Central States Communication Association

Central States Communication Association
Central States Communication Association · Public domain · source
Name	Central States Communication Association
Type	Professional association
Founded	1931
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Region served	Midwestern United States
Language	English
Leader title	President

Central States Communication Association is a regional scholarly association that supports research, teaching, and professional development in rhetorical studies, interpersonal communication, organizational communication, performance studies, and communication theory. Founded in the early 20th century, the organization brings together faculty, graduate students, practitioners, and independent scholars from institutions across the Midwest and adjacent regions to exchange research, develop pedagogy, and foster networks among members affiliated with colleges and universities such as University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Ohio State University, Northwestern University, and University of Minnesota. The association maintains ties with national organizations and contributes to disciplinary conversations alongside entities like National Communication Association, International Communication Association, and discipline-specific journals such as Quarterly Journal of Speech and Communication Monographs.

History

The association traces its origins to meetings of speech instructors and debate coaches in the 1920s and 1930s who were influenced by curricular innovations at institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, and Michigan State University. Early leaders included faculty with ties to rhetorical movements emerging after the Chicago School of sociology and scholars who published in venues like Speech Monographs and participated in debates at the American Forensic Association. Over decades the association expanded its remit to incorporate emergent subfields represented at conferences hosted in cities such as Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Minneapolis. Its archival records intersect with milestones such as the rise of performance studies linked to practitioners associated with Richard Schechner-influenced programs and the institutional growth of communication departments modeled after programs at Northwestern University and University of Iowa.

Mission and Activities

The association's mission emphasizes scholarly exchange, pedagogical support, and public engagement, aligning with the professional goals of faculty at institutions like Purdue University, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Missouri, Iowa State University, and University of Kentucky. Core activities include organizing annual conventions that foreground panels on rhetorical analysis referencing works connected to figures such as Kenneth Burke, Chaim Perelman, and Aristotle; workshops for novice teachers drawing on curricula from programs like Ball State University and Western Michigan University; and networking events modeled after practices at conferences held by Modern Language Association and American Council on Education. The association collaborates with regional centers and departments—examples include centers at University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Southern Illinois University Carbondale—to promote community-engaged scholarship and applied communication projects.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conventions are central, typically attracting presenters from universities such as University of Iowa, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, University of Dayton, and Miami University. These meetings feature paper sessions, panel discussions, poster sessions, and performance demonstrations informed by scholarship published in outlets like Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Communication Education, and Southern Communication Journal. The association sponsors proceedings, newsletters, and occasional edited volumes that mirror publication models used by Sage Publications and university presses such as University of Chicago Press and Oxford University Press. Symposia have included thematic clusters responding to contemporary debates traced to texts by Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Stuart Hall and methodologies influenced by scholars from Austin College and Bennington College.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises faculty, graduate students, independent scholars, and practitioners affiliated with a wide array of institutions including Drake University, Marquette University, DePaul University, Western Illinois University, and Northern Illinois University. Governance follows a structure with elected officers—president, vice president, secretary, treasurer—and standing committees similar to those found in organizations such as American Historical Association and Modern Language Association. An executive council or board convenes regularly to manage programming, finances, and editorial oversight, drawing on bylaws comparable to governance documents used by National Communication Association chapters and regional sections of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Awards and Recognition

The association confers awards for outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service, modeled on honors such as the Golden Anniversary Monograph Award style recognitions and teaching awards analogous to those granted by Association of American Colleges and Universities. Distinguished paper awards, dissertation awards, and best-student-paper recognitions celebrate work from institutions like University of Nebraska Omaha and Cleveland State University. Lifetime achievement and service awards recognize scholars whose careers intersect with notable figures and traditions exemplified by recipients with scholarly lineages traceable to programs at University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Illinois.

Regional and Community Impact

Regionally, the association fosters collaborations among departments in states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin, supporting curricular initiatives at colleges such as Augustana College and Whitman College and community partnerships with cultural institutions like the Milwaukee Art Museum and historical societies in cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis. Its conferences provide venues for pedagogy-focused exchanges that influence undergraduate programs modeled after templates at Oberlin College and Grinnell College and inform community communication projects partnering with organizations such as United Way affiliates and regional public radio stations like Minnesota Public Radio. Category:Regional learned societies of the United States