2004-2005 Officers

Chair: Dennis Robertson, Texas at Tyler
Vice Chair: Teresa Taylor, Tougaloo College
Secretary: Tony DeMars, Sam Houston State University
Web Editor: Tony DeMars, Sam Houston State University




MCD Business Meeting, Saturday, 4/2/05

Signed in: Dennis Robertson, Teresa Taylor, Tony DeMars, Bill Swain, Gary Copeland, Wendy Hajjar, David Goff, Linda Goff, Barry P. Smith, Melissa Smith, Alan Albarran, Mary Dukes, Dean Farmer

Robertson called the meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Minutes of the 2004 business meeting were noted as posted on the MCD web site and were approved. In officers’ reports, DeMars noted the posting of information on the MCD web site and discussed planning issues for SSCA 2006 in Dallas.

Feedback was requested for ideas such as a social event and tour of such places as ABC Radio, PriMedia Workplace Learning, broadcast facilities or production houses. Robertson asked for comments. Albarran offered comments and suggestions of locations and offered a trip to the RTVF Department at the University of North Texas. Hajjar noted that Texas would be a good place to reach out to high school teachers because of a college credit program. David Goff recommended continuing the production showcase but to also the need to get people to talk about creative competition. Albarran mentioned the MCD should attempt to make arrangements for getting involvement from the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators.

Taylor reported that the MCD received six competitive papers and six panel proposals, with three entries for the production showcase. Taylor also noted that the MCD got a limited number of slots in the SSCA program and that she fought to keep the production showcase, but would have had to give up two other slots in order to do so. She noted that the Tampa production showcase, occurring over two session times, but really only‘half a session’ based on participation, may have hurt this year’s production showcase. She also noted that the timing for paper submissions coinciding with hurricane damage may have hurt the paper submission totals. Swain made a comment about a need for generating more submissions. Robertson noted the Dallas location in 2006 should allow the MCD to encourage more student submissions.

Robertson then noted that upcoming SSCA sites will be Louisville in 2007, Savannah in 2008, and Virginia Beach in 2009. SSCA had voted not to do a joint conference with Central States in 2010, and so the 2010 will be in Memphis or New Orleans. Robertson also noted that all SSCA divisions went through a slump...MCD had dropped to 62 members but now back up to 83, the 5th largest SSCA division. Robertson also noted from the SSCA general business meeting that the membership had (1) voted in favor of allowing Taylor & Francis to publish the Southern Communication Journal, (2) had agreed to have SSCA included with Ebsco Host, and (3) voted to put $2500 back into the budget to allow a mailed-out newsletter again.

Hajjar noted that the MCD needed a better means of publicity in its next call for papers and that it should be done in the spring; there were other comments about issues related to the low number of submissions.

In officer elections, Copeland nominated Melissa Smith as vice-chair elect/secretary, seconded by DeMars. There were no other candidates put forward and Smith was elected. Robertson noted the remaining MCD sessions at SSCA and encouraged members to attend. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 with a desire noted to not have an 8:00 business meeting in the future.

Recorded by Tony DeMars, secretary.