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August 2010 Volume 37 no. 4 In This IssueWelcome WSCA's New Executive
Director!
WSCA Annual Meeting, February 18-22, 2011, Monterey, California |
WSCA News Editor:Michele H .Jackson, University of Colorado at Boulder. jackson@colorado.edu |
Welcome WSCA’s New Executive Director!
by Heather Hundley, President
John hails from debate and his areas of research interest include Communication Law, Forensics, Argumentation, and Research Methods, particularly in Statistics.
John has been a member of WSCA for the past 40 years. During this time he has served as the Vice Chair and Chair of the Freedom of Expression and Legal Communication Interest Group (twice), and for the Communication Theory Interest Group. He has been a delegate to Legislative Assembly 17 times; he has served on numerous association-wide committees including the Member Services Committee, the Steering Committee, the Finance Committee, the Resolutions Committee, the Committee on Publicity and Public Relations, and the Executive Secretary Search Committee. Twice he served as President of the Western Forensic Association and he has served as on editorial board of the Western Journal of Communication (one of his many editorial board memberships).
If John’s name sounds familiar but you still can’t quite place him, maybe it is because you’ve read his textbooks or scholarly articles. Other than many manuscripts in journals such as Communication Monographs, Journal of Communication, and Human Communication Research, John has published several textbooks. Most impressively is his Introduction to Research in Communication, now in its 4th edition, which is also translated and used in Beijing. He has also published Communication Research Statistics as well as chapters in books including “Persuasion in the Legal Setting” in The Persuasion Handbook edited by James Price Dillard and Michael Pfau.
In addition to his impressive service and publication record, John is really a nice guy. He lives in Anaheim with his beautiful wife and partner Betty Jean. In addition to enjoying time spent with each other, their children, and grandchildren, John and Betty Jean like to travel and learn about wine. During the summers you may catch them driving up California’s central coast to check out the explosion of wineries around the San Luis Obispo area. As a Southern California native, John has many interesting stories to share about the area, including his tenure at Disneyland! Be sure to say “hello” to John and Betty Jean at our next conference and thank him for his time and dedication to WSCA.
Big Lifetime Membership Discount Still Applies
by John Reinard, Executive Director
Lifetime membership—one of the biggest bargains in WSCA—will continue to be provided at the unbelievable price of $1000 through the month of September. After that time, lifetime memberships will increase to $2000.
Life memberships permit lifetime subscription to the
organization’s journals and newsletter. In addition, life
members receive free registration for the annual convention and pay
only for the convention luncheon, workshops, and other events.
Starting October 1, the lifetime memberships will rise
to $2000. For those wishing to stretch out payments, the life
memberships may be defrayed over a maximum of five years with a $100.00
per year charge for additional payments.
A reminder:
The call for papers and programs for the 2011 WSCA Convention
in Monterey may be found at: http://www.westcomm.org/conventions/WSCA-2011-Monterey/call2011.pdf
Hotel information may be found at http://www.westcomm.org/conventions/WSCA-2011-Monterey/Hotel.asp .
Head to Monterey for WSCA 2011 Annual Meeting!
by Marnel Niles, Local Host ChairConsider your trip to Monterey, California for the Western States Communication Convention in February 2011 as an opportunity to relax! In between the convention sessions, take some time to do some of the most relaxing things imaginable: golfing, shopping, and a spa session. All three are in close proximity of the convention hotel, The Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa.
There are 20 public and private world-class golf courses in Monterey alone, with more outside of the city. Schedule your tee-time for early in the morning or later in the evening if you want to stay cool! Arrange to go to a course in downtown Monterey, or stay closer to the hotel—the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa sits on one of the courses, which can be seen from many of the hotel rooms.
In addition to golfing, Monterey has a number of unique stores to ensure an enjoyable shopping experience. Whether you’re looking for an “I Love Monterey” t-shirt, a whale keychain, or a bottle of red wine, you will find it in Cannery Row and in downtown Monterey. And don’t forget to bring a keepsake for your loved ones back home!
The Convention hotel also features its own upscale spa and full-service salon. While taking a break from the conference sessions, schedule a massage, facial, wrap, haircut, or nail treatment at the Accista Spa. The ambiance and service in the upscale spa is certain to provide relaxation and comfort.
As you begin to plan your relaxing trip, please note that note that the faculty and students in the Department of Communication at California State University, Fresno will serve as your local hosts for the 2011 WSCA Convention. Please feel free to contact the local host chair, Dr. Marnel Niles, if you have any questions at mnniles@csufresno.edu. See you in Monterey!
