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Mass Communication Division
National Communication Association
August 2003

Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.

Published four times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA
Editor: Glenda R. Balas, University of New Mexico (gbalas@unm.edu)

Newsletter Contents:

• NCA Notes

• Spotlight on Scholarship: Alan Rubin

• Research Committee Chair Report

• Call for Nominations of Officers, 2003-04

• Vice Chair’s Report

• Call for Participation: University of Texas Email Study

• Job Posting: Fairfield University

• News of Members

• Contact Information for MCD Officers

• Deadline for Next Newsletter

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NCA Notes

The submission deadline for our division’s competitive papers and panels will be moving next year to February 15, instead of February 1. Spread the word!

If you’re looking for information about people and panels at NCA 2003, you can find them by going to http://convention.allacademic.com/nca2003/

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Spotlight on Scholarship: Alan Rubin

Dr. Alan Rubin, Professor of Communication at Kent State University, will be the focus of “Spotlight on Scholarship” in the next MCD Newsletter. Colleagues and former students are asked to make contributions to this profile of one of our division’s most prominent scholars. Please send observations and short anecdotes to Glenda Balas, Newsletter Editor, at gbalas@unm.edu. Deadline: September 15, 2003.

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Research Committee Chair Report

Doug Ferguson, College of Charleston, offers the following report about papers submitted to the 2002 Call for Papers.

Summary of Results: Mass Communication Division Paper Review 2003

The division received a total of 62 competitive paper submissions. The summary of results is shown in the following table.

Number of Papers submitted 62
Number of Papers Accepted 40
Average Score Across All Papers 6.11 (0=Lowest; 10=Highest)
Average Score Across Accepted papers 6.78
Average Score of Top 3 Papers 7.98

Three referees reviewed each paper, and the top 40 papers were included in the panel proposals (which makes for an acceptance rate of 64.5%). Twelve programs were created and proposed from the accepted papers and sent to NCA for presentation in Miami. These programs reflect various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches in mass communication research.

After calculating the composite scores, we had three papers that were ranked as Top 3 Competitive Papers.

Congratulations to these scholars, and to all of our presenters!

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Call for Nomination of Officers

Members are strongly encouraged to get involved in the governance of the Division. Below is a call for nominations and a description of each elected position.

The Mass Communication Division Nominations Committee is seeking nominations and self nominations for division officer positions for 2003-2004. Nominations are sought for the offices of (1) Vice Chair Elect, (2) Secretary, (3) Research Committee member (two positions), (4) Publications Editor, (5) Web Wizard, (6) Nominations Committee membership, (7) NCA Resolutions Representative, and (8) Graduate Student Representative.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving, please contact Tom Reichert, University of Alabama (reichert@apr.ua.edu).

Vice-Chair Elect:
The year that a person is elected to vice-chair elect, that person will be responsible for overseeing the announcements of the teaching/service awards, and for selecting the award winner (with help from other members of committee). The following fall, when the person assumes the position of vice-chair, this position entails going to the program planning meeting at NCA, distributing the call for papers at the business meeting, and making sure that the call for papers is given to the program planners. As vice-chair, the person assumes the responsibility of program planner for the division, overseas the judging of panel submissions, and, with the aid of the chair of the research committee, arranges panels and competitive papers into sessions that are submitted to the NCA program planners for consideration. The responsibilities involved in this position are heaviest immediately after the convention, in February and March when division members submit papers and proposals, and during the convention itself when planning meetings occur.

Secretary:
The secretary assumes responsibility for creating and maintaining a record of communication and events at the business meeting during our annual convention. The secretary’s position spans two years. The first year the secretary takes notes during the meeting, following the format set in previous years. Election results will occur simultaneously during regular business. Those notes should be organized and put into a word process file as soon as possible after the meeting and distributed to the vice chair and secretary for review. After any corrections, a permanent version of the notes can be sent to other officers and printed for inclusion in the archive. The second year the secretary is responsible for distributing the notes to meeting attendees and presenting the notes formally at the beginning of the business meeting.

