NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
VICE-CHAIRPERSON DUTIES FOR THE BASIC COURSE COMMISSION
The Vice-Chairperson shall, in cooperation and consultation with appropriate officers of the
Commission and NCA, plan the program of the Basic Course Commission for the annual NCA
convention. The Vice-Chairperson will chair the Program Planning Committee and will be
responsible for compiling the ratings and rankings by the Program Planning Committee of papers and
proposals submitted for competitive evaluation. The Vice-Chairperson shall, based on the ratings and
rankings of the evaluators, select three distinguished papers from those competitively submitted for
awards: Top Paper in Research, Top Paper in Pedagogy, and Top Poster Session. The
ViceChairperson has the prerogative to deem no paper worthy of one or more awards that year.
Awards will be given to the author(s) by the Vice-Chairperson at the annual business meeting. The
ViceChairperson shall serve a one-year term and succeed to the office of Chairperson in the next
successive year.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Vice-Chairperson.
[By the time the Nominating Committee members assume their responsibilities, the ViceChairperson will have become the Chairperson of the Basic Course Commission; this committee will
work with that person.] The Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson of this committee without vote.
The duty of the committee shall be to nominate at least one individual to fill each vacancy among the
officers, program evaluators, and committee members of the Commission. The Nominating
Committee members will be announced by the Vice-Chairperson at the annual business meeting.
The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one person for each vacancy to be filled.
The nominations for officers, program evaluators, and committee members will be presented to the
general membership by the Nominating Committee at the annual business meeting. Additional
nominations for each vacancy may be made by any member at the annual business meeting. A
nominee must receive a majority vote of the Commission members present and voting at the annual'
meeting. In the event that more than two people are nominated and no one initially receives a
majority vote, a run-off election between the two individuals receiving the most votes shall be held
immediately. A tie vote will be decided by the Chairperson of the Commission immediately. All
elections will be conducted by a show of hands, with the nominees absenting themselves, unless a
majority of those present at the business meeting vote in favor of a secret ballot.
Program Evaluators shall be elected by the Commission membership to serve as members of the
Program Planning Committee. The Program Evaluators, in addition to the Vice-Chairperson-Elect,
shall be responsible for rating and ranking competitive papers and proposals submitted in response to
the yearly call for papers. The number of Program Evaluators will be determined by the Vice-Chair
and the Nominating Committee. The Program Evaluators shall be elected at the annual business
meeting to serve a one-year term. (Typically, eight Program Evaluators are elected (in addition to the
Vice-Chairperson-Elect). Groups of three evaluators typically are given the following: research
papers, pedagogy papers, panels and poster sessions. This process may be amended based on the
number of submissions in a particular category that year, etc.)
Individuals may submit panel proposals, poster session proposals, and competitive papers or
comprehensive abstracts to the Vice-Chairperson. Competitive papers and abstracts shall be selected
through a blind review process. The Vice-Chairperson-Elect and the Program Evaluators shall read
the papers/abstracts, panels, and poster sessions and assign a rating and ranking to each one. The
Vice-Chairperson shall decide on the system for distributing the papers/proposals and shall compile
the summary ratings and rankings to determine the top-ranked papers/proposals. The
ViceChairperson shall inform individuals of the acceptance or rejection of their papers in a timely
manner. (Be sure participants understand the media rules of NCA, the need to submit completed
papers to the National Office by a due ,date, the need to provide finished papers to a respondent well
before the convention, the expectations of a poster session, the advisability of contacting the NCA
Office if there is a name or affiliation change, and so on.)
Competitive papers, panel proposals, and poster sessions shall be rated separately. The following
criteria shall guide the evaluation: (1) originality, (2) interest to commission members, and (3)
overall quality. All competitive paper submissions shall include full papers with abstracts.
