International Communication Association

President's column Silvio Waisbord, ICA President, George Washington U It is the time of the year to recognize a new cadre of ICA leaders chosen in the recent 2024 elections. Heartfelt congratulations to president-elect-select Ingrid Bachmann, from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Among other responsibilities, Bachmann will be the conference-chair for our 2026 annual meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. Also, congratulations to our new Treasurer-Elect Michael Stohl from the U of California at Santa Barbara. I look forward to working closely with Ingrid and Michael. We also congratulate colleagues who have been elected to official positions. We are pleased that the candidates for the elections come from different corners of the world, and are based in 16 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. We thank you all for your willingness to serve the Association. We know well that it takes time and energy. Without the dedication and active engagement from members, our Association could not be what it has been for almost 75 years. All members benefit from the volunteer work of our leaders in the executive committee, divisions, and interest groups. In the past election, voter turnout was on par with recent numbers. I also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone to consider participating in leadership positions and contributing to the Association in many ways. It is the best way to learn about ICA, meet colleagues across our respective fields of interest, and make new connections. Please encourage others to think about serving in various capacities. Big thanks to Past President Terry Flew who chaired the ICA Nominations Committee, and Julie Arnold, ICA Director of Governance and Member Services, for leading a successful election process. As the five Task Forces continue to work on different aspects of our future strategic plan, I want to remind our members that we hope to produce and roll out a new Strategic Plan in 2025. The Task Forces are working on specific goals set out during the strategic exercise that concluded in Summer 2024. We much appreciate the hard work of their members (especially the dedicated and dynamic chairs) who, in a few months, have had many great conversations about outlining and implementing our vision for the future of ICA. I had the opportunity to sit ex officio in the Task Forces, and participate in stimulating conversations about translating goals into operations and activities. Yes, I love my job!

ICA 75th Anniversary Event Sponsorship Opportunities In June 2025, the annual conference in Denver will mark the International Communication Association’s 75th anniversary as an association advancing the scholarly study of communication. As President-Elect Thomas Hanitzsch eloquently noted, the theme of the 2025 conference– ICA@75: Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research–invites us to reflect critically on communication studies as a discipline and on ICA’s role as both an agent and a site of its development. This milestone anniversary presents a unique opportunity to show your support for the global ICA community. The Executive Committee and ICA Headquarters have set an ambitious goal of raising US $75,000 in sponsorships for the conference. We’ve expanded sponsorship opportunities for the event, offering opportunities to support participants from developing countries as well as students with accepted presentations. Sponsoring the International Communication Association conference offers numerous benefits: - Showcasing your products and/or services to a global audience, gaining exposure and recognition in the field of communication (ICA attracts over 4,000 communication scholars, professionals, and researchers from around the world) - Networking and connecting with a captive audience of like-minded scholars, many of whom are deans, provosts, and department chairs making purchasing decisions for their universities. - Exchanging ideas and knowledge with a cadre of some of the brightest minds in the field. All 75th Anniversary Donors and Sponsors will be honored at ICA25 with a listing in the conference program, on tangible signage in the exhibit hall and near registration, and on a slide deck shown in every room between sessions. To contribute to this effort, please visit our Sponsorship site to see a list of available sponsorship opportunities, or to support directly with a donation. https://lnkd.in/ePnJ3wte Your support would be greatly appreciated, and we hope you will join us in 2025! ICA Conference Dates: 12-16 June 2025 Onsite Exhibit Dates: 13-15 June 2025

ICA25 - Conferencing with Kids Thomas Hanitzsch, ICA President-Elect, LMU Munich Our beloved daughter Olivia is three years old and has attended three ICA conferences and two other large international meetings. We, her parents, are communication researchers; we typically attend the same conferences and regularly present papers in sessions. Our personal situation leaves us with little choice but to take our daughter to the conferences we attend. At the same time, we realize how blessed we are to have the privilege of taking our daughter to all the great conference sites. Luckily, Olivia is a fully committed ICA kid. She always wears her attendee badge with sweetness and glowing pride. Still, conferencing with small children can quickly turn into a logistical nightmare. Complications are inevitable and unpredictable, and they occasionally offset the excitement and joy typically associated with attending ICA, an event we always look forward to for twelve long months! Attending a conference with children is very different from attending alone. Parents and caregivers must build their conference schedules around their children's mealtimes. Every afternoon, they flip a coin to decide who will go to the receptions. Jet-lag-induced mental meltdowns in the breakfast lounge can become the stickiest memory they have of a conference, and how many times have you seen a parent in the conference lobby frantically running after a child who managed to escape while mommy or daddy was trying to have a sober conversation with a colleague for just one minute? To those planning to attend ICA25 with children, you can rest assured that ICA cares about ICA families! I want you to know that those running this association, including the Executive Committee, our program planners, and especially our incredible headquarters team, understand the needs of our members and conference attendees who travel with children. We are working hard to offer a great range of family activities and services to those bringing their kids to ICA25. Thus, I will dedicate the following lines to briefly outlining the features we offer in and around the conference venue. If you want to learn more about resources for kid-friendly programming in the Denver area, please check out the fantastic column written by Jessica Johnson, a member of the Denver Local Host Committee, in this newsletter. ICAKids Childcare; ICAKids and Parents' Picnic; ICAKids Baby-Feeding Room; ICAKids Family Play Zone. ICA continually reviews its family services, attempting to improve them year after year. If you have any thoughts or ideas about next year's conference or those further in the future, please send them my way, and we will try to implement them when circumstances allow. The ICA Inclusion and Accessibility Guide has a section with details on Child/Parent/Caregiver services provided by ICA: https://lnkd.in/e4cR-dux

ICA25 - Conferencing with Kids Thomas Hanitzsch, ICA President-Elect, LMU Munich Our beloved daughter Olivia is three years old and has attended three ICA conferences and two other large international meetings. We, her parents, are communication researchers; we typically attend the same conferences and regularly present papers in sessions. Our personal situation leaves us with little choice but to take our daughter to the conferences we attend. At the same time, we realize how blessed we are to have the privilege of taking our daughter to all the great conference sites. Luckily, Olivia is a fully committed ICA kid. She always wears her attendee badge with sweetness and glowing pride. Still, conferencing with small children can quickly turn into a logistical nightmare. Complications are inevitable and unpredictable, and they occasionally offset the excitement and joy typically associated with attending ICA, an event we always look forward to for twelve long months! Attending a conference with children is very different from attending alone. Parents and caregivers must build their conference schedules around their children's mealtimes. Every afternoon, they flip a coin to decide who will go to the receptions. Jet-lag-induced mental meltdowns in the breakfast lounge can become the stickiest memory they have of a conference, and how many times have you seen a parent in the conference lobby frantically running after a child who managed to escape while mommy or daddy was trying to have a sober conversation with a colleague for just one minute? To those planning to attend ICA25 with children, you can rest assured that ICA cares about ICA families! I want you to know that those running this association, including the Executive Committee, our program planners, and especially our incredible headquarters team, understand the needs of our members and conference attendees who travel with children. We are working hard to offer a great range of family activities and services to those bringing their kids to ICA25. Thus, I will dedicate the following lines to briefly outlining the features we offer in and around the conference venue. If you want to learn more about resources for kid-friendly programming in the Denver area, please check out the fantastic column written by Jessica Johnson, a member of the Denver Local Host Committee, in this newsletter. ICAKids Childcare; ICAKids and Parents' Picnic; ICAKids Baby-Feeding Room; ICAKids Family Play Zone. ICA continually reviews its family services, attempting to improve them year after year. If you have any thoughts or ideas about next year's conference or those further in the future, please send them my way, and we will try to implement them when circumstances allow. The ICA Inclusion and Accessibility Guide has a section with details on Child/Parent/Caregiver services provided by ICA: https://lnkd.in/e4cR-dux

ICA 75th Anniversary Event Sponsorship Opportunities In June 2025, the annual conference in Denver will mark the International Communication Association’s 75th anniversary as an association advancing the scholarly study of communication. As President-Elect Thomas Hanitzsch eloquently noted, the theme of the 2025 conference– ICA@75: Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research–invites us to reflect critically on communication studies as a discipline and on ICA’s role as both an agent and a site of its development. This milestone anniversary presents a unique opportunity to show your support for the global ICA community. The Executive Committee and ICA Headquarters have set an ambitious goal of raising US $75,000 in sponsorships for the conference. We’ve expanded sponsorship opportunities for the event, offering opportunities to support participants from developing countries as well as students with accepted presentations. Sponsoring the International Communication Association conference offers numerous benefits: - Showcasing your products and/or services to a global audience, gaining exposure and recognition in the field of communication (ICA attracts over 4,000 communication scholars, professionals, and researchers from around the world) - Networking and connecting with a captive audience of like-minded scholars, many of whom are deans, provosts, and department chairs making purchasing decisions for their universities. - Exchanging ideas and knowledge with a cadre of some of the brightest minds in the field. All 75th Anniversary Donors and Sponsors will be honored at ICA25 with a listing in the conference program, on tangible signage in the exhibit hall and near registration, and on a slide deck shown in every room between sessions.  To contribute to this effort, please visit our Sponsorship site to see a list of available sponsorship opportunities, or to support directly with a donation. https://lnkd.in/ePnJ3wte Your support would be greatly appreciated, and we hope you will join us in 2025! ICA Conference Dates: 12-16 June 2025 Onsite Exhibit Dates: 13-15 June 2025

ICA President's August Column: What's Next: Strategic Directions for ICA Posted By Silvio Waisbord, ICA President (George Washington U) As I mentioned in my previous column, ICA has recently concluded a yearlong process of strategic thinking. The process was chaired by Dr Cynthia Stohl and Dr Karin Wilkins, in collaboration with Keeling & Associates, LLC (K&A), a consulting and professional services firm. The process involved the participation of 53 individuals over 32 meetings; interviewees represented 11 divisions, five interest groups, and nine standing committees. K&A administered and analyzed the results of an online survey open to all members; 615 members responded (12% response rate). The process yielded the selection of five strategic goals for the next years: Global Leadership in Communication Scholarship; Community, Inclusivity, and Access; Global Representation and Engagement; Transformational Professional Growth; and Sustainable Resourcing. These goals reflect existing priorities and ongoing initiatives, as well as members' suggestions and areas of growth that are consistent with our mission. In my mind, these goals can be summarized as follows: Continue the good work that ICA has been doing as a global leader in communication scholarship; maintain and build off existing activities to make our Association more accessible and inclusive; offer various engagement opportunities for scholars from around the world; provide members with various opportunities for professional development (aside from our annual conferences); and ensure that we have a solid, sustainable financial model, especially amid important and unpredictable shifts in academic publishing and conference formats (throw in artificial intelligence, for good measure, given speculations that it will "change the world"). These five goals provide us with a clear, inspiring vision.... Read the full article, here: https://lnkd.in/emsMqHD3

The 2024 Gold Coast Conference in the Rear-view Mirror  - Silvio Waisbord, ICA President (George Washington U) Serving as chair of 2024 ICA Gold Coast conference was one of the most rewarding experiences in my academic life. It required sketching out a broad vision and attending to numerous aspects - from selecting the conference theme to attending to suggestions and requests. Certainly, working with the fabulous ICA staff made everything easier and enjoyable. Although we do not have the post-conference survey data yet, I can confidently say that the meeting was a sound success. I have received positive feedback from many ICA members about several aspects of the conference, such as organized and speedy registration, flawless technology in meeting rooms, and delicious catering. I want to recognize the work of many volunteers who ensured that everything worked smoothly, as well as the attentive staff at the Gold Coast Convention Center. I had the honor of moderating the opening plenary on communication and human rights with an extraordinary lineup of Australia-based scholars, Drs. Rosalind Croucher, Mary Graham, and Libby Lester. Also, I was thrilled to moderate the closing plenary with colleagues who have done superb work in communication and human rights – Drs.Tanja Bosch, John Erni, Gerald Goggin, Ella McPherson, and Pradip Thomas. Being part of these conversations was a special privilege. Another memorable moment was the presidential address by Dr. Eun-Ju Lee. Not only was the presentation delivered in Korean with English subtitles - the first time in ICA history that a presidential talk was given in a non-English language (as far as I know). Lee's talk was perfectly delivered; it was packed with provocative thoughts about the study of authenticity, proving questions, and a good dollop of humor. It was a true masterclass that, justifiably, received a standing ovation.    The attendance numbers were substantially higher than what many of us expected: 2,765 in person attendees and 971 remote attendees. Given that it was the first time ICA held its annual conference in Australia, we were not sure about the size of the attendance. Yet, we had a wonderful turnout, which is great, encouraging news, as we continue to plan to hold conferences in different spots around the world. Another remarkable datapoint was the percentage of new attendees: for 45% of the attendees, it was the first ICA conference. This is unique in the history of ICA. Clearly, the location made a significant difference. Locations tap into different scholars, scholarship, themes, and perspectives... Full article: https://lnkd.in/eC7fZGa6

ICA has been recognized as a Power of Associations Silver Award Winner by the American Society of Association Executives ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership for the IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access initiative. ICA’s Executive Director, Laura Sawyer, MA, CAE: “We are immensely proud to receive this recognition for the years of work we have done since 2017 to build not only ICA’s inclusion, accessibility, equity, and diversity efforts, but to use these programs to build a true sense of belonging for our members and attendees across numerous identities within the ICA community. From our groundbreaking programs aimed at preserving access to career opportunities for parents in formative career stages–a huge inequity for women that leads to decades of lost income and lifetime earning capacity–through nursing rooms, a kids picnic, and heavily subsidized childcare; to religious observance, a quiet room, and AA meetings; from a Black Scholars’ reception/caucus-building event and an annual LGBTQIA+@ICA gathering to gender-neutral restrooms and special attention paid to mobility, vision, medical, and hearing-related accessibility, the ICA we see going into our 75th anniversary next year is much different than the ICA of our founders in 1950…or even the ICA of ten years ago. We look forward to our further evolution as ICA’s doors welcome an even greater diversity of scholars within our 33 division and interest groups.” ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE: “Congratulations to the International Communication Association for exemplifying the impact associations have on the industries and professions they represent, and on society at large. It’s always so incredibly satisfying to see associations going above and beyond their everyday mission to change the world. We’re very proud to spotlight this award-winning initiative.” To learn more about IDEA visit: On Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access: Statement from the Executive Committee of the International Communication Association (ICA): https://lnkd.in/eXNrHFdB 2024 ASAE Power of Associations Award Recipients: https://lnkd.in/eaba6CyF

#ICA24: DAY FIVE - MONDAY, 24 JUNE Registration Hours from 9:00 - 12:00 in Hall 1 (GCCEC).  ICA's Second Annual Ice Cream Social from 11:30 - 12:30 in Hall 1 + 2 Foyer (GCCEC) Journal Publishers' and Editors' Meet and Greet from 11:30 - 12:30 in Hall 1 + 2 Foyer (GCCEC) HYBRID ICA24 CLOSING KEYNOTE: Questions and Research Directions in Communication Studies and Global Human Rights from 15:00 - 16:15 in Arena 2 (GCCEC) ICA24 CLOSING TOAST from 16:15 - 17:15 in Eastern Terrace (GCCEC) See all the regional hubs livestreamed today: https://lnkd.in/egyyNKDD

Congratulations ICA Fellows Class of 2024! During the Annual Presidential Awards ceremony held at ICA24, twenty-seven notable scholars were inducted as Fellows of the International Communication Association. Fellow status in the International Communication Association (ICA) is primarily a recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communication. The primary consideration for nomination to Fellow status is a documented record of scholarly achievement. You will be able to learn more about each of the new inductees in an upcoming issue of the ICA newsletter.  ICA wishes to welcome, and congratulate, the ICA Fellows Class of 2024:  Osei Appiah Brad J. Bushman Carolyn Byerly Stephen Croucher Shahira Fahmy R. Kelly Garrett Kathryn Greene James Grunig Tina M. Harris Kristen Harrison Radha Hegde Andreas Hepp Alfred Hermida Seunga Venus Jin Veronika Karnowski Maria Lapinski Carolyn Lin Brooke F. Liu Claudia Mellado Cuihua (Cindy) Shen Donghee Shin Keri Stephens Jennifer Stevens Aubrey Richard Street, Jr. Sarah J. Tracy Sahana Udupa Siva Vaidhyanathan