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Convention News:
– NCA’s 112th Annual Convention Details
NCA Events:
– April 24 VLO: Cultivating Your Leadership: Pathways to Advance and Grow
– Register for the 2026 NCA Institute for Faculty Development
– Spring Public Program: Recording Available
NCA News:
– Celebrating Excellence with NCA Awards: Call for Nominations
– The 2027 NCA Leadership Nominations Are Now Open
– 4/23 Deadline: Apply for NCA’s Strategic Plan Task Force
– Call for Resolution Proposals
– Welcome Tracy MacDonald, NCA’s Manager of Sales & Exhibitor Services
Affiliate Association News:
– COSSA Statement on the President’s FY 2027 Budget Request
| | NCA’s 112th Annual Convention Details | | |
Key 2026 Convention Dates:
April 2–29: Review period for submissions
July: Registration and discounted hotel block opens
July 18: Convention acceptance notifications
Sept. 16: Early Bird registration deadline
Nov. 18: Pre-Conference / Day of Service
Nov. 19–22: 112th Annual Convention
| | April 24 VLO: Cultivating Your Leadership: Pathways to Advance and Grow | | |
Join the National Communication Association (NCA) on Friday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to noon EDT for a transformative virtual event that will cover the multiple paths of NCA leadership for advancing your career and personal development.
Along with discovering the available roles and activities, you’ll examine the needed capabilities and timelines across all levels of leadership so you can pursue opportunities now or in the future that align with your background and interests. Attendees will be invited to a virtual 2026 Leadership Round Table (LRT) Series.
This VLO will feature expert insights from both seasoned and fresh communication scholars interested in paths of NCA leadership:
- Jeanetta Sims, 2026 NCA Immediate Past President and Chair of the Leadership Development Committee (LDC), University of Central Oklahoma
- Roseann Mandziuk, 2026 Chair of the Nominating Committee, Texas State University
- Members of the 2026 Leadership Development Committee
Mark your calendars and register now for this must-attend event!
For questions about this event, please email communications@natcom.org.
| | Register for the 2026 NCA Institute for Faculty Development | | |
The 2026 NCA Institute for Faculty Development (IFFD) will be held virtually (on Zoom) June 22–26. Duquesne University of Pittsburgh is hosting for the third year in a row. The general purpose of the IFFD is to stay abreast of ongoing changes and issues in communication theory and research, with an eye to enriching instructional insights and practices. This five-day conference offers participants an opportunity to network with fellow undergraduate scholar-teachers and learn from and with leading scholars in the field.
Please note: The institute is directed at those already teaching with an advanced familiarity with the topics. Other participants, such as students, might feel left out of the conversation, which will be counter-productive to the institute’s aims.
Registration is limited to 50–60 participants and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees must be current NCA members to register. Membership status will be verified upon registration. There is no cost to register. NCA proudly offers the IFFD as a benefit included with membership. However, a limited number of non–NCA members may be considered if the need can be demonstrated. Please email Katherine S. Thweatt at katherine.thweatt@oswego.edu to inquire about being considered for registration without a membership and event information.
The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. PDT, May 18.
| | Spring Public Program: Recording Available | | The recording for the Spring Public Program “How to have hope in the impossible times: Thinking through pain, memory and desire during the rise of authoritarianism and fascism in the U.S.” is up now. | | Celebrating Excellence with NCA Awards: Call for Nominations | | |
Nominations for the 2026 NCA National and Interest Group Awards are now open, recognizing outstanding scholarship, leadership, service, and impact across the NCA community. This is an opportunity to highlight exceptional individuals and programs whose work advances our discipline and strengthens NCA. View full details, including eligibility criteria and submission requirements, on NCA’s website.
📅 Nomination Deadline: May 27
🏆 Awards Presented: 112th NCA Annual Convention in New Orleans (Nov. 19–22)
📝 Submit Your Nomination: Use the nomination portal below
| | The 2027 NCA Leadership Nominations Are Now Open | | |
The NCA Leadership Nominations are now open, and we invite you to be part of shaping the future of the Association!
Serving in an NCA leadership role is an enriching opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, expand your professional network, and advance the communication discipline. We are seeking members to serve in roles such as Second Vice President, the Legislative Assembly, Councils, Standing Committees, National Award Selection Committees, and more. All positions selected through this cycle will begin service in 2027.
Deadlines:
Preferred deadline: July 1 (for various governance leadership positions and award selection committees)
Final deadline: Sept. 4
We encourage early submissions to support a thoughtful and collaborative review process.
If you have any questions, please contact us at nomination@natcom.org.
| | 4/23 Deadline: Apply for NCA’s Strategic Plan Task Force | | |
Last December, the NCA Executive Committee of the Legislative Assembly (EC) approved the formation of a Strategic Plan Taskforce. The Association is looking to fill three at-large positions on the Task Force.
The primary aim of the Strategic Plan Taskforce is to shepherd the creation of NCA’s 2028-2032 Strategic Plan through conducting Association-wide listening sessions, engaging in dialogue, presenting to the NCA Executive Committee (EC) of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Assembly (LA), making modifications based on member, EC, and LA feedback, and providing an eventual Strategic Plan for LA approval in November 2027 at the Annual Convention in Salt Lake City.
The call is now open to NCA members interested in serving on the Task Force. The deadline is Apr. 23, 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Representation from a range of colleges and universities and geographic locations is desirable, as is a Task Force membership that reflects the range of academic ranks and employment security.
| | Call for Resolution Proposals | |
NCA members are invited to submit resolution proposals for consideration by the Resolutions Committee by June 30. All proposals submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the Resolutions Committee, which will make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly for final review, deliberation, and approval.
Members interested in submitting a proposal should review the submission procedures and guidelines. For questions about the process, please contact Jennifer Fletcher, Organizational Development Manager.
| | Welcome Tracy MacDonald, NCA’s Manager of Sales & Exhibitor Service | |
We are so excited to welcome Tracy MacDonald to our convention team as the Manager of Sales & Exhibitor Serivce!
Tracy MacDonald joined NCA this month as the Manager of Sales & Exhibitor Services. She is an experienced association and event professional and will lead sponsorship and exhibitor sales and oversees related services for the NCA Annual Convention. Previously, Tracy served as Director of Administration and Meetings at the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), where she managed conference operations, membership, and education initiatives.
Tracy earned her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2024 and holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Mass Communications from Southeast Missouri State University.
Welcome, Tracy!
| | AFFILIATE ASSOCIATION NEWS | |
COSSA Statement on the President’s FY 2027 Budget Request
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The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) issued a statement in response to the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request released on April 3.
“The Trump Administration’s budget request for FY 2027 represents a surrender of U.S. leadership in global research and development. The President’s proposal would significantly cut funding for U.S. science agencies—including a 55% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a 13% cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—at a time when other countries are doubling down on their investments in scientific discovery.”
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