I attended the 102nd annual convention of the National Communication Association held in Philadelphia, PA from November 10 – 13, 2016. The conference was intellectually stimulating and professionally enriching.
KEEPING UP WITH RESEARCH AND TRENDS
The National Communication Association is the national professional organization for my discipline of communication, and as a result its annual convention is the largest gathering of communication scholars in the country. The convention attracts communication over 5,000 scholars and practitioners in the field from all over the country and around the world. Being able to rub shoulders and interact with colleagues from various places not only enriches my love for my discipline but also helps me to keep up with the latest research and scholarly trends in the field.
SESSIONS ON ASSESSMENT
At this year’s conference, I attended various sessions on assessment within the discipline of Communication which would be essential in my new role as chair of the Communication Department here at Vanguard University. I also attended several panel discussions, paper presentations and round table discussions. Various scholars presented their most recent research papers and I had the opportunity to ask them questions and discuss their research with them in depth. I attended panel presentations and participated in the meetings of the Religious Communication Association, an association that seeks to address issues related to the intersection of faith and the communication discipline. This Association has its annual meetings concurrently with the convention of the National Communication Association.
REPRESENTED THE Pi Upsilon Chapter of Lambda Pi E
ta Honor Society
In addition, in my role as Communication Department Chair and faculty advisor for the Vanguard University Pi Upsilon Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta the National Communication Honor Society, I represented the chapter at the Honor Society’s National Annual Business meeting.
AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE
Overall, the conference was a boost to my professional development as a communication scholar and professor and I look forward to being able to attend future conventions of the National Communication Association.