Civility Cup Award
The Department of Communication and Communication Leadership Lab will award the 10th annual Civil Citizen Communicator Award this Spring 2025.
This award is given to a Frostburg State University student who has demonstrated communication leadership or a commitment to civility and constructive change within an organization or community over the past year. This person should have demonstrated:
- communication competence,
- leadership competence, and
- an awareness of and responsiveness to matters of civility that impact others.
This award aligns with the mission of our programs and FSU to support the oral communication competency and leadership development of our students, and it supports regional development through recognition of efforts linking the campus to community partners.
Nominations
Do you know someone who is committed to changing our university, another organization or society for the better? If so, submit a nomination for the Civil Citizen Communicator Award. Nominations will be accepted each Spring semester through the Student Affairs Leadership and Engagement Awards nomination process available online. Watch for updates via that office or contact the Department of Communication for information.
Nominate a candidate or yourself by emailing Brittany Raley, Administrative Assistant for the Department of Communication, at baraley@frostburg.edu. Nominations should include:
- nominee’s full name, major(s)/minor(s), and intended graduation date;
- if not a self-nomination, your name, role, and relationship to the nominee;
- a brief rationale (1000 words or less) explaining why the nominee fits the criteria of this award; and
- additional support for the nomination (up to three written documents, photos or videos of speeches or events, promotional materials, letters of acknowledgement, etc.).
A panel of reviewers external to the Department of Communication will rank and determine the award winner.
Each award winner’s name is etched on the Civility Cup plaque, which is displayed near the Department of Communication suite in Gira Center for Communications and Information Technology (CCIT). In addition to the public announcement in May, a formal certificate of acknowledgement will be given to the student who receives this honor. Winners will now also receive a small monetary award.
Previous Winners
2024: Hailie Toro, Social Work with minors in Women's Studies and Sociology.
2023: Rachael Michalski, Criminal and Legal Studies and Spanish majors.
2022: Max Hancock, Economics major and Geography and Sustainability minors.
2021: Cassie Conklin, Geography major.
2020: Tyler Bauer, Political Science and Criminal Justice majors, Sociology minor.
2019 & 2018: Benjamin D. Forrest, Math and Political Science majors.
2017: Madison Lawrence, Ethnobotany major, Biology, Forestry, and Cultural Anthropology minors.
2016: Trevor T. Jones, Communication Studies and Philosophy majors.
2015: Sophia Cooper, Mass Communication major.
If you have any questions regarding the award or nomination process, please contact Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski, Professor of Communication Studies and Coordinator of Leadership Studies and the Communication Leadership Lab, at elruminski@frostburg.edu.