The 87th Annual Florida Communication Association Conference Met This Year In Orlando
By Ben Fagan
Staff Writer
This week, scholars from institutions all across the state of Florida met to discuss advancements in the field of communication during the 87th Annual Florida Communication Association Conference.
Hosted in Orlando, the conference began Friday, Oct. 20 with professors from across the state holding panel sessions discussing topics ranging from engagement in the classroom to gender roles. Dr. Robert S. Littlefield of UCF delivered the keynote presentation on Risk and Crisis Communication.
FCA is a great opportunity not only for professors, but also for undergraduate and graduate students alike.
“It’s been a positive experience,” said Julie Martin, senior and communications major at USF. “It’s a smaller and tighter-knit convention, which is really nice and the panels expose me to all of the different fields of communication.”
Feedback like this is exactly what the members of FCA were looking for. This organization is all about sharing scholarships with the idea of advancing the field of communications as a whole.
“All of our conferences are based on people coming together and having good conversations about their academic work and their pedagogical work,” said FCA Vice President and FAU professor Laura Winn. “I always tell my students and the students I see, if you’re going to present, this is the place to go.”
This year, as in most years, Lynn had a strong showing. Five professors and six students presented throughout the weekend. Professor Powers, accompanied by Professor Carlin and Professor Grodzki, led a well-received panel discussion on the progress of both iPulse and Pulse Agency.
The six Lynn students in attendance worked throughout the weekend as interns, assisting with registration and a variety of tasks to ensure that the FCA became a top-notch event.
Along with attending various sessions, the students gained valuable experience as they presented academic posters based on their own research.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this experience,” said Megan Selfridge, junior. “But, it has turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences.”
The 87th Annual Florida Communication Association Conference was a success and many new ways of thinking were exchanged throughout the weekend. No doubt Florida’s communications scholars will be hard at work to make the 88th meeting even better.
