At its 2021 meeting, the NCA Legislative Assembly approved the 2022 proposed budget. In addition, the Legislative Assembly approved a new journal, a new council, two new interest groups, and two new affiliates.
Communication and Race
The NCA Legislative Assembly has approved the creation of a new journal: Communication and Race. Read about the journal elsewhere in Spectra.
Mentorship and Leadership Council
At its 2021 meeting, the NCA Legislative Assembly approved the creation of the Mentorship and Leadership Council (MLC). Working with the National Office, the MLC will coordinate, centralize, and organize mentorship and leadership resources, activities, and opportunities for NCA. The MLC will be composed of six members, plus the Chair. As with NCA’s other Councils, the Chair and members will serve three-year, staggered, terms. The Chair of the council will be added as a member of the Executive Committee.
New Interest Groups
The NCA Legislative Assembly also approved the creation of two new interest groups: the Caribbean Communication Caucus and the South West Asian/North African, Middle East (SWANA) Caucus.
The proposal for the Caribbean Communication Caucus states, in part, “A Caribbean Caucus at NCA will highlight the importance, relevance, and value of Communication research on the Caribbean. The Caucus goal will be to promote, support, and cultivate Caribbean research in our discipline.”
The SWANA Caucus proposal states, in part, that the “SWANA Caucus at NCA will serve as the only dedicated space in the discipline to promote and lift new scholarship on the region… [and will] provide an organizational framework for reaching scholars working on issues facing the SWANA region and its immigrants.”
Both caucuses will sponsor panels and events beginning at the 2022 NCA Annual Convention in New Orleans. NCA members can join any number of caucuses. NCA members can add caucuses, divisions, or sections or to their membership at any time by emailing inbox@natcom.org.
New Affiliate Approval
The NCA Legislative Assembly also approved two new affiliates: The Comics Studies Society and The Institute of General Semantics. Affiliate organizations are separate, autonomous organizations that partner with NCA. Typically, affiliates have a shared mission related to Communication pedagogy or scholarship. A full list of affiliate organizations is available on the NCA website.
According to the proposal, “The Comics Studies Society is an interdisciplinary society open to all who share the goals of promoting the critical study of comics, improving comics teaching, and engaging in open and ongoing conversation about the comics world.”
According to its mission statement, “The Institute of General Semantics promotes a scientific approach to understanding human behavior, especially as related to symbol systems and language. The Institute also promotes the application of proven principles that guide advancements in critical thinking, rational behavior, and general sanity.”