If you missed the 1997 annual meeting in Monterey, you missed great convention, not to mention the many delightful attractions of Monterey Peninsula. A total of 750 people registered for the conference, and well over 600 presented papers or led workshops at our resort location, the Hyatt Regency.
For this year's convention kick-off, we continued the time-honored WSCA Great Town Hall Debate. Debaters squared off over the resolution that, in the 21st century, the Communication curriculum will not be business as usual. After a lively debate, the house was divided and winners determined. Ken Gergen, professor of psychology at SwarthmoreCollege, and Mary Gergen, professor of psychology and women's studies at Penn State-Delaware County campus, offered the convention keynote address on "Relationalia: A Performance Hyperlogue."
The conference theme was evident throughout the convention, from a mock trial on first amendment issues and the internet, to communication challenges with marginalized communities. A final convention highlight was the Presidential address of Betsy Bach, who challenged us to shed our many academic elitisms in an effort to change the public's sense of what professors do.
Several Association awards were presented during our Monday luncheon. Our highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, was presented to Lucy Keele, Emeritus Professor at California State University, Fullerton, for her dedication to WSCA. Vera Karlene Bissonnette, Saratoga High School, San Jose, CA, received the 1997 K-12 Model Program Award. The B. Aubrey Fisher Award went to Fred Corey, Arizona State University, for his WJC article, "Personal Narratives and Young Men m Prison: Labeling the Outside Inside."
A special thank you must be made to all those who worked in the background planning this convention to guarantee its success. The interest group program planners did a superb job of responding to the theme of "Not Business as Usual" by providing programs that showcased the best scholarship in their respective divisions. To those who helped with convention planning, I am most grateful.
No convention can be successful without the local hosts at the registration table, in the special events planning, and in meeting our audio visual needs. Dave Natharius and Kathy Adams, California State University, Fresno, deserve our heartfelt thanks for a job very well done! Planning is already underway for our 1998 convention in Denver. President-elect Peter Anderson and a new group of interest group planners are busy organizing the conference around the theme, "Encountering the Communication Century." The call for papers can be found in this newsletter.
Leslie Baxter, 1997 WSCA President
As President-elect, it is my honor and duty to
invite you to next year's WSCA convention in Denver. I believe
that the special charm of the WSCA culture is our work-hard,
play-hard philosophy. After completing a site visit in March, I
am happy to report that Denver, and our Convention Hotel
(Marriott-City Centre), is an ideal venue for both work and play.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find the call for papers, workshops and programs that reflect the theme, "Encountering the Communication Century." WSCA-Denver is the third to last convention of this century. The ubiquitous media announcements pronouncing our entrance into the communication era (information age) is more than just hype. Work in the postindustrial world looks a lot like what we teach and research in our respective communication departments. If we fail to catch the excitement avalanche, the interest landslides in the many faceted connnunication field, we, will have missed an incredible opportunity. Unlike many prophets of doom who predict the demise of our discipline or eclipse of the entire higher education enterprise, I view the future with mountains of optimism. The very issues that we debate, examine and expound upon are at the apex of the national agenda, the summit of public consciousness.
The 21 st Century trends--multiculturalism, new communication technologies, changing nature of work and institutional interaction, diversity of the American family, changing relationship of men and women, future of political dialogue, nature of participatory democracy, and new global communication networks--provide mountains of issues to explore. These issues are at the heart of our work and we will have plenty of work to do. My hope is that all of these issues will constitute the very pinnacle of our intellectual exchanges in Denver.
WSCA members recognize that there is more to life than work and Denver has many opportunities for mountains of play. Our local hosts Sue Pendell and Carl Burgchardt of Colorado State University have exciting events planned for relaxation and recreation. As your President-elect I felt my mandate included investigating local skiing opportunities near Denver; thus, twice this winter I ventured to Colorado so I could provide a firsthand account and recommendations. Based upon careful empirical research and participant observation, my five favorite sid resorts are: Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin and Winter Park/Mary Jane.
Anyone wanting more detailed findings should contact me by phone or E-mail. So let the planning begin! WSCA should once again provide optimal opportunity to scale the peaks, intellectually, interpersonally, and relationally. I hope WSCA-Denver will provide such a peak experience.
-Peter A. Andersen San Diego State
University, President-Elect
There's a plaque on the steps of the State Capitol Building in downtown Denver to mark the spot. Standing there, you're exactly 5,280 feet above sea level--one mile high.
