Call For Proposals: Local Site And Institute Director/S Rhetoric Society Of America Ninth Biennial Institute, 2021

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:  LOCAL SITE AND INSTITUTE DIRECTOR/S
RHETORIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA NINTH BIENNIAL INSTITUTE, 2021 

The Rhetoric Society of America seeks nominations and self-nominations to serve as Local Site and Institute Director(s) for the Ninth Biennial Institute, to occur in the summer of 2021. 

Kent State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Penn State University, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Kansas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Indiana University hosted previous Institutes. The 2019 Institute will be held at the University of Maryland. 

The content and format of the 2021 Institute will be planned by the Institute Director(s) and the Institute Steering Committee which will be appointed by the RSA Board in consultation with the Institute Director(s). The Institute Director(s) is a faculty member from the host institution, thus allowing the local hosts to play the major role in the composition and direction of the Institute program as well as logistical issues. The proposal to host must adhere to the RSA Institute Guidelines, available on request. 

Proposals should include [1] identification of the individual(s) who will serve as the Institute Director(s); [2] indication of the specific site(s) that would accommodate between 400 and 550 participants in plenary sessions, smaller break-out groups, and other activities for the duration of the institute (typically one week); [3] an explanation of the resource commitments to support the Institute —institutional support, other subventions, faculty, graduate assistance, student volunteers, etc.                   

Strong proposals will project significant participation in planning and supporting the event from rhetorical studies scholars working in English, Rhetoric and Composition, and Communication, as pertain to the institution, and will include both a detailed description of meeting spaces and lodging resources that will be available and sufficient preliminary budget information to demonstrate that the event is likely to provide a surplus of not less than $7500 for the RSA operating budget beyond event expenses. 

Proposals should be submitted electronically to Gerard Hauser, RSA Executive Director, by October 1, 2018: gerard.hauser@colorado.edu. The Site Selection Committee will review proposals and make recommendations to the RSA Board of Directors during the Board’s Fall 2018 meeting. Direct any questions to Gerard Hauser at gerard.hauser@colorado.edu.