Todd Craig named senior director of the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing

Penn has named Todd Craig as the Marks Family Senior Director of the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing. 

Craig, who has been serving as a professor of English, Urban Studies, and African American Studies at the City University of New York, brings an interdisciplinary background to the position, with expertise in writing, education, and hip-hop studies. He is assuming the role of permanent director for the first time since October 2023, when former senior director Valerie Ross retired after nearly two decades, leaving the position without a permanent leader.

Matthew Osborn has been serving as the interim director for the past two years. Kathy Brown, the program’s faculty director, told The Daily Pennsylvanian in April that the CWP was in a “moment of transition” and that a permanent director would be named soon. The appointment positions Craig to guide the program into its next phase.

In his new role, Craig will oversee the CWP's efforts to strengthen undergraduate writing across Penn’s schools. Currently, the Center supports students through a range of programs — including its Critical Writing Seminar series, workshops, symposiums, and a peer-based writing center, which cultivates both critical thinking and collaborative learning. 

At CUNY, Craig held associate professor positions in the Graduate Center and at New York City College of Technology.

His scholarly work suggests a forward-thinking approach to writing instruction. His publications explore how hip-hop DJs operate as “new media reader[s] and writer[s],” and he has been recognized with many awards celebrating English academia.

Craig has authored "'K for the Way': DJ Rhetoric and Literacy for 21st Century Writing Studies" in 2023, and he has two book projects forthcoming — "Beyond 'An Institution Adrift:' The Third Current of Writing at CUNY in the 21st Century" and "The Sonic Biography of Thin Air: A Mixtape for Sonic Rhetoric."