Call for Nominations: Editor, Communication Reports
by Steve Yoshimura
The WSCA Publications Committee requests
nominations and self-nominations
for the position of Editor of Communication Reports. Nominations should
be directed to the chair of the WSCA Publications
Committee, Dr. Stephen Yoshimura, at Stephen.yoshimura@umontana.edu by
October 15th, 2010. Please send the following material with the
nomination:(1) A letter of self-nomination (or a letter indicating willingness to serve) from the nominee, including a statement of proposed plans and editorial vision.
(2) A current vita
(3) A letter from the nominee's chair or other administrator describing adequate institutional support.
(4) Names and phone numbers of references who could speak to the nominee's qualifications as an editor.
Plan your Fall Syllabus with the USRC in Mind
by Michelle A. Holling, USRC Coordinator
Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference is an extraordinary opportunity for undergraduate scholars and researchers. Students share original research in the form of critical investigation, experimentation, or analysis at our annual Western States Communication Association convention. We welcome papers from a diverse range of philosophical, theoretical, and methodological approaches to the study of communication. And, the USRC gives undergraduate scholars a place in which to showcase their work and receive feedback from experienced scholars.
Undergraduate students benefit from participating in the research conference by crafting and sharing a professional presentation, meeting other undergraduate scholars from the Western region and the U.S., learning about each others’ research interests, receiving supportive feedback from scholars in the field and learning about graduate studies in communication.
The WSCA 2010 convention will be in Monterey, California February 18-22, 2011. The USRC is scheduled for February 19, Saturday, which allows student scholars to attend many of the activities during the remaining days of the convention. Log on to WSCA’s website for additional information and events planned for the convention.
The deadline for paper submissions has been changed to December 1, 2010. Even though the deadline is a ways off, it’s not too early to inform students of this fantastic opportunity! As we begin drafting fall syllabi, I ask each of us to consider making reference to the USRC and/or planning a final paper deadline for a course we teach before December 1, which could encourage students to submit their work to the USRC. Papers should be between 18-25 pages in length. Students who submit must be undergraduate students at the time of submission. Students should not submit more than one paper for which they serve as primary author. Co-authored papers are welcome.
Professors and instructors please spread the word! Announce in your classes and distribute the call to advisors, colleagues, and student organizations. For more information, please contact USRC Coordinator, Michelle A. Holling (mholling@csusm.edu).
Dickens Award Nominations Sought
by Bill Sharkey, Editor, Communication Reports
Aloha WSCA Members: The Milton Dickens Award
for Exemplary Empirical
Research recognizes an outstanding article published in Communication
Reports during the editor’s term (i.e., every three years).
William Sharkey, the Editor of Communication Reports,
is requesting that WSCA members nominate articles published in Volumes
20-22 (2007-2009). These issues were edited by Todd Imahori (Vol. 20
& 21(1)) and William Sharkey (Vol. 21(2) & 22).
Nominations must be received by November 1st to be considered by the
committee. You may email your nominations to William (Bill) Sharkey at creports@hawaii.edu.
Western Journal of Communication Vol. 74(5)
by Brian Ott, Editor
Coparental Communication with Nonresidential Parents as a Predictor of Couples’ Relational Satisfaction and Mental Health in Stepfamilies --Paul Schrodt
On a Scale of State Empathy During Message Processing --Lijiang Shen
Empowering Narratives: Making Sense of the Experience of Growing Up With Chronic Illness or Disability --Linda Wheeler Cardillo
“I’m Just Raising the Question”: Terms for Talk and Practical Metadiscursive Argument in Public Meetings --Laura Black & James L. Leighter
U.S. Military Perceptions of Victories in Iraq, the “Long War” Against Terrorism, and the Enduring Rhetorical Power of the 2006 Counterinsurgency Manual --Marouf Hasian
Distinguished Service Award Nominations Sought
by Sara McKinnon, Chair, Distinguished Service Award CommitteeThe Western States Communication Association’s Distinguished Service Award honors persons who
have made considerable and long-lasting contributions to WSCA and to the discipline of Communication.
In 2009, the WSCA Distinguished Service Award went to Myron W. “Ron” Lustig (San Diego State University).
As the Chairperson of the WSCA Distinguished Service Award Committee, I am currently seeking nominations. Nomination packets should include the following: (1) a detailed listing of the nominee’s accomplishments (and/or a CV); (2) one or more letters detailing and framing the nominee’s contributions to WSCA and to the Communication field.
Nominations should be received no later than Friday, December 3, 2010. Past nomination materials may
also be updated and resubmitted. Please address the nomination materials via email to Sara McKinnon,
WSCA Distinguished Service Award Committee Chairperson, in portable document format (PDF):
smckinnon@wisc.edu
Along with me, this year’s committee is composed of the following WSCA members: Brian Heisterkamp (California State University, San Bernardino), Katherine Adams (California State University, Fresno), and Daniel Canary (Arizona State University)
For a list of previous award winners and/or for more information on the WSCA 2011 convention in
Monterey, California please visit the WSCA website (www.westcomm.org).