Business Breakfast Meeting

Holiday Inn Select Hotel

 

Premier I

Baton Rouge, LA

Friday, April 1, 2005: 8:00-10:15 a.m.

 

President Terry Thibodeaux called the meeting to order at 8:21 a.m. and welcomed welcomed those present to the 75th SSCA conference.

 

The Minutes of the General Business Meeting Southern States Communication Association Annual meeting Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel Tampa, FL were approved.

 

The agenda was approved with minor revisions.  (  Click here to read the revised agenda*).

 

President Terry Thibodeaux presented a written report. (  Click here to read his report*). President Thibodeaux also requested that all division reports be made in writing in order to save time for discussion of items needing the EC's action.

 

Vice President Ken Cissna presented the 2005 conference program for the 75^th Southern States Communication Association's meeting in Baton Rouge as his report.  VP Cissna also explained his addition of workshop panels to the program, announced the keynote speaker, Sally Ann Roth, for the Saturday Awards luncheon, highlighted special panels featuring Southern culture, and announced the special program honoring Past President Marilyn Young.  VP Cissna closed his report by inviting all members to join him on Sunday morning at 7:15 to discuss the convention and provide him with feedback.

 

Immediate Past President Marilyn Young explained her role as chair of the Nominating Committee and reported on the nomination slate.  (Click here to review the nominations). (  Click here to read her written report*).

 

Vice President Elect Charles Tardy reported on his planning of the Undergraduate Honors Conference.  He reported that he received 120 papers.  He thanked all of his reviewers and encouraged all members to attend the UHC panels.  VP-Elect Tardy also encouraged SSCA to move to electronic submissions of all papers for the conference as he had used this in the UHC and found it to be very efficient and cost saving.  VP-Tardy also reminded all Division representatives to make sure that they had their Vice Chairs attend the Planning Meeting on Saturday morning. (  Click here to read his written report*).

 

Executive Director Hal Fulmer opened his report by announcing this was the year of the "Elects."  He further explained that occasionally SSCA Officer Positions have a year where many of the positions are transferring to their "elect" officers.  This year that includes the Executive Director, Advertising Manager, and SCJ editor.  Dr. Fulmer announced that about 300 members had pre-registered for the conference.  This number is up from past figures for pre-registrants.  Dr. Fulmer announced the results of the elections: Craig Allen Smith-Vice President Elect & Deborah Hefferin-SSCA representative from a community college to the NCA Legislative Assembly.  Executive Director Fulmer presented reports on the membership and finances of the Association.  Fulmer also explained that Political Communication has now become a division.

 

Advertising Manager Pam Bourland-Davis reported that there are just over $7500 from advertising in the journal and conference exhibits.  She also encouraged all members to visit the exhibitors at the conference.

 

SCJ Editor Joy Hart presented a written report.  (  Click here to read that report*).

 

NCA Legislative Assembly Representative David Sutton referred to his official report at the NCA convention in Chicago: noting that NCA is in good financial health and that income exceeds expenditures.  He further reported that NCA 1st Vice President Martha Watson is spearheading an initiative to compile certification standards for Communication programs.

 

Standing Committee reports were as follows: The Finance Committee Chair Carl Cates presented the budget for the next year.  The budget was amended to include monies for the publication of a newsletter and was approved as amended. 

 

Local Arrangements Chair Renee Edwards welcomed all to Baton Rouge and announced that Baton Rouge was recently voted one of the 5 happiest cities in America by Men's Health magazine.

 

Chuck Grant, Chair of the Time & Place Committee, recommended the Virginia Beach area for the 2009 conference and his motion was approved.  Time & Place Chair Grant explained that the Central States Communication Association had contacted SSCA about a possible joint convention is 2010 in San Antonio.  Past President Young moved that the EC empower the officer team and the Time and Place Committee to explore the possibility of a joint convention with Central States Communication Association and to move in that direction if reasonable to do so, pending the approval of the membership.  Several members spoke of problems encountered with past joint conventions and the membership defeated the motion.  The membership approved Memphis, New Orleans, and San Antonio as possible locations for the 2010 convention.

 

There were no reports from Ad-Hoc Committees.

 

The following Divisions provided written reports:

 

Gender Studies: Chair Sally Bell (  Click here to read the report*).

 

American Society for the History of Rhetoric Interest Group: Chair Jason Munsell (  Click here to read the report*).

 

In unfinished business the following issues were considered and acted upon. 

 

President Thibodeaux entertained a motion from the floor to limit all speakers in the following discussion to a total of 2 minutes and to limit the total debate to 20 minutes.  The motion was seconded and passed.

 

President Thibodeaux put forth a motion from the EC that recommended that the membership authorize the Executive Director and an officer team to negotiate a contract with EBSCO to publish the past issues of the journal with specific stipulations.  Members spoke both on behalf and against this motion.  The motion passed without objection. 

 

President Thibodeaux put forth a motion from the EC that recommended that the membership authorize the Executive Director and officer team to negotiate a contract with Taylor & Francis for the publication of SCJ.  President Thibodeaux then invited representatives from Taylor and Francis to speak on the proposed contract.  Afterwards, several members spoke in favor of and against the motion.  The motion passed.  

 

There was no new business.

 

Art Bochner, Candidate for NCA Second Vice President spoke to the membership concerning his candidacy.

 

Vice President Ken Cissna introduced President Terry Thibodeaux.

 

President Terry M. Thibodeaux, Ph.D. gave his address "Reflections, Projections, and Challenges for the Southern States Communication Association."  (Click here to read President Thibodeaux's address).

 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 a.m.