Emerging Scholars Program
The RSA Emerging Scholars Program is a year-long mentorship and professional development initiative that supports doctoral candidates and early-career faculty in rhetoric, writing, and communication.
About Emerging Scholars
More than a series of workshops or networking events, the Emerging Scholars Program is an ongoing investment in scholars and in the future of the discipline.
Rooted in RSA’s commitment to anti-racism, the decolonization of rhetoric, access as a core praxis, and the diversification of the professoriate, the program equips a new generation of rhetorical leaders while fostering a lasting scholarly community. Through in-person and virtual programming, participants engage with established scholars and educators to make the often-hidden expectations of academic life more transparent. The program emphasizes collaborative learning, horizontal mentoring, sustainable writing practices, professional development, and the cultivation of enduring scholarly networks.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see if applications are open for next year.
Program Focus
Participants engage in:
- Individual and group mentoring
- Professional development workshops
- Collaborative scholarly discussions
- Virtual cohort meetings
- Building lasting scholarly communities
- Making the hidden curriculum of academia more transparent
- Fostering collaborative, non-competitive academic practices
- Networking with established scholars across the field
Program History
The inaugural Emerging Scholars cohort launched in 2025. Following the in-person program, participants continued building community throughout the year through a series of virtual conversations with leading scholars in rhetoric.
Virtual programming included:
- June 2025: Follow-up on Boundary Setting and Self-Care
- August 2025: Thriving in Academic Institutions
- October 2025: Sustainable Writing Processes and Practices
Members of the inaugural cohort also organized and presented a session at the 2026 Biennial RSA Conference in Portland, demonstrating the program’s emphasis on mentorship that develops into leadership.
2026–2027 Cohort
The second cohort began with an in-person gathering in Chicago, Illinois, on April 17–18, 2026, and continues through a year of mentorship, professional development, and community-building activities.
Program Leaders
Theon Hill
Wheaton College
Jennifer LeMesurier
Pennsylvania State University
Brynn Fitzsimmons
The University of Alabama
Mari Ramler
Tennessee Tech University
Jen Clary-Lemon
University of Waterloo
Participants
Kenneth Avery, JR.
The University of Memphis
Jade Shiva Edward
University of Texas at Austin
Tabitha Espina
University of washington tacoma
Angel Evans
Texas WomAn’s university
Raquel Luisa Dean
(formally Johansen)
Texas tech university
Salwa Kazi
California Polytechnic State University
Oscar Garcia
University of Massachusetts Amherst
sj Williamson
North dakota state university
2025 Inaugural Cohort
The inaugural Emerging Scholars cohort launched in 2025, bringing together doctoral candidates and early-career faculty committed to building a more inclusive and collaborative future for rhetoric, writing, and communication. Following the in-person program, participants continued meeting throughout the year through virtual mentoring, professional development sessions, and collaborative conversations.
Participants
Rayna Batool
ohio university
Ashley Ferrell
the university of alabama
Alyson Farzad-Phillips
Furman University
Logan Gomez
University of Utah
Kimberley (Kim) Hannah-Prater
Community College of Baltimore County
Una Kimokeo-Goes
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
Angela Mack
Texas Christian University
Christopher Peace
carnegie mellon university
Overall, the Emerging Scholars Program is more than a few days of networking and professional development. It is an ongoing transformative endeavor to build sustainable scholarly communities.
Apply
Thank you for your interest in RSA’s Emerging Scholars Program. Please login to your RSA account to submit an application. You can join or renew any time at https://rhetoricsociety.org/membership-join/
Reminder: You must be logged into your active RSA member account to access the application.
We understand that people have different career paths, so if you see yourself as still early in your career, you are welcome to apply.
Please email [email protected] or the IDEA chair with any questions.
Program Sponsors
The Emerging Scholars Program is generously supported by:
The Emerging Scholars program is made possible due to a generous grant from The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society
Thank you also to our Emerging Scholars Program supporters, Ohio State University Press and University of South Carolina Press.