But Denver is a "mile high!' in many other ways too. Denver receives over 300 days of bright sunshine every year, more annual hours of sun dm San Diego. Denver brews more beer than any other city: Coors Brewery is the largest in the world and downtown Denver has 15 brew pubs and micro-breweries. Denver has America's only downtown amusement park--Elitch
Gardens with 21 thrill rides. The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second largest in the nation with eight theaters for evening from the symphony to Sunset Boulevard. Denver is one of a few cities in the U.S. to have all major league sports @s, including the Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche and the NBA Denver Nuggets. And the Denver park system is the largest in the nation with over 200 parks within the city limits and mountain parks as well.
While you're a mile high, there are dozens of things to do in Denver: see the Colorado State Capitol, the Denver Museum of Natural History, and the Denver Art Museum, the Black American West Museum and the Museo de las Americas; visit the U.S. Mint, the Forney Transportation Museum, the Molly Brown House, The Denver Zoo, and the Botanic Gardens; shop at Cherry Creek, in Larimer Square, the Tabor Center, and on the 16th Street Mall.
And, of course, you can go to programs!
When you come to Denver you'll fly into the most technologically advanced air center in the world, the most beautiful airport ever built, Denver International Airport (DIA). You'll stay in mile-high downtown Denver at the marvelous Marriott, surrounded by great restaurants, fun brew pubs, and wonderful galleries.
See you there!
-Sue Pendell
The 1997 WSCA Distinguished Service Award went to Professor Lucy Keele, who served our association in many capacities with commitment and excellence. Professor Keele helped to develop the communication and law interest groups both in WSCA and SCA, and advancing forensic education in our region. She is past president of WSCA and WFA (Western Forensic Association). Professor Keele is described as an "indefatigible" person in her demonstrated I p role in WSCA, as one nominator described, "chairing its Committees, leading its activities from her official positions, and serving on the editorial boards of its journals." During the time she served as WSCA president, the organization continued its prodigious growth, especially m the domain of recruiting women of all cultural backgrounds and men of minority status.
Another nominator said, "Though today it seems almost odd to think that it ever was otherwise, she was the first organizationwide program planner to end the silly practice of calling each program moderator (regardless of his or her gender) 'Chairman' in the official program. In scores of ways she has made this organization an improved one."
-Wen Shu Lee
T'he ORWAC Award for best article in Women's Stu&es in
Communication was won by Jill Bemie Henke, Diane Zimmerman Umble
and Nancy J. Smith (all of Millersville University) for
'Construction of Female Self: Feminist Readings of the Disney
Heroine."
The Student Debut Award Paper was won by Duane A. Gustafson of
Pennsylvania State University for his work entitled "An
Empirical Examination of Conflict Management and Three
Perspectives on Framing: Toward a Combinatorial Model."
The K-12 Program Awards Committee (which included Melissa Beal, Tom Jenness and Elizabeth Mechling), announces the recipient of Western States Communication Association's 1997 award.
WSCA presents this award to an primary or secondary school program that reflects the breadth and depth of the speech communication discipline, integrates curricular and co-curricular activities, has teaching personnel with specialized training, has strong administrative support, and attempts to meet SCA guidelines for speaking and listening competencies. The incredible work of this year's recipient is truly exemplary in regard to each of these criteria.
This year's winner is Veva Bissonnette from Saratoga High School in San Jose. Her supporters provided ample evidence:
In a time of dwindling resources, Veva has successfully fielded a team of nearly a hundred students competing locally and nationally. She credits strong administrative support for her being able to gamer one teaching award after another (like the speech teachers 'hall of fame and the double diamond award from the National Forensics League)--but it is clear that she deserves the majority of the creditor building and maintaining a sterling program.
Supporters called her a speech teacher extraordinaire. Still others referred to her positive attitude and enthusiasm having attracted young people who might not otherwise have had the courage to even attempt a public speech. Veva has worked tremendously effectively with the mentor teacher program at San Jose State-it is clear that she will be influencing future teachers for some time to 'come. She is tmly an inspiration to all she encounters. We are pleased to have Veva Bissonnette accept the WSCA award to achievement in K-12 program.
-Elizabeth Mechling
The B. Aubrey Fisher Award for the best article in the Western
Journal of Communication in volume 60 was won by
Frederick C. Corey of Arizona State University for his work
entitled, "Personal Narratives and Young Men in Prison:
Labeling the Outside Inside."
The Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara offers advanced study leading to &e Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. It is designed to provide students with a theoretical understanding of the process of human communication. The department embraces a social science orientation to the field of communication. Faculty members use empirical methods to study important societal issues concerning human communication. The graduate curriculum provides students with essential preparation in theory construction, analysis, and research methodologies for conducting original scholarship in communication.
Our graduate program is relatively small by design--approximately 30 graduate students at a given time--enabling us to offer students the luxury of small seminars, individualized programs, and extensive student-faculty contact. Graduate g is broadly based in the social sciences, with emphases in three primary research areas: interpersonal communication, mass communication, and organizational communication.
