Gary A. Olson

Gary A. Olson (born December 12, 1954) is a prominent scholar of rhetoric, writing, and culture. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Illinois State University. He also writes a monthly column on higher education administration for the "Chronicle of Higher Education".

An early leader of the writing center movement in the U.S., Olson organized (in 1980) one of the first professional associations of writing center directors—the Southeast Writing Center Association—and directed the first two of its continuing annual conferences. He also published one of the first books on writing center administration: "Writing Centers: Theory and Administration".

He is the author or editor (often in collaboration) of 20 books and almost 100 essays and articles. Olson has written on a number of subjects central to rhetoric studies, including the role of theory in rhetorical scholarship, the authority of writing program administrators, the connections between ideology and discourse, and the contributions of Stanley Fish.

Olson is known for his series of scholarly interviews with the world's most influential intellectuals. He began the series in 1991 as editor of the "Journal of Advanced Composition" (now simply "JAC") [http://jac.gsu.edu] , a prominent journal of theoretical scholarship. Over a decade and a half, he conducted extensive, in-depth interviews probing each interviewee's life's work. These interviews were published in "JAC" and later in a series of books published by State University of New York Press and Southern Illinois University Press.

Beside his work as coordinator of University of South Florida's graduate program in rhetoric and composition, Olson served for three years as director of the institution's Publication Council, formerly USF Press. Olson was also chief academic officer for the USF St. Petersburg campus.

Selected Works

Olson, Gary A., and Lynn Worsham, eds. "Postmodern Sophistry: Stanley Fish and the Critical Enterprise". State U of New York P, 2004. Afterword by Stanley Fish.

Olson, Gary A., and Lynn Worsham. "Critical Intellectuals on Writing". State U of New York P, 2003.

Olson, Gary A. "Justifying Belief: Stanley Fish and the Work of Rhetoric". State U of New York P, 2002. Foreword by Stanley Fish; Afterword by J. Hillis Miller.

Olson, Gary A., ed. "Rhetoric and Composition as Intellectual Work". Southern Illinois UP, 2002.

Worsham, Lynn, Sidney Dobrin, and Gary A. Olson, eds. "The Kinneavy Papers: Theory and the Study of Discourse". State U of New York P, 2000.

Ashton-Jones, Evelyn, Gary A. Olson, and Merry Perry, eds. "The Gender Reader", 2nd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

Olson, Gary A., and Lynn Worsham. "Race, Rhetoric, and the Postcolonial". State U of New York P, 1999.

Olson, Gary A., Elizabeth Metzger, and Evelyn Ashton-Jones, eds. Advanced "Placement English: Theory, Politics, and Pedagogy", 2nd printing. Boynton/Cook, 1998. First edition, 1989.

Olson, Gary A., and Todd Taylor, eds. "Publishing in Rhetoric and Composition". State U of New York P, 1997. Foreword by J. Hillis Miller.

Olson, Gary A., and Julie Drew, eds. "Landmark Essays on Advanced Composition". Erlbaum, 1996.

Olson, Gary A., and Elizabeth Hirsh. "Women Writing Culture". State U of New York P, 1995. Foreword by Donna Haraway; Afterword by Henry Giroux.

Olson, Gary A., and Sidney Dobrin, eds. "Composition Theory for the Postmodern Classroom". State U of New York P, 1994.

Olson, Gary A. "Philosophy, Rhetoric, Literary Criticism". Southern Illinois UP, 1994. Foreword by Clifford Geertz.

Olson, Gary A., and Irene Gale. "(Inter)views: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Rhetoric and Literacy". Southern Illinois UP, 1991. Introduction by David Bleich.

Ashton-Jones, Evelyn, and Gary A. Olson, eds. "The Gender Reader". Allyn and Bacon, 1990.

Ray, Richard, Gary A. Olson, and James DeGeorge, eds. "The Process Reader". Prentice Hall, 1985.

Olson, Gary A., James DeGeorge, and Richard Ray. "Style and Readability in Business Writing". Random House, 1984.

Olson, Gary A., ed. "Writing Centers: Theory and Administration". NCTE, 1984.

DeGeorge, James, Gary A. Olson, and Richard Ray. "Style and Readability in Technical Writing". Random House, 1983.

"Chronicle of Higher Education] Columns

“The Importance of Protocol.” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 31 Oct. 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/10/2006103101c/careers.html

“We Really Like You.” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 20 Sept. 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/09/2006092001c/careers.html

“Why Settle for Second Best?” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 25 July 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/07/2006072501c/careers.html

“Praising You as We Should.” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 2 June 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/06/2006060201c/careers.html

“Can You Spare a Dime?” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 2 May 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/05/2006050201c/careers.html

“A Culture of Openness.” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 31 Mar. 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/03/2006033101c/careers.html

“What Conspiracy?” "Chronicle of Higher Education" 21 Feb. 2006. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/02/2006022101c/careers.html. Reprinted in "Workplace Blog: A Journal for Academic Labor" 21 Feb. 2006. http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/workplace/archives/023072.php