Lisa Ede thought she’d never move past the Rockies. Born and raised in Ohio and educated in Ohio and Wisconsin, her first teaching job was in upstate New York, and she and her husband seemed to be confined to a small geographic circle, that is, until a job opportunity came up in Corvallis.

“We looked at the map,” she said, “and we saw wilderness.”

That Oregon wilderness was the deciding factor for the couple, both avid hikers and backpackers. The opportunity to be the director of the Center for Writing and Learning at Oregon State University was also a tempting one, but never did Ede think that she’d still be in the position 26 years later.

During her nearly three decades leading the center, which provides assistance to OSU students in writing, research and general academic skills, she has seen funding for the center nearly disappear, and go from being under the umbrella of the College of Liberal Arts to the Office of Academic Affairs.

But despite some rocky times, Ede has remained doggedly attached to the program, especially because of what she sees it do, not only for students struggling academically but also for the hundreds of student writing assistants employed by the center.

While Ede has nurtured the center and the students who are drawn there, there’s another important aspect to Ede’s life — her role of mentor to women faculty, staff and students.

When Ede, who also teaches in the English department, was a young, untenured faculty member, she formed a co-mentoring group with a number of other women on campus, including Kathleen Dean Moore, Becky Warner and Nancy Rosenberger. The women supported each other emotionally and academically, helping each other through the “publish or perish” moments of the tenure track.

“I was fortunate to be part of a vibrant community,” she said.

Having a circle of female support made life as a woman in academia a little easier, and now she mentors young faculty members just arriving on campus.

“The greatest challenge is trying to have a personal and family life and a professional life,” Ede said. “The university is still oriented to the positions of white males, who have wives taking primary care of the children and the home.”

The tenure clock and the biological clock, Ede said, tend to conflict with each other, as women on the tenure track are pushed to publish and do research during years when many women are starting their families. The balance is tenuous at best.

Jeff Hale, assistant dean of external relations in the College of Liberal Arts, praised Ede’s role as a mentor.

“Lisa is a remarkably welcoming and accessible mentor who has become a role model for many young women.  Lisa has helped hundreds of women and men learn how to gain perspective and become more expressive in their writing,” Hale said.

“She helps both students and colleagues explore the literacy and communication practices of women from different races, classes, cultures and historical eras.”

Ede was nominated for the Women of Achievement Award by Joe Carter of Portland, a Corvallis native who worked with Ede while he was on the College of Liberal Arts Development Council. He nominated Ede because she deserved to be recognized for her work as a writing teacher, passing on the most important element of communication to her students.

Ede also makes it a priority to work with young women considering going into graduate school. She tells them to “follow their bliss,” as author Joseph Campbell recommends, and “to have a passion for knowledge and teaching.”

Co-mentoring, she said, is always important.

“I tell students to call up the graduate student advisor (at the school they’re interested in) and ask to speak to someone who is new to the program and someone who is just finishing the program,” she said.

She recommends they find out if graduate students in their departments get along with each other and how faculty interact with them and with other faculty in the department.

Lisa Ede

AGE: 58

RESIDENCE: Corvallis

OCCUPATION: Director of the OSU Center for Writing and Learning

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: Bachelor’s degree and Ph.D from Ohio State University, master’s degree from University of Wisconsin, Madison.

FAMILY: Husband, artist Greg Pfarr

INTERESTS: Hiking and backpacking throughout the Northwest