Franklin Ard manages the University of South Alabama's Center for Academic Excellence, a learning center that provides student support through writing and subject-area tutoring, academic success workshops, mentoring, and more. Franklin holds a master of arts degree in English, a master of fine arts in creative writing, and a doctorate in educational leadership. He has taught college-level writing for over a decade in a variety of contexts, from English composition to doctoral dissertation writing. Additionally, he's published scholarship in the fields of writing, teaching, and educational leadership, as well as creative work in a variety of magazines and journals. He currently teaches undergraduate research and writing courses in South Alabama’s Department of Integrative Studies.