国际学院中美科罗拉多大学（丹佛）合作办学项目（UCD）传播学荣休教授索尼娅·福斯(Sonja.K.Foss)于近日获得美国NCA协会授予的2024年“杰出学者”奖，以彰显福斯教授对传播学学科的变革性影响。此奖项是美国在传播学领域的最高荣誉。

国际学院中美科罗拉多大学（丹佛）合作办学传播学项目于1998年创办，当时正值福斯教授担任美国科罗拉多大学（丹佛）文理学院传播系主任，福斯教授对该项目的创办和发展大力支持并积极推动。进行学术研究的同时，福斯教授还始终担任着传播学专业课程的教学工作，为传播学专业学生教授修辞理论等高阶课程。在国际学院即将于10月19日举行的建院三十周年庆典中，福斯教授作为学院三十年发展历程的见证者之一，也将应邀出席。

作为国际著名传播修辞学家，福斯教授致力于开创性的原创研究和创新的教学方法，撰写了诸多专著和有影响力的文章，并将视觉修辞确立为合法的研究领域，扩大了该学科的范围。她不仅是学术研究领域的开拓者，也一直是学生和新兴学者们的灯塔。NCA在声明中盛赞福斯教授在她的研究领域中所取得的卓越成就，并评价在其几十年的职业生涯中，福斯教授对相关领域产生了深远的影响。

附：国际学院UCD项目合作学校美国科罗拉多大学（丹佛）相关报道：

ICB/UCD Founding Communication Chair Dr. Sonja K. Foss Recognized for Lifetime Impact on Communication Studies  

The field of communication is celebrating the profound contributions of Dr. Sonja K. Foss, Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver.

Dr. Foss was the founding chair of the Department of Communication at the International College Beijing in 1998.

Since joining the National Communication Association (NCA) in 1972, Dr. Foss has had a transformative impact on the discipline, solidifying her legacy through groundbreaking original research, innovative pedagogy, and commitment to inclusion and belonging. This year, Dr. Foss has been named one of several NCA Distinguished Scholars—the highest recognition in our discipline.

Dr. Foss's esteemed career spans decades, during which she has authored 11 original books and over 70 influential articles. Among her most notable works are Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice and Feminist Rhetorical Theories, which have redefined rhetorical criticism by championing diverse voices and broadening perspectives. Through these works, Dr. Foss has shaped decades of scholarship in rhetoric.

Her introduction to the concept of invitational rhetoric marked a significant shift in how scholars understand persuasion. Rather than focusing on traditional models, Dr. Foss and her co-authors’ theory promotes inclusivity, empathy, and a dialogic approach to communication, fostering environments that prioritize mutual understanding over coercive persuasion.

A trailblazer in many aspects, Dr. Foss co-founded the Visual Communication interest group of NCA, now recognized as the Visual Communication Division. Her scholarship in the area helped visual rhetoric to emerge as a legitimate and vital area of study, vastly expanding the scope of the discipline. Her contributions have opened up new pathways for scholars to explore the intersection of visuals and communication in rhetorical contexts.

Dr. Foss has also been a beacon for students and emerging scholars. Her co-authored resource, Destination Dissertation, along with her Scholars’ Retreats, has helped countless doctoral candidates navigate the often-challenging journey of dissertation writing. Through these initiatives, she has empowered a new generation of scholars to achieve their academic goals with confidence and clarity.

In addition to her scholarly work, Dr. Foss’s impact on higher education is far-reaching. She was the founding chair of the Communication Department at the International College Beijing in 1999, where she saw an opportunity to shape the study of communication abroad. Moreover, she led efforts to establish the first international chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the NCA’s official honor society in communication at ICB. She also taught rhetorical theory and criticism at ICB and developed a travel study program to Beijing.

Dr. Foss’s exemplary contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Douglas W. Ehninger Distinguished Rhetorical Scholar Award from the NCA in 2012 and the Western States Communication Association Distinguished Scholar Award in 2011.

Her textbooks on rhetorical theory and criticism have become bestsellers, and thousands of students in the US and abroad have benefited from her accessible and insightful approaches to rhetorical theory and criticism.

Dr. Foss’s lifetime achievements, which challenge conventional thinking and open new avenues of scholarly exploration, will remain a cornerstone in the study of communication and rhetoric, and we at ICB are lucky to count her as among our founding scholars.