This is October 2015 news from MAPACA. The next conference is November 5-7, 2015 (Philadelphia, PA).
We are mere weeks away from the 2015 MAPACA conference in Philadelphia. This is always a sobering experience for the board and area chairs who work so hard all year round to ensure the conference is well organized, engaging, and fun. Yes, I suppose we are the fun academics. But, we are also serious academics who look at fun topics with analytical approaches. We are also a truly interdisciplinary conference. Our members come from a wide breadth of backgrounds (inserting the obligatory list of academic disciplines seems redundant and unneeded, but you know what these are). We approach topics armed with various scholarly arsenals and find common ground in our acceptance of multidisciplinary approaches. I love this about MAPACA, our “parent” conference (PCA/ACA), and our various “sister” conferences (check out the list of regional organizations at pcaaca.org).
It goes without saying that this is a time when all the committed people who work so hard for the conference must be recognized. First and foremost, I want to thank the general membership of MAPACA. I want to thank the veterans who have been coming to MAPACA far longer than I (or many members of our governing board) have. You have been patient with us as we have made changes to the organization and the conference over these past few years. I also want to thank the “newbies” who may be coming to the conference for the first time. Please know that we are all approachable and here to help. Conferences can be scary things for students and new faculty members; we strive to make MAPACA one of the less scary ones.
It is also important to recognize the Area Chairs for their commitment to the conference and their particular little worlds within MAPACA. Often, this is a thankless job. Presenters, please take a moment to thank your Area Chair at some point throughout the conference.
Finally, I must thank this amazing team, the MAPACA governing board, for all the hard work. In regards to conference organization, this conference would not be happening without Pam Detrixhe, Brigitte Bogar, and (our web developer) Antonio Savorelli. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with them over the years. I could spend this space listing all the other members of the board, but I will not. Their names are on the site and they will be at the conference with a fancy flag on their nametags. Give them a high five. I will take this remaining space to say this: The board of MAPACA does this because we enjoy it. It is hard work. While it may assist us in our career advancements, there are far less difficult tasks that are recognized with much more value by our respective institutions. But, I venture to say, there are few that are as rewarding than a MAPACA conference.
See you in Philly in a few weeks, and start thinking about papers to present as we return to Atlantic City in 2016.
Colin Helb, PhD
MAPACA President (2015-2016)
Associate Professor of Communication, Elizabethtown College