The Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition began in 1993, a little over a decade after the earliest doctoral programs in Rhetoric and Composition began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Prior to that time, a group of scholars convened at the national Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) to plan for a consortium. At these meetings they confirmed the need for a consortium and appointed Janice Lauer as coordinator. Letters of invitation were extended to all programs identifying themselves as offering doctoral degrees in Rhetoric and Composition in a survey published in Rhetoric Review. Those responding to the invitation were asked to designate a representative from each affiliating program. Fifty-six programs registered to be part of the Consortium and designated their representatives. The first meeting of the Consortium was held at the next CCCC meeting in Nashville, where the group led a workshop on doctoral education in this discipline. Consortium participants articulated the identity and purpose of the Consortium as a research-oriented coalition of doctoral programs in Rhetoric and Composition, whose purposes were to:
facilitate the exchange of research by faculty and graduate students through online posting of dissertations and faculty research projects, including historical, theoretical, interpretive, and empirical studies
provide mutual support of each other’s programs in terms of ideas, needs, and problem areas, including
developing graduate curricula, faculty resources, and library holdings
dealing with course and dissertation loads, promotion, and tenure
admitting and supporting graduate students, both financially and academically
guiding students in job placement
building relationships within English departments and with other disciplines
create a listserv to enable online exchange among members of the Consortium and a Home Page
establish Rhetoric and Composition categories in the Dissertation Abstracts International and to work for inclusion of the discipline of Rhetoric and Composition in academic societies
Since its formation, the Consortium has met annually at the CCCC. Through working subcommittees, the Consortium has developed a listserv (CONSORTIUM hosted by Bowling Green State University) and a website. It has obtained a category “Rhetoric and Composition” in the Dissertation Abstracts International (0681). It has also promoted regional networking among doctoral programs in Rhetoric and Composition, drawing together (sometimes annually) faculty and graduate students to share research and network, for example, the meeting of Midwest Universities (Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois at Urbana, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois State University, Ball State University, Miami University of Ohio, the University of Louisville, and Carnegie Mellon University). The Consortium has also offered workshops for program directors and sponsored research sessions at conventions. In addition, it has conducted surveys of examination practices; course requirements and descriptions; hiring practices for Rhetoric and Composition faculty; and graduate placement. The Consortium has created an archive of documents that have been used to develop and argue for the initiation of new Rhetoric and Composition Programs and a list of faculty willing to advise others starting programs. Another of past efforts was to articulate criteria to guide program review.
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Consortium Bylaws, updated Fall 2015.
History of the Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition
The Case for Rhetoric and Composition as an Emerging Field - submitted to NRC Assessment of Research Doctorate Program
Appendices - submitted to NRC Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs