Awards Program Overview

The J. Jeffery Auer Award is named after distinguished scholar J. Jeffery Auer and is presented to the author(s) of the Top Graduate Student Paper submitted to the Political Communication Interest Group. At the annual convention, the recipient(s) receive a cash award of up to $100 and a certificate.

The recipient of the Auer Award is recognized at the Political Communication Interest Group business meeting.

For more information, contact the officers of the Political Communication Interest Group.

Past recipients are:

The Braithwaite Award for Qualitative Research is named after beloved CSCA member Dr. Dawn O. Braithwaite who was and is a pioneer for interpersonal qualitative research studies. It is presented to the top paper in the Interpersonal and Family Communication Interest Group that exclusively uses qualitative methods and that did not receive the top paper or top student paper award. At the annual convention, the recipient receives a cash award and a certificate. The recipient of the Braithwaite Award is recognized at the Interpersonal and Family Communication Interest Group business meeting.

For more information, contact the officers of the Interpersonal and Family Communication Interest Group. 

The James W. Chesebro Award for Scholarly Distinction in Sexuality Research is named after beloved CSCA member and LGBT studies pioneer Jim Chesebro. It is presented to an outstanding scholar from across the nation who has made a clear and viable contribution to the study of gender, sexuality, or sexual identity. At the annual convention, the recipient receives a cash award and a trophy. Although a national award, the recipient is recognized at the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Caucus business meeting at each year's CSCA.

For more information, contact the officers of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Caucus.

The prestigious Cooper Award is named after former CSCA President Pamela J. Cooper and is presented to one M.A. level graduate teaching assistant and one Ph.D. level graduate teaching assistant in recognition of excellent teaching by a graduate student. At the annual convention, the recipients receive a $50 cash award and a certificate.

To be considered for the Cooper Award, nominees must submit materials electronically (not to exceed 12 pages, excluding cover page, index page, and/or divider pages) which must be the original work of the graduate teaching assistant. The electronic packet must include (1) no more than two letters of nomination/support; (2) a one to two-page statement of the nominee's teaching philosophy; (3) a description of the nominee's teaching experiences including courses taught and course responsibilities; (4) evidence of the nominee's teaching effectiveness, including summaries of teaching evaluations and/or peer/ supervisor evaluations; and (5) teaching materials including syllabi, assignment sheets, handouts, and web pages.

Only two candidates can be nominated by one department. Students who were graduate teaching assistants during the past academic year as well as current M.A. and Ph.D. students are eligible. Graduate teaching assistants at colleges and universities in the CSCA region are eligible. In addition, graduate teaching assistants advised by faculty outside of the CSCA region are also eligible, but they, their nominating faculty, or department should be CSCA members. Per association bylaws, all recipients must be CSCA members at the time of the nomination. Cooper Award winners are also expected to attend the 2018 conference in Milwaukee, WI to receive their award. The recipients of the Cooper Award are recognized at the Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting.

All materials must be submitted electronically by February 1st. Please reference the Cooper Award in the subject line. When the materials are received, you will receive a confirmation email indicating that your submission is under review. Please submit all application materials in a single PDF to:

C. Kyle Rudick, Cooper Award Committee Chair
Department of Communication Studies University of Northern Iowa ckylerudick@gmail.com

Past recipients include the following:

Proposals for the 2019 Federation Prize is open.

The Federation Prize promotes intellectual development and communication scholarship by awarding a cash prize of (up to) $5000 to selected research proposals authored by a CSCA member. If there are multiple submitters on a proposal, all authors must be CSCA members. Proposals are evaluated by a selection committee of scholars representing diverse interests in communication and various methods of inquiry. The recipient is expected to provide a presentation of the research project in a special panel at the CSCA convention the year following the award presentation.

To be considered for the Federation Prize, applicants must submit a proposal. The proposal must include the following items:

• A one-page title sheet, including the applicant's name and contact information (name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address), the title of project, and a 200-word abstract. If there are multiple submitters, please list all of their names and contact information.
• A single-spaced, three-page description of the project, including objectives, methods, a proposed timetable, qualifications of the applicant(s) to complete the project, and a rationale describing why the project merits CSCA funding.
• A one-page budget, including the amount of money requested (up to $5000) and how the money will be spent. 
• A brief (two-page) curriculum vita for each applicant.
• Names and contact information of three references

The materials must be received by December 15, 2018. Please make one document file (.docx file or PDF) containing the materials outlined above and submit it via email to Dr. Kristopher Copeland (kristophercopeland@dcccd.edu). Please indicate “2019 CSCA Federation Prize Proposal” explicitly in the subject line.

The recipient of the Federation Prize is recognized at the Hall-of-Fame Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting. It is expected that a representative for any winning proposal attend the event to collect the prize.

Please direct any inquiries toward the chair of the 2019 Federation Prize Committee, Dr. Kristopher Copeland at the University of North Lake College, at the email address listed earlier in this call.

All applicants must consult their university grants/awards office when applying for the Federation Prize. The Central States Communication Association does not pay any overhead or administrative fees, nor can applicant salaries be listed as an expense. Any proposal including these items as part of the funding request will be disqualified.

