The Undergraduate Rhetoric Program was presented with the Student Success Champion team award at this year's Student Success Symposium held in February. The Office of the Provost's Student Success @ Illinois initiative presents this award each year to individuals and teams who have exhibited exemplary dedication to undergraduate student success at the university.

As one of the largest general education requirements on campus, the Rhetoric Program serves nearly 4,000 students annually and has implemented innovative programming and support in response to challenges like COVID-19 and increased mental health concerns. The award recognizes the program's demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and student success by integrating trauma-informed pedagogy, developing a student-friendly academic integrity policy for AI-based writing programs, and revising their course placement assessments to be more equitable.

The award was presented to team members Kristi McDuffie, Dana Kinzy, Jordan Sellers, Heather McLeer, Dani Nyikos, Meg Cole, Dusty Bacon, Tessa Crosby, Finola McMahon, Alexis Schmidt, Dana Smith, and Gillian Gabriel. For more information, please visit the Student Success Champion award website.