History

1918
Cornell Professor of English William Strunk writes The Elements of Style. In 1959 it is published as revised and enlarged by E. B. White, in which form it becomes and has continued to be a classic guide to writing.

1966
Cornell revitalizes the teaching of first-year writing by replacing a program based solely in the Department of English with freshman humanities courses taught in nine departments. The program continues to be administered by the English Department.

1972
The first tutorial service is established; this later becomes the Writing Workshop, offering tutorial services and special writing courses.

1975
The writing program has grown to fifty different courses in seventeen departments.

1982
The writing program, after intensive faculty and administrative consultation, becomes an independently situated, administered, and funded entity.

Fredric Bogel, Professor of English, is hired as the first director of the reorganized writing program (1982 - 1985).

1985
Harry Shaw, Professor of English, becomes Director of the Writing Program from 1985 - 1992

1986
The Knight Foundation provides a major endowment for the Writing Program, ensuring its ability to provide intensive training and skilled supervision to instructors in many disciplines.

The Writing Program is renamed "The John S. Knight Writing Program."

Katherine Gottschalk becomes director of First-Year Writing Seminars.

1988
The Writing in the Majors Program is founded with the aid of a Cornell President's Initiative grant.

Keith Hjortshoj, Senior Lecturer, becomes director of Writing in the Majors.

1992
The Knight Foundation endows the John S. Knight Directorship of Writing in the Majors.

The Walter C. Teagle Foundation endows the Walter C. Teagle Directorship of First-Year Writing Seminars.

Jonathan Monroe, Professor of Comparative Literature, takes over the directorship of the Knight Writing Program.

1994
Dr. George Elliot endows the George Elliot Professorship of Writing and Rhetoric, a position held by the director of the Knight Institute.

1997
The Knight and Park Foundations provide further funding for Writing in the Majors.

1998
The Knight Institute hosts the first Cornell Consortium for Writing in the Disciplines.

1999
Cornell hosts the Fourth National Conference for Writing in the Disciplines.

1999
The Knight Foundation provides further endowment for internal development through Sophomore Seminars and for national and international outreach, through the Cornell Consortium for Writing in the Disciplines, the Knight Scholar-in-Residence, and the Knight Fellows in the Disciplines.

2000
The Knight Program is formally renamed the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines.

2003
The John S. Knight Institute moves from Goldwin Smith Hall to a suite of offices in 101 McGraw Hall.

2006
Paul Sawyer, Professor of English, assumes the directorship of the Knight Writing Program.

For a thorough historical overview, see Katherine Gottschalk's "Putting – and Keeping – The Cornell Writing Program in Its Place: Writing in the Disciplines." Language and Learning Across the Disciplines. 2.1 (April 1997) 22 - 45.