SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Susquehanna University Writers' Institute received a $30,000 President's Fund for Excellence award in recognition of the creation and growth of the writing curriculum and the outstanding accomplishments of student writers.

In just two years since its creation, 37 students have chosen the writing major and 16 students have chosen to minor in writing.

"We're growing so rapidly that my most optimistic guess for last academic year's figures was exceeded by 50 percent," says Dr. Gary Fincke, professor of English and director of the Writers' Institute. Fincke adds that almost all of the seniors in the program are going on to graduate school for writing and that several writing majors have been awarded full and partial fellowships during the past two years.

"I think the main benefit of Susquehanna's writing program is its size," says Susanna Lamey, a 2000 graduate of the program. "It's small enough that a writer can receive individual attention, but large enough that there is a community of student writers who can help and support each other."

The $30,000 award will be used to start a nonfiction magazine showcasing the work of Susquehanna University undergraduates. The magazine will debut in the fall of 2000 with the intent to "elicit attention from writers and writing programs throughout the nation," says Fincke.

The fund will also be used to bring a visiting writer to campus for an extended residency, fund a second summer Writers' Workshop for high school students and create an electronic version of The Apprentice Writer. The Apprentice Writer is an anthology of the best high school writing that is collected and produced by the Writers' Institute and then sent to nearly every high school in a 10-state area.

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