University Faculty Awards

Through the LSU Office of Academic Affairs, CxC annually recognizes faculty members who have contributed to and participated in C-I teaching and learning in impactful ways through two University Faculty Awards. Recipients of these awards represent the commitment, dedication, and excellence that define and enable the LSU CxC program to transform teaching, learning, and ultimately, student success.

CxC offers two awards for outstanding faculty: C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award (formerly the Outstanding CxC Faculty Award) and the Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award. See descriptions and requirements for each award below.

Nominations are due to OAA by February 14, 2025. Your college may have a different internal deadline. If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs (academicaffairs@lsu.edu).

C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award

The C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award (formerly the Outstanding CxC Faculty Award) recognizes an individual who, through teaching, research, faculty teaching development, or CxC program efforts, engages and champions C-I pedagogy across campus in an exemplary manner. Any LSU faculty member—tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track, full or part-time—actively engaged in the CxC program and C-I teaching and learning, and who has not previously received this award, is eligible. Recipients receive a $1,500 award.

  • Any faculty member—tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track—who is actively engaged in the CxC program, and who has not previously received this award, is eligible.
  • LSU OAA allows faculty to apply for only one of the following awards per year: Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award, C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award, LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award, LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award, LSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, H.M. “Hub” Cotton Award for Faculty Excellence, George Deer Distinguished Teaching Award, David J. Kriskovich Distinguished Professorship, Ogden Honors College Outstanding Teaching Award, Brij Mohan Distinguished Professor Award, or Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award.
  • Individual faculty members, department chairs, or deans may initiate nominations.
  • All nominations should be accompanied by a brief biographical sketch highlighting the nominee’s accomplishments (to be used as a citation read for award recipients at the Distinguished Faculty Awards Ceremony).
  • All nominations must be channeled through the nominee’s department head to the dean's office. Deans will review all nominations for their faculty members and submit the nominations to the Office of Academic Affairs by February 14, 2025. (Please note that each college may have its own internal deadline for receiving nominations prior to this date.)
  • The standard Faculty Award Nomination Form must be used, and all materials must be submitted electronically.
  • Faculty Awards Nomination Form
  • A letter of nomination (the nominee may be self- or peer-nominated)
  • A statement from the nominee’s department chair or dean, indicating an endorsement of the nomination
  • A one- to two-page, single-spaced statement from the nominee detailing their participation in and contributions to the CxC program, including the impact of CxC on their teaching and on student learning. (If self-nominated, this statement serves as the letter of nomination.)
  • A resume focused on CxC-related activities
  • Optional: no more than three letters of support from students, faculty, or community collaborators

Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award

The Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award recognizes, inspires, and continues to support innovation in C-I course/assignment design, teaching, assessment/feedback practices, classroom management, and teaching productivity/efficiency/effectiveness. Any LSU faculty member—tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track, full or part-time—who has taught a certified C-I course within the past three semesters and has not previously received this award is eligible. Recipients receive a $500 award. This award is named in honor of Lillian Bridwell-Bowles, an internationally recognized scholar of communication-intensive pedagogy and the founder of LSU’s Communication across the Curriculum program.

  • Any faculty member—tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track—who is actively engaged in the CxC program, and who has not previously received this award, is eligible.
  • LSU OAA allows faculty to apply for only one of the following awards per year: Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award, C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award, LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award, LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award, LSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, H.M. “Hub” Cotton Award for Faculty Excellence, George Deer Distinguished Teaching Award, David J. Kriskovich Distinguished Professorship, Ogden Honors College Outstanding Teaching Award, Brij Mohan Distinguished Professor Award, or Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award.
  • Individual faculty members, department chairs, or deans may initiate nominations.
  • All nominations should be accompanied by a brief biographical sketch highlighting the nominee’s accomplishments (to be used as a citation read for award recipients at the Distinguished Faculty Awards Ceremony).
  • All nominations must be channeled through the nominee’s department head to the dean's office. Deans will review all nominations for their faculty members and submit the nominations to the Office of Academic Affairs by February 14, 2025. (Please note that each college may have its own internal deadline for receiving nominations prior to this date.)
  • The standard Faculty Award Nomination Form must be used, and all materials must be submitted electronically.
  • Faculty Awards Nomination Form
  • A statement from the nominee’s department chair or dean, indicating an endorsement of the nomination
  • List of Communication-Intensive course(s) taught
  • Answers to the following:
    • Course and Innovation: Briefly describe your Communication-Intensive (C-I) course and highlight a specific assignment or approach that you consider innovative.
    • Communication Skills Integration: Explain how your innovative approach helps students develop communication skills within the context of the course content.
    • Inspiration and Distinction: What inspired your innovative approach, and how does it differ from traditional teaching methods?
    • Methods and Tools: Describe the specific methods, techniques, or tools you use to teach communication skills. How do these approaches help students master these skills?
    • Multimodal Learning: How do you use various communication modes (e.g., writing, speaking, digital communication) to enhance students' understanding of the course material? Provide examples.
    • High Expectations: How do you establish and communicate high expectations for student performance in your C-I courses?
    • Structured Learning: How do you design assignments and activities to support student success? Share examples that promote meaningful communication and collaboration.
    • Diverse Perspectives: Describe assignments or activities that encourage students to engage with diverse viewpoints or unfamiliar situations.
    • Feedback Mechanisms: What methods do you use to provide students with feedback that helps them improve?
    • Reflective Learning: How do you encourage students to reflect on their learning and connect communication skills with course content?
    • Practical Application: Provide examples of assignments or projects that allow students to apply their learning in real-world contexts or showcase their communication skills publicly.
    • Impact on Students: In your view, how have your innovative C-I teaching practices influenced your students' learning and development?
  • Please include any relevant materials (e.g., syllabi, student work samples, assignment instructions, rubrics) that illustrate your innovative teaching practices.
  • Additional materials (optional): course syllabi, C-I assignment details (instructions, rubrics)

Past Award Recipients

Lillian Bridwell-Bowles Innovative C-I Teacher Award

Year Honoree Department College
2025 Nolde Alexius English Humanities & Social Sciences
2025 Naomi Bennett Communication Studies Humanities & Social Sciences
2025 Soo Jeong Jo Architecture Art & Design

C-I Teaching & Service Excellence Award

Year Honoree Department College
2025 Erin McKinley Nutrition & Food Sciences Agriculture
2025 Sadie Wilks Public Relations Manship School of Mass Communication
2024 Michael Dettinger World Languages, Literatures & Cultures Humanities & Social Sciences
2023 Darrell Henry Geology & Geophysics Science
2022 Rafael Orozco World Languages, Literatures & Cultures Humanities & Social Sciences
2022 Laura Wiley Accounting E.J. Ourso College of Business
2021 Christina Rothenbeck English Humanities & Social Sciences
2020 Cynthia DiCarlo Education Human Sciences & Education
2019 Kristen Kelsch Architecture Art & Design
2018 Harold Toups Chemical Engineering Engineering
2017 Marybeth Lima Biological & Agricultural Engineering Engineering
2016 Marsha Cuddeback Interior Design Art & Design