Connections to the Community

The NCA 96^th Annual Convention, the theme was “Building Bridges”; the site was San Francisco, CA, and communication scholars were challenged to establish and build upon existing ties inside the organization and beyond. To reflect the convention’s theme, some divisions co-sponsored paper sessions, while others attempted to build bridges between academics and local professionals. The NCA 97^th Annual Convention, the theme was “Voice”; the site was New Orleans, LA, and communication scholars were challenged to get involved in community service projects to help those less fortunate and those with less powerful voices.  The NCA 98^th Annual Convention, the theme was “Celebrate COMMunity”; the site was Orlando, FL, and communication scholars, similar to the previous years, were encouraged to “celebrate COMMunity intersections” as well as explore how “different contexts, methods, and paradigms of communication study are connected.” This connection, which is a recurring theme in communication research, is important because the multiple ways of viewing communication phenomena provide more nuanced insight required to address societal issues and challenges in meaningful ways.

These previous efforts, along with the fact that we as communication scholars have so much expertise to contribute to those around us, have led to the creation of Connections to the Community.  Connections to the Community attempts to create a space for applied communication scholarship that is grounded in theory but has the clear application of engaging the community —in this particular case, the Washington, DC, community—in specific ways. Thus, Connections to the Community builds on the foundation of previous NCA community-oriented efforts, draws on our scholarly expertise, therefore demonstrating a clear connection between theoretically-based scholarship and hands-on engagement.

Sessions for Connections to the Community will examine ways in which communication scholars can contribute their knowledge to constituencies in the DC area.  Perhaps units can collaborate to work with non-profit organizations, to assist the Washington DC school system, or to provide a community workshop on how to analyze advertising, use social media, or be critical consumers of mediated communication, or to consult with local PR professionals to discuss how well the practice is aligning with and reflecting the theories developed.  The program organizer can assist in connecting with such groups including but not limited to: Alpha Phi Omega, DC area communication faculty, local National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) member fraternities and sororities (graduate and undergraduate chapters), and local Latino/a sororities and fraternities.

Submissions must include a title, a description of the proposal suitable for the online program, a list of presenters, and a communicative theoretically grounded rationale, including a brief statement of purpose, addressing the importance of the topic and its relationship to Connections to the Community, and a tentative plan detailing how the proposal will be executed.  Accepted proposals will count as reviewed convention presentations; therefore, providing sufficient detail in the proposal is necessary so that reviewers can adequately evaluate the proposal.  Proposals will be reviewed according to the importance, contribution, and scope of the topic to the community; the appropriateness of the connections between communication theory and practice; and the quality of the design.  These proposals should not exceed 1500 words.

All submissions must be made via NCA Submission Central. Emailed or mailed submissions will not be accepted. Submitters should select “panel discussion” as their submission type. For instruction on completing a submission, please refer to the step-by-step “How to Submit” instructions provided in the Convention Resource Library. All submitters are encouraged to review the Professional Standards for Convention Participants prior to submission. 

For questions related to the content of a proposal, please contact Damion Waymer, Virginia Tech, dwaymer@vt.edu; 540-231-1661.