Research Committee: (two people elected)
The person (this year two people will be chosen for this committee) who is elected as a member of the Research Committee will stay on the committee for three years. The first year as a member of the Research Committee, the second year as the Chair-Elect, and the third year as the Chair of the Research Committee. The responsibilities of the first two years on the Committee are mainly to assist the work of the Chair, and to be determined by the Chair. The third year as the Chair of the Committee, the person will coordinate convention paper reviews for the Division, and program competitive paper sessions based on the results of the reviews.

Nominations Committee: (five people elected, including Chair)
The Chair of the Nominations Committee solicits self and other nominations from various MCD positions from members of the Mass Communication Division and from members of the Nominating Committee. It is wise to solicit and receive such nominations by the end of the summer prior to the NCA annual meeting. In consultation with members of the Nominating Committee, the Chair seeks and receives input about the nominees and finalizes a slate of candidates for each position. With the assistance of Committee members, the Nominating Committee Chair conducts the elections during the MCD’s Business Meeting at the NCA Annual Convention.

Publications Committee:
The job of the Publicity officer is to serve as a conduit of information among NCA Mass Communication Division members and does the following three things: (1) Maintain the email list by updating it periodically (i.e., there is a constant churn in the list as new members join, some addresses change, and other drop out, etc.), (2) Writing and dispersing via e-mail four e-newsletters (e.g., in March, May, October, November). Maintaining a e-mailing list can be time consuming, as can editing and producing newsletters. But the position is enjoyable and is an important professional service. Many members of the Mass Communication Division rely heavily on the newsletter, especially the electronic newsletter, for relevant information about research, careers, and the profession.

Web Wizard:
The individual in this position maintains the web site for the division, updating the site with newsletters, names and officers, and contact information. At present, the person who occupies this position is responsible for housing the web site on a server at his/her university.

Graduate Student Representative:
This person serves as a “voice” representing graduate student interests in the division, relaying issues of interest and concern to officers within the division.

Representative to the NCA Resolutions Committee:
This person represents the Mass Communication Division at NCA executive meetings if any resolutions are presented to the association.

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Vice Chair’s Report
Jim Walker, Saint Xavier University

This year’s convention will feature 22 Mass Communication Division sessions, including co-sponsored sessions. There are twelve competitive paper panels, eight thematic panels, our Business Meeting, and the Division Reception. On the whole, the new online submissions system worked, but there were some problems. The most serious was an incomplete application received for one thematic panel. The Division will need to review ways to prevent this problem from occurring in the future. I want to thank all of those who submitted competitive papers and thematic panels for their patience in working with the new system. Division members were put on a fast learning curve and responded wonderfully. I especially want to thank Doug Ferguson, Research Committee Chair, for handling quickly and effectively dozen’s of forwarded e-mails concerning the new system.

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Call for Participation:
“Anonymity and Identity Management through Email Usernames" Study

Communication researchers, students, and professionals are invited to participate in an online study of email addresses. The purpose of this study–which is being conducted by researchers at the University of Texas--is to gain an understanding of how people personalize their email addresses, manage multiple email addresses/accounts, and experience anonymity when using these addresses.

Completion of the survey will require approximately 10-30 minutes, depending on the number of email addresses participants enter. All answers will be kept confidential by the researchers, and the information will be used solely for academic research purposes.

The survey is posted on the following web page:
https://www.hostedware.com/secure/hs/takesurvey.asp?c=2003emailsurvey

Questions about the project should be directed to Kris M. Markman and Craig R. Scott,
Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78713.

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Job Posting: Fairfield University
Two Assistant Professors in Communication

The Department of Communication at Fairfield University invites applications for two full-time, tenure-track faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning in September 2004. Fairfield University is a comprehensive Jesuit university located in southern Connecticut, 52 miles from New York City. Communication is the largest major at the university with approximately 350 undergraduate majors.

