Dr. Bobbi Olson

Title: Associate Professor of English
Dept.: English
Office: Jensen Hall 103
Phone: (515) 263-6167
Email: bolson @ grandview.edu

Academic History

  • University of South Dakota, BA in English with Honors
  • University of Nebraska at Omaha, MA in English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln, PhD in English, Composition and Rhetoric, with a specialization in Writing Center Studies and TESOL

Start Date at Grand View

  • August 2013

Areas of Expertise

  • First-year writing
  • Developmental writing
  • Multilingual student support
  • Writing center studies
  • Literacy studies 

Research / Accomplishments

  • 2017 Ron Maxwell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Promoting the Collaborative Learning Practices of Peer Tutors in Writing "Deconstructing Whiteliness in the Globalized Classroom."
  • Performing Antiracist Pedagogy in Rhetoric, Writing, and Communication.
  • WAC Clearinghouse (e-book) and University Press of Colorado (print). "Building a House for Linguistic Diversity: Writing Centers, English-Language Teaching and Learning, and Social Justice."
  • Tutoring Second Language Writers. Eds. Shanti Bruce and Ben Rafoth. Utah State University Press, 2016.
  • "Annotated Bibliography: Readings for Racial Justice: A Project of the IWCA SIG on Antiracism Activism." Co-authored. International Writing Centers Association.
  • International Writing Centers Association, 2015. Web. "Deconstructing Whiteliness in the Globalized Classroom." Co-authored.
  • "Anti-Racist Activism: Teaching Rhetoric and Writing," a special issue of Across the Disciplines. 7 August 2013. Web.
  • "Rethinking Our Work with Multilingual Writers: The Ethics and Responsibility of Language Teaching in the Writing Center." Praxis: A Writing Center Journal 10.2 (2013). Web.
  • "Position Statement on Racism, Anti-Immigration, and Linguistic Intolerance." Co-authored. IWCA Position Statement. 9 November 2010. Web.
  • "The Ambiguities of Gender in Eudora Welty's 'Petrified Man.'" Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction 7.2 (Spring 2007): 143-151. Print. 

Questions & Answers

What makes Grand View unique among other universities?
Grand View prides itself on developing the "whole" person in its curriculum so that one cannot only secure a job in his or her industry but also contribute meaningfully to society. 
What is your favorite part about working at Grand View?
My favorite part of working at Grand View is the sense of community and the relationships that are built. At an institution this size, you know the students, and you can watch as they go through their years at Grand View and succeed. At larger institutions, you may have one class with a student and never see him or her again. I love the opportunity to connect with students during their whole time at Grand View, not just the semester or two they are in classes with me. 
Bobbi Olson