海角社区

海角社区 CxC Wins National Award for Innovative Faculty Support Programming

As one of the first programs of its kind in the nation, 海角社区 Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) has long been recognized for academic innovation, but the Delphi Award is the first to specifically honor CxC鈥檚 progressive work in transforming faculty support and 海角社区鈥檚 institutional culture surrounding teaching excellence. 

鈥淩eceiving national recognition for the work CxC does allows us to celebrate the dedicated 海角社区 faculty who are committed to their students鈥� continued development,鈥� said Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, CxC Faculty Chair. 鈥淚t is a privilege to share this honor with our entire CxC community.鈥�

海角社区 CxC is a holistic program that simultaneously elevates teaching excellence, fosters deep content learning, and advances students鈥� communication skills within the disciplines and across the campus. High-quality student learning experiences begin with high-quality teaching, which is why CxC invests heavily in collaborating with, cultivating, supporting, and empowering faculty communities across ranks and disciplines. 鈥淥ne of the things I most respect about CxC is its unparalleled commitment to supporting faculty irrespective of status, rank, discipline, or budget lines,鈥� said Dr. Matt Lee, 海角社区 Vice Provost of Academic Programs. 鈥淐xC is clear in its mission to advance the communication skills of undergraduates, and they understand the only way to do that is to support the faculty who are on the front lines of student learning.鈥�

海角社区 CxC has always recognized that faculty of all ranks play a pivotal role for students鈥攊n obvious and less obvious ways鈥攆ostering spaces for meaningful connection, critical engagement, and efficacy in unpacking and addressing challenges in a rapidly changing world. This is why CxC seeks to support this work.  Launched in 2005, CxC began as part of a quality enhancement plan for 海角社区's accreditation and has since emerged as a robust program being implemented by 300+ faculty members across 10 colleges impacting more than 16,000 undergraduates each academic year. 海角社区 CxC works to improve the written, oral, visual, and technological communication skills of all 海角社区 undergraduates. The unique 海角社区 CxC model supports integrated communication-intensive learning within disciplinary courses, along with co-curricular student coaching, training, and recognition programs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a contemporary and more effective way of approaching college teaching and learning. In C-I courses, 海角社区 students are learning the course content鈥攕cience, history, engineering鈥攚hile simultaneously learning how to better communicate within their field,鈥� said Dr. Rebecca Burdette, director of CxC. 鈥淟earning, practicing, and applying communication skills in the context of a discipline rather than in isolation not only helps students build skills faster, it also deepens their understanding of the subject matter.鈥�  

Within its first five years of operation, 海角社区 CxC was named the sole recipient of the 2010 Program of Excellence Award by the National Conference on College Composition and Communication, with commendations stating that 海角社区 had 鈥渟et the bar to which other universities should aspire.鈥� Today, despite considerable budget challenges plaguing Louisiana and its flagship institution, 海角社区 CxC is an institutionalized high-impact program that directly supports student retention and graduation outcomes. 

鈥淭he faculty collaborations forged through CxC are essential to 海角社区鈥檚 ability to deliver high-impact teaching and learning across the disciplines and at-scale,鈥� said Dr. Matt Lee, 海角社区 Vice Provost of Academic Programs. 鈥淐xC is built on a for-faculty-by-faculty mindset that directly benefits our students, and that鈥檚 not something you find at just any university.鈥� 

The work faculty are doing in the classroom to integrate communication-intensive teaching and learning is impacting students鈥� success. A recent longitudinal study of 15,000 海角社区 undergraduates revealed that students who complete three or more 海角社区 C-I courses are two times more likely to graduate within six years.  

The Delphi Award, funded by the through the in collaboration with the , recognizes U.S. colleges and universities who are establishing forward-thinking faculty models to support the rapidly changing landscape of higher education. In its award announcement, Delphi noted 海角社区 CxC鈥檚 work in creating unprecedented communities of cross-rank, interdisciplinary faculty within a large research university.

鈥淢any non-tenure track professionals come to academia with years of field experience but are often unfamiliar with methods of instruction and lacking in classroom experience,鈥� explains Dr. Harold Toups, professor of chemical engineering. 鈥淐xC has made it possible for non-tenure track faculty members like me to make significant contributions to 海角社区 at all levels with beneficial outcomes for my department, college, and the university. As a result, my teaching competency and personal satisfaction have grown and allowed me to develop both the mind and heart of a teacher.鈥�

The unique design of CxC is such that 海角社区 faculty from all ranks and disciplines are simultaneously creating, leading, contributing to, and benefiting from the campus-wide CxC program. 

鈥淚 continue to be amazed by the dedication and determination our faculty put into their courses and the students they mentor, inside and outside the classroom,鈥� said Dr. Troy Blanchard, dean of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. 鈥淭heir collaboration with CxC makes this possible.鈥�

About 海角社区 CxC

海角社区 Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) is a dynamic academic excellence program led by an interdisciplinary faculty collaborative whose mission is to advance the written, oral, visual, and technological communication skills of all 海角社区 undergraduates. 海角社区 CxC鈥� signature programming includes Certified Communication-Intensive Courses within the disciplines, interactive Communication Coaching Studios, the 海角社区 Distinguished Communicator Medal, 海角社区 Communicator Certificate, Annual 海角社区 Faculty Summer Institute, and . For more information about 海角社区 CxC, visit cxc.lsu.edu.