Limestone College will start a major student writing program this fall as part of efforts to maintain its accreditation.

Limestone is preparing for a visit in October from educators with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The college must implement a 5-year plan to strengthen an area of their academic program as part of its accreditation process.

The college has developed an "Achieving Writing Excellence" plan to meet this requirement over the next five years.

E-mail and text messaging have become popular communication methods for today's students. Many college and high school students use Internet blogs and message boards to express ideas.

The "Achieving Writing Excellence" plan is geared towards improving students' lives by helping them become better writers, Limestone College President Dr. Walt Griffin said.

"We found there was a need for a focus on improving student writing," Griffin said. "Our students must be good writers so they can communicate their ideas effectively to be successful in today's business world."

Limestone will expand its Writing Center to include online tutoring for students living off campus, Griffin said. Students will be placed in some writing-intensive courses where they will have multiple writing assignments.

The college will have enrollment caps in some classes so professors can spend more time teaching the writing process to students.

"We believe it's important to challenge our students to become better writers," Griffin said. "We plan to provide additional academic support to help our students."