Tom Fox

Outstanding Professor 2000/2001

Tom Fox, professor of English, excels in his academic roles as teacher of composition, administrator of writing programs, and scholar of composition studies. Fox says, “The overall aim of my professional life has been to make literacy instruction democratic and effective.” Lynn Elliott, chair of the Department of English, says, “It is particularly important to note that all of Tom’s scholarship and the projects he directs are directly involved with student learning.”

As director of the Northern California Writing Project and associate director of the California Writing Project, Fox has been instrumental in changing approaches to the teaching of writing and the administration of writing programs at the local, state, and national levels. He has received more than $1 million in grants to direct projects that improve writing skills in high schools and universities. In 2000, the Northern California Writing Project was named “Exemplary Project from 1993 to the Present” by the National Writing Project.

As an author, Fox says, “I challenge myself and my readers to examine and question undemocratic practices of our institutions, classrooms, and scholarship.” He has written three books: Defending Access: A Critique of Standards in Higher Education; Writing With: New Directions in Collaborative Teaching, Learning and Research; and The Social Uses of Writing: Politics and Pedagogy. He has also published 16 professional articles and chapters in books, and presented at dozens of national and local conferences. Thia Wolf, former coordinator of the CSU, Chico Writing Center, says, “I cannot recall reading any article past 1992 dealing with race and gender issues in literacy instruction that does not cite Tom’s work. He is so well known and respected that the CSU, Chico Writing Program has become synonymous with his name.”