2013 Community College Convention News
Susan Ward
Dear Community College Colleagues,
I hope that all is going well as your Fall semester gets underway. I also hope that you are planning on attending the 99th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association to be held November 21-24 in Washington, DC. As always, I’m looking forward to connecting with colleagues as well as attending outstanding program sponsored by the Community College section. You can see a full list of our programs on NCA’s website. I have a few items I’d like to share with you ahead of the convention.
As you may know, we hold two business meetings during the convention as well as host a reception for members of the Community College section. Both of these events include food and beverage which requires funding that goes beyond the $510 allotted to our group by the national office. Coffee and pastries for each of the business meetings costs about $1,050 while the cost of hosting the reception (with a cash bar) is around $4,000. Per the terms of the contract NCA has with the hotel, we must use the food and beverage services provided by the hotel. Less the money allotted to us by the national office, we need about $5,600 in total to cover the business meetings and the reception.
The good news is that members of our fundraising committee have done a great job in raising a good portion of the total amount needed. Thanks to each of them for their help!
This year’s reception is a particularly exciting one for our membership as we will be honoring Drs. Michael and Suzanne Osborn for their generous contribution to the Michael and Suzanne Osborn Community College Outstanding Educator Award. Our reception for community college section members will take place at the National Press Club on Friday, November 22, 2013.
We’d like to ask for your help in raising the remaining needed support for both the business meetings and the reception. First, we’d like to ask for your help with any sponsorship leads. If you have relationships with a representative from a publishing company, a sympathetic dean, etc., would you consider asking them for sponsorship (or we’re happy to contact them as well)? I’ve attached a description of our reception that you may use to solicit support (thanks to Isa Engleberg for authoring the document). Second, would you consider making an individual donation to the Community College section? There are some among us who are fortunate enough to have our travel paid for and perhaps these individuals are able to help defray the cost associated with the meetings and reception.
Donations can be made by writing a check payable to NCA with “community college donation” in the check’s memo line. All donations need to be received by October 4, 2013, in order to be used during this year’s convention (note: contributions made toward the cost of refreshments are not tax deductible. Please check with your tax advisor for more information). The national office has requested that we collect donations and send them in all together (unless otherwise indicated, all donations will remain anonymous). Please send donations of any amount to:
Susan M. Ward, Ph.D.
Communications, Arts, and Humanities
Delaware County Community College
901 S. Media Line Road
Media, PA 19063
We appreciate the opportunity to provide hospitality to our members and we’re looking forward to this year’s special celebration of Michael and Suzanne. We know that we will have a great time at the convention because we have a strong, dedicated membership. We hope to see you in DC!
Thanks,
Susan
Susan M. Ward, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Delaware County Community College
Chair, Community College Section
National Communication Association