Panel and poster session proposals shall include a statement of the purpose of the panel or poster
session, a rationale for presenting the panel or poster session, a list of the names and titles of
participants, a brief summary of each participant's paper or poster idea, and a statement indicating
that each participant is willing to attend the convention. '
Packets sent to Program Evaluators typically contain sheets for ratings and rankings. Also, it can be
useful to identify criteria for each category. Develop a way for evaluators to indicate their opinions
about possible awardees, too. Sample sheets should be able to be provided by your predecessor.
It is imperative that you pay attention to all of the due dates stated by NCA. Paperwork you forget to
turn in could affect the officers the next year as well as the reputation of the Commission.
The Vice-Chairperson shall work with the First Vice-President of the Association to schedule
programs. The Vice-Chairperson, in conjunction with the members of the Program Planning
Committee, shall decide on the number of competitive paper programs and the number of panel and
poster session proposals, in accordance with the directives of NCA. Be sure to attend the Planners
Meeting at the start of the convention after the one in which you were elected! A second meeting
usually is scheduled sometime during that conference, too, but it seldom is used. Attend the first one;
it is not a choice as to which to attend unless you are told otherwise by the NCA National Office. Be
prepared to report on this meeting at the Business Meeting that year.
There is a budget for the Commission; check with the Chairperson and/or the National Office for
rules regarding this money. Do not spend money without checking with the other officers about their
plans. Typically, only the Vice-Chairperson and Secretary use the allotted money.
It is suggested that you keep a notebook for your position. Start off with a list of the officers,
committee members, etc. who were just elected. Keep a copy of all correspondence, announcements,
newsletters, rating and ranking sheets, directions to evaluators, and so on to be passed on to the new
officer.
All officers, program evaluators, and committee members shall take office/begin duties at the
conclusion of the annual conference. '
NOTE: When you first get elected, be sure to get a copy of the Basic Course Commission's By-Laws
from the Chairperson or the NCA National Office.
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
CHAIRPERSON DUTIES FOR THE BASIC COURSE COMMISSION
The Chairperson shall preside at meetings of the Commission, and shall work with the ViceChair
elect in membership recruitment for the Commission. The Chairperson shall work with the secretary
to keep a current list of Commission membership. The Chairperson also will serve as chairperson of
the Nominating Committee and will be a non-voting member of that committee. The Chairperson
shall serve a one-year term.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Vice-Chairperson. The
Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson of this committee without vote. The duty of the committee
shall be to nominate at least one individual to fill each vacancy among the officers, program
evaluators, and committee members of the Commission. The Nominating Committee members will
be announced at the annual business meeting. The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one
person for each vacancy to be filled. The nominations for officers, program evaluators, and
committee members will be presented to the general membership by the Nominating Committee at
the annual business meeting. Additional nominations for each vacancy may be made by any member
at the annual business meeting. A nominee must receive a majority vote of the Commission members
present and voting at the annual meeting. In the event that more than two people are nominated and
no one initially receives a majority vote, a run-off election between the two individuals receiving the
most votes shall be held immediately. A tie vote will be decided by the Chairperson of the
Commission immediately. All elections will be conducted by a show of hands, with the nominees
absenting themselves, unless a majority of those present at the business meeting vote in favor of a
secret ballot.
Special committees with tenure ordinarily limited to one year and with specific duties appropriate to
the needs of the Commission shall be appointed by the Chairperson, with the advice and consent of
the Executive Committee, or shall be elected by a majority vote of individuals in attendance at the
annual business meeting and will serve a one-year term.
It is imperative that you pay attention to all of the due dates stated by NCA. Paperwork you forget to
turn in could affect the officers the next year as well as the reputation of the Commission.
There is a budget for the Commission; check with the Chairperson and/or the National Office for
rules regarding this money. Do not spend money without checking with the other officers about their
plans. Typically, only the Vice-Chairperson and Secretary use the allotted money.
It is suggested that you keep a notebook for your position. Start off with a list of the officers,
committee members, etc. who were just elected. Keep a copy of all correspondence, announcements,
newsletters, rating and ranking sheets, directions to evaluators and so on to be passed on to the new
officer.