Past recipients include:

The Gustav Friedrich Award is named after former CSCA President Gustav Friedrich and is presented to the author(s) of the Top Student Competitive Paper submitted to the Communication Education Interest Group. At the annual convention, the recipient receives a $100 cash award and a certificate.

The recipient of the Friedrich Award is recognized at the Communication Education Interest Group business meeting.

For more information, contact the officers of the Communication Education Interest Group.

Past recipients are:

The Jack Kay Award for Community Engagement and Applied Communication Scholarship

Dr. Jack Kay (1951-2015) was a distinguished member of the communication community. He was a past president of the Central States Communication Association, the Michigan Association of Speech Communication, the Nebraska Speech Communication Association, and Delta Sigma Rho / Tau Kappa Alpha. He served as chair at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, as Associate Provost for student services, Interim Dean of the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, Interim Dean of the College of Fine Performing and Communication Arts, and Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication at Wayne State, as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and interim chancellor at the University of Michigan - Flint, and provost and executive vice president at Eastern Michigan University.

As a communication teacher-scholar, Kay was extensively published in the fields of argumentation, rhetoric and political communication. He researched and spoke on issues such as race, diversity and the language of oppression. He frequently presented on Anti-Semitism on the internet and hate in cyberspace. His publications include the book Argumentation: Inquiry and Advocacy, book chapters, journal articles, and many newspaper editorials. His contribution to doctoral advising was recognized with the Wayne State University Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in 1998.

The Jack Kay Award for Community Engagement and Applied Communication Scholarship recognizes communication faculty who have achieved notable records of success in applying their work to solve issues of social injustice, inequality, intolerance and prejudice.   As such, the award celebrates and promotes engaged and applied scholarship and well as activism informed by communication scholarly inquiry. The award is made possible through a generous gift from the Michigan Association of Speech Communication.

Applications for the 2018 award are being accepted through January 15, 2018.   Applicants should submit the following:

A three-page narrative which describes how your scholarship demonstrates community engagement, how it addresses social justice issues, and what impact it has or can have on public policy, social activism, judicial reform, or other avenues of social change.

Your academic VITA.

Up to two examples of your scholarship in action, which might include reports, publications, white papers, videos, or other forms of public dissemination.

The recipient will receive an honorarium to support their engaged scholarship. The selection will be made by a committee composed of:

• Matthew Seeger, Chair, Wayne State University
• Ruth Kay, Vice Chair, Detroit Country Day School
• Diana Carlin, St. Louis University
• Sharon (Shea) Howell, Oakland University
• Mark McPhail, Indiana University Northwest
• Donald Ritzenhein, Wayne State University

Applications should be submitted to:

Matthew W. Seeger, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean
College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts
5104 Gullen Mall- The Linsell House
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202

Past recipients are:

The Past Officers Graduate Student Debut Program Award program is designed to showcase some of the most promising work of the discipline's graduate students and is sponsored by CSCA Past Officers. The competition is open to graduate students in all areas of the Communication discipline. At the annual convention, a cash award will be presented to the top debut paper selected.

To be eligible for participation in the Debut Program, (1) the author must be a graduate student, (2) the paper must have single authorship, and (3) the paper must be the author's first paper to be presented at CSCA.

Past recipients are:

The Central States Communication Association (CSCA) is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Warren Mentorship Award. The award, named in honor of the late and beloved John T. Warren, recognizes a mid-career scholar who exhibits some of the many virtues John himself exuded as a mentor, scholar, and engaged member of the discipline. To that end, those who are nominated should excel in all aspects of their careers—teaching, research/creativity, service, and engagement—but first and foremost demonstrate excellence as a mentor.

Nominees for this award must (a) at least be in their 11th year of full-time academic work beyond their terminal degree but within their first 15 years; (b) be members of the Central States Communication Association at the time of application; (c) agree to attend the conference the year the award is presented; and (d) have an exemplary record of mentoring, research/creativity, service, and engagement.

To be considered for the Warren Award, nominees must electronically submit a packet as a single PDF file. This packet should include the following items, arranged in this order: (1) a letter of nomination  (self-nominations are welcome); (2) a teaching philosophy statement, not to exceed two pages; (3) evidence of teaching and mentoring excellence, not to exceed ten pages, that can include sample assignments, teaching evaluations, course syllabuses or descriptions, or other materials that indicate teaching and mentoring excellence; (4) a statement that summarizes the candidate’s program of scholarship, not to exceed one page; (5) a complete list of all publications, exhibits, grants or fellowships, and research/creativity awards; (6) a complete list of

service contributions at the department, college, university, and disciplinary level; and (7) a one-page statement that documents engagement or impact beyond the classroom.

The materials must be received by February 16, 2018. Please submit the packet (or any inquiries) to: Stephen Hunt, skhunt2@ilstu.edu, with “Warren Award” in the subject line. All applications submitted by the deadline will receive an email response confirming receipt of the working PDF file.
 
The recipients of the Warren Award are recognized at the CSCA Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting.