The National Communication Association (NCA) will hold its 110th Annual Convention from November 21-24, 2024, in the dynamic city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Kicking off with pre-conference sessions on November 20, this year's convention theme, "Communication for Greater Regard," features over 1,000 research presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for communication scholars, educators, and professionals from around the globe. Notably, SC&I will have a strong scholarly presence, with more than 40 faculty members and graduate students presenting their research during the five-day event.

Among those being recognized is Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Khadijah Costley White, who will receive the inaugural Everett Hughes Holle Award for Social Justice and Community Engagement. This prestigious honor reflects her impactful work in promoting democracy, diversity, and equity through applied scholarship and activism. In addition, Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene will be recognized with the Mark L. Knapp Award in Interpersonal Communication, underscoring her influential career and lasting contributions to the field of interpersonal communication.

Further demonstrating SC&I’s academic excellence, Associate Professor of Communication Kristina Scharp, alongside her collaborator, Michigan State University Associate Professor Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, will receive the Family Communication Division’s Distinguished Article of the Year award for their 2018 publication, “Reconsidering Family Closeness: A Review and Call for Research on Family Distancing.”

In another accolade, Professor of Communication Jennifer Theiss and SC&I alumna Hannah Jones, Ph.D. ’24, will be recognized by the Family Communication Division for their top paper, “A Thematic Co-Occurrence Analysis of Communal Coping Within and Across Surviving Parents and Children After Parental/Partner Death.”

Adding to these honors, doctoral students Casey Randazzo and Rachel Acosta, Assistant Professor of Communication Sarah Shugars, and Professor of Communication and Chair of Communication Marya Doerfel will be honored by the Organizational Communication Division for their top paper, “The Semantic Structure of Interconnected Tensions,” further highlighting SC&I’s research leadership.

Research that will be presented at NCA by SC&I scholars cover an extensive range of themes centered around health, family, social justice, technology, and organizational and communication theory, with a significant focus on resilience, identity, and social interaction across contexts. Additionally, several Rutgers faculty members hold key leadership roles within NCA, further strengthening the university’s significant presence and influence within the communication discipline.

Founded in 1914, NCA remains a pillar in the academic community, fostering scholarly collaboration and advancing the discipline of communication. As noted on its website, NCA’s mission is to promote the study of communication in all its forms, modes, media, and consequences through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. The association serves its members by supporting their professional interests in both research and education.

For more details, visit SC&I’s NCA presenter schedule,  Communication Department and Journalism and Media Studies Department websites.

Image: NCA 2024