Position #1: Generalist or specialist to teach introductory theory and research capstone, as well as in at least one of the following areas: interpersonal, intercultural, organizational, or health communication, or rhetoric/public speaking (especially with emphasis on social movements and/or religious rhetoric).

Position #2: New media/media institutions specialist to teach introduction to mass communication plus two or more of the following: technoculture and information society, international/comparative mass media, political communication, media criticism. Preference given for experience or interest in audience analysis, quantitative methods, and/or service-learning.

Qualified candidates will have a Ph.D. in Communication, teaching experience, and a commitment to liberal arts education. We seek colleagues who have a broad intellectual outlook, value the methodological and theoretical diversity within the field, and enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration. The successful candidates for these positions will teach 3 courses per semester, demonstrate commitment to a research agenda with the promise of scholarly productivity, enjoy advising and mentoring students, and engage in appropriate departmental, university, professional, and community service. Salary, benefits, and faculty development resources are highly competitive.

Send (1) letter of application, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) statement of teaching philosophy and evidence of teaching effectiveness, (4) official graduate transcripts, and (5) three letters of reference to:

Dr. Robbin D. Crabtree, Chair
Department of Communication, DMH 130
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195

Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2003. Preliminary interviews will be scheduled for the NCA convention in Miami.

Fairfield University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, and applications from members of historically under-represented groups are especially encouraged.

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News of Members

Appointments and Promotions

Janet Davis was recently promoted to the rank of Professor at Truman State University.

New Book Announcements

Global Media Studies: Ethnographic Perspectives, edited by Patrick D. Murphy, Southern Illinois University, and Marwan M. Kraidy, American University, will be published by Routledge in November 2003.

Recovering a Public Vision for Public Television by Glenda R. Balas, University of New Mexico, was published by Rowman and Littlefield in April 2003.

Studies in Terrorism: Media Scholarship and the Enigma of Terror, edited by N. Rush Chity and Medhi Semati, was recently published by Southbound Publishing.

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Contact Information for MCD Officers

Shing-Ling Chen, Immediate Past Chair
University of Northern Iowa
sarina.chen@uni.edu

Elizabeth Perse, Chair
University of Delaware
eperse@udel.edu

James R. Walker, Vice Chair
Saint Xavier University
walker@sxu.edu

Mehdi Semati, Vice Chair Elect
Eastern Illinois University
msemati@eiu.edu

Dwight Brooks, Secretary
University of Georgia
debrooks@arches.uga.edu

J. Emmett Winn, Secretary Elect
Auburn University
winnjoh@auburn.edu

Research Committee
Doug Ferguson, Chair
College of Charleston
fergusond@cofc.edu

Lisa Barry
Trinity College
202-884-9804

David Roskos-Ewolsen
University of Alabama
droskos@ccom.ua.edu

Cary Horvath, Web Wizard
Slippery Rock University
cary.horvath@sru.edu

Glenda Balas, Publications Committee
University of New Mexico
gbalas@unm.edu

Heather Hundley, Resolutions Committee
California State University, San Bernardino
hhundley@csusb.edu

Chad Mahood, Graduate Student Representative
University of California, Santa Barbara
chadmahood@hotmail.com

Nominations Committee
Tom Reichert, Chair
University of Alabama
reichert@apr.ua.edu

Paul Haridakis
Kent State University
pharidak@kent.edu

Janellen Hill
Regis University
jhill@regis.edu

Dale Kunkle
University of Santa Barbara
kunkle@comm.ucsb.edu

Leah Vande Berg
California State University, Sacramento
vandeberglr@csus.edu

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Don’t Forget! Deadline for Next Newsletter….

Please send news of interest and importance to MCD members to Publications Editor, Glenda Balas, University of New Mexico (gbalas@unm.edu). Deadline for the next newsletter is September 15, 2003.

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