NCA Executive Committee Statement in Support of NCA’s Members and Mission

The NCA Executive Committee (EC) recognizes the extraordinarily challenging circumstances in which our members find themselves owing to the unrelenting attacks on higher education, research, and pedagogy in the United States. Several of our members report being scared, angry, and exhausted. As leaders of a scholarly society dedicated to advancing Communication scholarship, teaching, and practice to foster a better world, the EC believes the merciless attacks on free speech, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and academic freedom go against the very essence of NCA’s mission. We recognize that attacks on tenure and promotion, collective bargaining, and the elimination and/or the cancellation of federal research grants can significantly reduce our members’ ability to fulfil their scholarly, educational, and/or civic goals. We also recognize (and personally experience) the tremendous uncertainty and distress caused by the attacks on higher education currently.

In particular, the EC recognizes that our international student members on “F-1” (student) visas are experiencing significant psychological uncertainty, fear, and distress at this moment as visa revocations spread across college campuses in the US. As of April 17th, 2025, InsiderHigher Ed reports that more than 1,400 student visas have been revoked across 240 colleges and universities in the United States. While in statistical terms, this number represents a small fraction of all international students in the U.S., the tremendous psychological impact of visa revocations without a clear or discernible rationale cannot be understated. Media reporting and our personal knowledge of cases of visa revocations reveal that in several cases neither the students nor university personnel had any prior knowledge or warning before visas were revoked.

We recognize the palpable fear, psychological distress, and undue strain created by uncertainty that many of our international communication students could be facing at the moment. We want to reiterate to our international student members and to all members that we value you. We believe NCA is richer for your presence. We support you, and you may look to NCA for advocacy and for your continued professional development as a scholar, student, and/or practitioner of Communication. We wish to highlight some publicly available resources for international student members to know their rights.

The EC is committed to listening to how NCA members have been affected by the attacks on higher education via an anonymous member survey. Along with providing website resources, we will explore other tangible ways to support members. We acknowledge that the broad challenges to higher education, international student enrollments, and academic freedom, which are unfolding presently, go beyond the purview and scope of NCA. Yet, as leaders of NCA, we are committed and poised to explore additional ways that NCA can support members now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Members of the 2025 NCA Executive Committee

Jeanetta D. Sims, President
Tina M. Harris, First Vice-President
Shaunak Sastry, Second Vice-President
Marnel Niles Goins, Immediate Past President
Candice Thomas-Maddox, Finance Committee Chair
Kenneth A. Lachlan, Finance Committee Director
Michael Lechuga, Finance Committee Director
Laurie Lewis, Mentorship & Leadership Council Chair
Julie-Ann Scott-Pollack, IDEA Council Chair
John M. Sloop, Publication Council Chair
Katherine S. Thweatt, Teaching & Learning Council Chair
Benjamin Warner, Research Council Chair
Justin Danowski, Executive Director