Interpersonal communication deals with verbal and nonverbal communication between individuals, usually in face-to-face settings. Faculty working in this area investigate issues such as communication patterns in different types of relationships (including family relationships); relationship development, using conversational tactics to achieve goals; differences in language choice; gender differences; and how members of different social groups (e.g., cultures, gender, generations) communicate.
Mass communication examines issues of creating, distributing, and receiving mass media messages. Faculty in this area explore topics such as media content (e.g., restrictions on pretrial publicity), regulatory policies regarding mass media (e.g., indecency restrictions on children's programming), and telecommunication and information policy.
Organizational communication focuses on communication in the workplace. Faculty explore topics such as how innovations are implemented and modified in organizations, the nature of embedded organizational groups, influence processes and organizational decision making, leadership, social networks, socialization processes for organizational newcomers, and communication technologies in the workplace.
UCSB is home to the National Television Violence Study (NTVS), a three-year effort to assess violence on television. Funded by the National Cable Television Association, researchers are assessing the nature of violence in entertainment programming, such as comedy series, movies, children's shows, and music videos. The study supports an extensive videotape archive of a randomly selected composite week of television across 23 channels (4,000 tapes per year), the archive can be used by graduate students in communication as well as odw scholars on campus who are interested in studying stereotypes. advertising appeals, and other content characteristics of television.
- Dorothy Imrich Mullin
The K-12 Program Awards Committee is seeking nominations to be presented at the next Western State Communication As on in Denver in 1998. The award may be given to one or more speech programs from elementary/secondary schools based on the following criteria:
1. Reflects the breadth and depth of the speech communication discipline
2. Integrates curricular and co-curricular activities.
3. Has teaching personnel with specialized training.
4. Has strong administrative support.
5. Attempts to meet SCA guidelines for essential speaking and listening skills for elementary students and/or SCA recommendations for minimal speaking and listening competencies for high school graduates.
The nominations should include at least three letters of support (one from the site, one from a former student, and one from outside the program.) The deadline for nominations in May 1, 1997. The nomination committee will make selections in May. The recipient(s) should be prepared to make a presentation on the K-12 program at the Denver Convention.
Nominations should be sent to Professor Craig R. Smith, Speech
Communication Department, MHB-711, California State University,
Long Beach, CA 90840-2407. Other members of the evaluating
committee include Bob Stockton, Chair of the Elementary-Secondary
Schools Interest Group, and Janet Hoffman, Chair of the
Communication and Instruction Interest Groups.
The Distinguished Service Award of Western States Communication honors persons who have made considerable and longstanding contributions both to WSCA and to the fiew of Communication. Previous award winners include: Gale Richm&, Walter Fisher, James McBath, Malcom 0. SiU=, Jack Samosky, Thomas M. Schiedel, Nancy Cmnp McDermid. John W "Sam" Keltner and Lucy Keele.
The WSCA Distinguished Service Award Committee seeks nominations, which should include a detailed listing of the nominee's accomplishments (or a vita) and one or more of the nominee's contributions to WSCA and the field. Past nominee materials may also be updated. Nominations should be forwarded no later than November 1, 1997. Direct questions and nominations to the committee chair: Pamela J. Kalbfleisch, Chair, Distinguished Service Award Committee, Department of Communication and Mass Media, P.O. Box 3904, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 8207 1. Phone (307) 766-3857; Fax (307) 7663833 or (307) 766-3812; E-mail@ P K@ uwyo.edu.
Pamela J. Kalbfleisch
WSCA is seeking applications for Editor of WSCA News, who will be chosen at the November Executive Council meeting. The editor is responsible for publishing and distributing WSCA News. The person appointed collects, edits and oversees the printing three fims per year. The appointment is for a three-year term and the editor is a nonvoting member of the Executive Council which meets twice yearly.
WSCA provides a budget line which has covered the costs of printing and mailing the newsletter. The person selected should be a competent editor, have organizational skills, and be enthused about WSCA. Experience in desktop publishing and/or web sites preferred.
Applicants should submit a letter of willingness to serve, a
statement about qualifications, and a letter from the person in
charge of the academic unit in support of the application.
Initial inquiries are welcome via E-mail:
dennis.alexander@m.cc.utah.edu. All materials should be sent to
the chair of the Search Committee: Dennis C., Alexander,
Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City,
UT 84112. The deadline for applications September 1, 1997.
Western States Communication Association News is published d= times yearly. e for copy.- September 15, 19917. Please send copy to the editor- Michael E. Mayer, Dep@nt of Communication, Arizona State University PO Box 871205, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1205, phone: 602965-5090, E-mail: Michael.Mayer@asuedu. Typesetting provided by Publication Assistance Center in the College of Public Programs, Arizona State University.
