NCA Inside & Out

In the Media

In a CBS article, Bradley J. Bond, University of San Diego, explained why people mourn the deaths of celebrities, such as Kobe Bryant. 

Nicholas Brody, University of Puget Sound; Andrew High, Penn State; and Megan Vendemia, Chapman University in California, weighed in on Medium about why people hate-watch, hate-read, and hate-follow.

Ann Burnette, Texas State University, commented in the Washington Post on the surprising moments in Trump’s State of the Union address. 

In an advice column for Niche, Lisa M. Burns, Quinnipiac University, and Natalie T. J. Tindall, Lamar University, suggested that it’s okay for university freshman to wait to pick a major. 

The Daily Mail reported on recent research by Katherine Haenschen and Daniel J. Tamul, Virginia Tech, in which they found that people may associate font and text styles with political leanings. 

On Medium, Paul King, Texas Christian University, discussed how watching or listening to content at high speeds affects comprehension.

Stephanie Martin, Southern Methodist University, explained in the Texas Standard why politicians are hosting their own podcasts. 

In an Inside Higher Ed column, Rachel McLaren, University of Iowa, and Anthony Ocampo, Cal Poly Pomona, addressed how to approach academic service. 

In an interview with The Crimson White, Josh Pederson, University of Alabama, described some ways to become a better communicator.

Tobias Reynolds-Tylus, James Madison University, explained the importance of organ donation to Bicycling magazine.  

A Minnesota Daily article reported on a project by Matthew Weber, University of Minnesota, and Itzhak Yanovitzky, Rutgers University, that works to help policymakers stay up to date with the latest research on mental illness.

In Transition

Phil Backlund, Central Washington University

I retired in 2015 from my position at Central Washington University after 36 years as a Professor of Communication Studies. I began attending NCA conventions in 1975 and missed only two over the years.  This year, however, my commitments at home prohibited me from attending our convention in Baltimore. I came to realize that this is a transition time in my life. One of the activities I will be transitioning out of is active involvement with NCA and its conventions. I can't let this significant (to me) transition happen without comment to my friends and colleagues in NCA.  

I want to express my appreciation to the organization and its members for adding greatly to my overall career accomplishments and satisfaction. Over the years, I worked with wonderful people on many interesting projects. I had the opportunity to participate in NCA leadership through the Educational Policies Board, the Executive Committee, the Instructional Development Division, the Assessment Committee, and several committees and task forces. My work with the association led to about forty publications and more than a hundred convention papers during those years. 

The dedicated people I met through NCA provided the forum and structure for all of this to happen, and I am grateful for that connection. I still am committed to the discipline as my involvement transitions to modes that have yet to be revealed.