Janice M. Lauer Institutional Achievement Award in Rhetoric & Composition Doctoral Studies

HISTORY

Janice M. Lauer (1932-2021) was the Reece McGee Distinguished Professor of English at Purdue University, where she founded, directed, and taught in the graduate program in rhetoric and composition. In 1995, Janice Lauer conceived of and founded the Consortium of Doctoral Programs in Rhetoric and Composition.

Professor Lauer received the 1998 CCCC Exemplar Award, co-authored two textbooks, coedited the composition entries to The Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts, and published on invention, persuasive writing, classical rhetoric, and composition studies as a discipline. For thirteen years, she directed a national summer Rhetoric Seminar. She also chaired the College Section of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and served on the executive committees of CCCC, the MLA Group on the History and Theory of Rhetoric, and the Rhetoric Society of America. 

DISTINGUISHED AWARD RECIPIENTS

2024 - Texas Tech University Technical Communication and Rhetoric May Seminar 

• Read highlights about the program

• See photos from May Seminars over the years

2023 - Penn State Digital English Studio

PURPOSE

Established in 2023, this award has dual purposes:

• To memorialize the long-time disciplinary impact of rhetoric and composition/writing studies scholar, Professor Emerita Janice M. Lauer, whose contributions have benefited doctoral programs in rhetoric and composition worldwide. 

• To recognize institutional achievements in doctoral education in rhetoric & composition/writing studies that exemplify Professor Lauer’s innovative spirit, scholarly grace, and professional persistence.

FREQUENCY & NUMBER OF AWARDS

One award and up-to-two honorable mentions shall be conferred annually.

ELIGIBILITY & AWARD CRITERIA

To be eligible for this award, candidates must demonstrate an institutional innovation that enhances doctoral education and student development in rhetoric and composition/writing studies through its excellence and impact. Areas of possible contribution include but are not limited to research, curriculum, pedagogy, professional development, mentoring, policy development, technology, and vision and leadership. 

This award is designed to recognize an institutional initiative, not achievements by an individual teacher-scholar. In the spirit of Professor Lauer’s Summer Seminars in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Detroit and Purdue University, the Consortium intends to recognize collaborations, alliances, teams, seminars, workshops, laboratories, think tanks, and activities that may or may not originate in an individual PhD program. An eligible program nomination could involve multiple participants in and/or across universities, communities, and constituencies. For example, the award might recognize any of the following: 

• collaboration within institutions or across institutions

• an initiative based in a professional organization that serves doctoral programs

• ad hoc teams that produce tools and technologies to enhance doctoral education in general and benefit doctoral students in rhetoric and composition specifically

• initiatives to modify doctoral curricula and professional development programming to prepare students for both academic and non-academic careers 

Overall, the Consortium seeks nominations of replicable, sustainable, and inspirational institutional innovations with broad impact. 

NOMINATION PROCESS

The Chair of the Consortium calls on volunteers to serve on a three-member Award Selection Committee. When appropriate, the Chair of the Consortium may invite a designated representative of the previous year’s award recipient to serve as the third member of the Award Selection Committee. 

The nomination process begins with a signed digital letter of nomination emailed to the current Chair of the CDPRC. The letter, which identifies the nominated institutional initiative and designated contact person, should address the above criteria by briefly describing the innovation, defining its area of contribution, and explaining its excellence and impact. Self-nominations are accepted. Nominees will be notified of their nomination (they may withdraw their nomination if preparation is not feasible). The award committee creates a short list of no more than three nominated initiatives and invites representatives to submit a support documentation package. Those not selected are encouraged to re-submit in future years.

NOTIFICATION PROCESS

Notifications about the award process include (1) an acknowledgment confirming and verifying receipt of the nomination package, (2) any appropriate communication about the process, e.g., professional courtesies regarding progress or delays, and (3) the outcome.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Consortium wishes to thank Dr. Louise Phelps, Dr. Hugh Burns, Dr. Cristina Ramirez, Dr. Julia Romberger, and Dr. Kevin DePew for their work on this award.