The John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines at Cornell University supports writing seminars and writing intensive courses in a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and at all levels of undergraduate education; it also engages in a variety of outreach activities.

The Knight Institute coordinates the First-Year Writing Seminar Program, which serves the vast majority of first-year students at Cornell. It also has developed advanced-writing initiatives: it coordinates Writing in the Majors, an upper-level program, and supports English 2880/2890: Expository Writing. The Knight Institute is also home to the Writing Workshop, which offers tutorial writing classes and tutoring services. In all, more than thirty-five academic departments and programs offer courses associated with the Knight Institute's programs.

As support for its programs, the Knight Institute offers developmental programs and training. Faculty and graduate students who will teach First-Year Writing Seminars or who will offer courses associated with Writing in the Majors may participate in the Faculty Seminar for Writing Instruction, in Writing 7100: Teaching Writing, or in Writing 7101: Writing in the Majors. Other programs are also available.

We know of no writing program that exceeds Cornell's in the richness and diversity of its course offerings. The strength of the program was recognized in September 2000 by the Time/Princeton Review when it designated Cornell the Private Research University "College of the Year" on the basis of its writing-in-the-disciplines approach.