All officers, program evaluators, and committee members shall take office/begin duties at the
conclusion of the annual conference.
NOTE: When you first get elected, be sure to get a copy of the Basic Course Commission's By-Laws
from the Chairperson or the NCA National Office.
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
VICE-CHAIRPERSON-ELECT DUTIES FOR THE BASIC COURSE COMMISSION
The Vice-Chairperson-Elect shall serve as a Program Evaluator and member of the Program
Planning Committee. The Vice-Chairperson-Elect shall assist the Vice-Chairperson in program
planning and shall be responsible for membership recruitment for the Commission. The
ViceChairperson-Elect shall serve a one-year term and succeed to the office of Vice-Chairperson
in the next successive year.
The Vice-Chairperson shall appoint three persons to serve on the Nominating Committee. [By
the time the Nominating Committee members assume their responsibilities, the ViceChairperson will have become the Chairperson of the Basic Course Commission; this committee
will work with that person.] The Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson and non-voting member
of that committee. The appointees will be announced by the Vice-Chairperson at the annual
business meeting.
Program Evaluators shall be elected by the Commission membership to serve as members of the
Program Planning Committee. The Program Evaluators, in addition to the Vice-ChairpersonElect, shall be responsible for rating and ranking competitive papers and proposals submitted in
response to the yearly call for papers. The number of Program Evaluators will be determined by
the Vice-Chair and the Nominating Committee. The Program Evaluators shall be elected at the
annual business meeting to serve a one-year term.
There is a budget for the Commission; check with the Chairperson and/or the National Office for
rules regarding this money. Do not spend money without checking with the other officers about
their plans. Typically, only the Vice-Chairperson and Secretary use the allotted money.
It is suggested that you keep a notebook for your position. Start off with a list of the officers,
committee members, etc. who were just elected. Keep a copy of all correspondence,
announcements, newsletters, rating and ranking sheets, directions to evaluators, and so on to be
passed on to the new officer.
AU officers, program evaluators, and committee members shall take office/begin duties at the
conclusion of the annual conference.
NOTE: When you first get elected, be sure to get a copy of the Basic Course Commission's ByLaws from the Chairperson or the NCA National Office.
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
SECRETARY DUTIES FOR THE BASIC COURSE COMMISSION
The Secretary shall perform the customary duties of that office and shall be responsible for
internal communications among the members. The Secretary shall prepare minutes for the
business meetings and, as needed, shall send announcements, memorandums, and newsletter
information to members of the Commission and shall channel appropriate information to
Spectra. The secretary should keep a current list of Commission membership and submit this list
to the NCA National Office. The secretary shall serve a two-year term.
Typically, the Secretary types up, copies and distributes the minutes of the previous meeting to
all members at the following business meeting. The first year the Secretary takes office, he/she
should get the minutes taken by the outgoing Secretary immediately following the current
business meeting so these minutes do not get lost in the transition. In addition, at least one
Newsletter should be sent out each year. Correspondence should be done with the other officers
for their input, especially the Vice-Chairperson who should have program titles and names as
well as award winners. The NCA National Office can help provide address labels for the
Newsletter. Also, there is a budget for the Commission; check with the Chairperson and/or the
National Office for rules regarding this money.
Do not spend money without checking with the other officers about their plans. Typically, only
the Vice-Chairperson and Secretary use the allotted money.
It is suggested that you keep a notebook for your position. Start off with a list of the officers,
committee members, etc. who were just elected. Keep a copy of all correspondence,
announcements, newsletters, rating and ranking sheets, directions to evaluators, and so on to be
passed on to the new officer.
All officers, program evaluators, and committee members shall take office/begin duties at the
conclusion of the annual conference.
NOTE: When you first get elected, be sure to get a copy of the Basic Course Commission's ByLaws from the Chairperson or the NCA National Office.