never judge a book by its cover. That is, unless the book was Writing What We Want —a collection of writing by adults in a University Settlement Society class that she and her students have facilitated for eight years—and the cover was not printed perfectly. In that case, she contacted the printer and, with consummate grace and charm, had the books reprinted for free, in time for them to be used as texts on the first day of class. Her diligence, her commitment to excellence, her empathetic nature, and her drive to serve her community are what make Foley a particularly beloved member of Gallatin’s staff. These same qualities are what led her to receive NYU’s Distinguished Administrator Award this spring.

The Distinguished Administrator Award recognizes outstanding administrators who have significantly impacted the University community through their exceptional leadership, innovation, communication, and service. Gallatin Dean Susanne Wofford states, “June’s brilliance, efficiency and creativity; her thorough, thoughtful and high-quality administrative style; her attention to detail and her extraordinary capacity for leadership are among the qualities that are recognized with this award. Under her leadership, Gallatin’s Writing Program has thrived, and she has been instrumental in developing several initiatives that have brought Gallatin respect and renown throughout the city. June has done so much to make Gallatin a special place for writers and for all students and faculty.”

In her direction of Gallatin’s Writing Program, which has a range of educational, community outreach, and cultural components, Foley has an enormous impact at the School. The program sponsors more than 30 writing seminars a semester and reaches all Gallatin students during their educational trajectories. In addition, Foley runs Gallatin Teachers Reading, at which faculty read from their recently published works; Writers in Progress, at which faculty and staff read from works in progress; and a guest lecture series. For the Writing Center, she trains and supervises undergraduate peer writing assistants who then provide editorial support to all Gallatin students; she oversees the Writing Program News, an e-newsletter that informs students of jobs, internships, readings, calls for writing and contests; and she works with a faculty adviser (currently Professor Sara Murphy) to oversee the production of The Gallatin Review, the School’s annual student-edited literary and visual arts magazine.

Foley, center, along with the team of student editors, photographers, and designers that produced Volume 7 of The Literacy Review in 2009.

Then there’s the Literacy Project, which Foley spearheaded in 2001. The project began with Gallatin’s “Literacy in Action” course, which combines the academic study of adult literacy and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) education with supervised field work in teaching at partner institutions throughout NYC. The work inspired Foley to create and publish The Literacy Review , an anthology of some of the best writing from adult literacy and ESOL programs throughout the city. Produced by a student editorial committee under Foley’s direction, the Review receives submissions from more than 35 literacy sites, by writers who hail from nearly 50 countries and, once published, is used as a text in classes at such sites. To celebrate its publication, Foley organizes a dinner and reading for 200 people each spring.

Since its inception, Foley has found ways to expand the reach of the Literacy Project. Four years ago, she created the annual Literacy Review Workshops in Teaching Writing to Adult Basic Education, GED, and ESOL Students, which last year serviced about 150 teachers in 15 workshops. She’s also produced publications in collaboration with partner institutions, such as Refugee Writing, written by the adult refugees in a class offered in a partnership between Gallatin’s Writing Program and the International Rescue Committee. In 2008, Foley received the Literacy Recognition Award from the Literacy Assistance Centers of New York for her work in helping teachers reach virtually thousands of NYC students.

Last fall, Foley and the Writing Committee took on the School’s new Great World Texts project, in which Gallatin faculty and students collaborate with teachers and students at NYC public high schools in studying a canonical or “contemporary classic” literary work. The pilot project was global in scope, linking the NYC students with those at two high schools in Nairobi, Kenya (for full story, see page 9). Foley recently taught a Faculty Resource Network Summer Seminar to teachers at minority-serving institutions, using the Writing Program’s Literacy and Great World Texts projects as models for community outreach for institutions as far away as the University of Puerto Rico.

Gallatin Professor Stacy Pies, chair of the Writing Committee, states, “June is one of the most accomplished administrators I have worked with in twelve years at NYU. It is astonishing how much she brings to fruition and with how much care and brilliance she manages to execute the many aspects of her job. The students who take ‘Literacy in Action’ have often found this experience to be life changing. June’s reach extends from her classroom, through the city, and overseas. As an indefatigable, spirited presence at Gallatin, she is a practical and emotional resource for all Gallatin writing teachers and her own staff.”

Foley humbly asserts, “To me, this award recognizes the excellence of the Gallatin Writing Program—such an honor! I feel very fortunate to be doing work that I love, with the amazing Writing Program team and the extraordinary students, staff, and faculty at Gallatin.”

To learn more about the Gallatin Writing Program, go to www.nyu.edu/gallatin/writing.