Effective writing is a typical goal in undergraduate education, especially in general education program. In a survey recently conducted at the University of South Florida, one faculty member said, "I responded [to this survey] because I strongly believe that writing skills are essential for all college students regardless of their major field of study. If they cannot communicate clearly, how can they be successful?" This attitude is shared by employers and faculty alike. At the University of South Florida, as at many institutions, writing proficiency has become a concern that challenges both faculty and administrators. Reduced resources and increasing enrollment have challenged the faculty's capacity to assign student writing that requires the drafts and revisions they know are necessary for improvement. Even with these challenges, they expect their students to be able to write well-organized, well-developed, and reasoned papers that address audience and purpose through the use of appropriate language. At the University of South Florida, a widely used rubric has offered a powerful method for moving from spoken commitment to real change to improve student writing. This article presents the story of the University of South Florida, a research-extensive metropolitan institution with enrollment of more than 41,000 students that took the bull by the horns to address an educational issue that is critical in many colleges and universities. It also presents the lessons learned by the faculty and administrators which may help others in their efforts to assess and improve students' writing skills. (Contains 3 notes.)