| History of ACA
The American
Communication Association (ACA) began in 1993 at a very
informal gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana where several
noteworthy scholars were attending a major domestic communication
conference. Academicians in free speech studies, computer-mediated
communication, and organizational communication and behavior
voiced their serious concerns about the rising membership
dues and conference fee costs associated with several of the
popular academic associations. And furthermore, they
were highly concerned about exactly what their monies were
being used for.
So, these fine budget-conscious scholars set out to incorporate
as the ACA, and establish itself as a 501(c)3 academic entity.
It would be a "grand thought experiment," commented
Executive Director Dr. Rita Kirk, "where thinking could
easily occur outside the proverbial box."
SMU Professor Rita Kirk, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the ACA
The basic idea then was as simple as it is today: (1) create
a no-dues membership communication association, (2) sponsor
vibrant and timely online discussions about matters of importance
to the discipline, (3) hold annual zero-budget conferences,
and (4) foster the quality online publication of research
benefiting the communication community.
Accordingly, at the Court
of Two Sisters on Royal Street in New Orleans -- over
jumbo lump crabmeat ravigote with fried green tomatoes and
Abita amber beer -- these scholars embarked on a significant
team mission.
That mission? To create a "new" kind of academic
association, dedicated more to the thought logics of the discipline
than the fripperies of organizational profit. Over the
years, the ACA has held firm to that mission, relying on the
goodwill and energy of scholars dedicated to the study of
communication. Our history is young, but our will is
strong.
Won't you join us, and be part of something great?
Past Presidents of the American Communication Association
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