ICA Minutes

Political Communication Division
2001 Business Meeting
Washington, D.C.

Division chair Steve Reese conducted the meeting. A total of 99 papers and 13 panels were submitted to the division for this conference (compared to 85 papers and a few panels submitted for the Acapulco meeting), of which 62 papers and 10 panels were accepted. Four top paper and three student paper awards were given this year, and the division was able to award each student paper winner $100 to help offset travel costs.

Outgoing Political Communication editor David Swanson reported that the journal is financially healthy, largely on the basis of library subscriptions. Subscriptions to the journal are still poor among division members, though the journal has been able to maintain its $43 individual subscription rate for several years without increase. Beginning with volume 19, Taylor and Francis will initiate a $25 student subscription rate for the journal. Swanson also noted that the most recent ISI journal impact analysis shows that the 1999 volume of Political Communication had the highest impact score ever recorded for the journal. The journal’s impact score — derived from an analysis of published citations to Political Communication articles — placed the journal 17th in overall impact out of 76 political science journals and 9th in overall impact among 43 communication journals.

Kevin Barnhurst reported that the Web-based Political Communication Report newsletter has been widely used, averaging 2,500 hits per issue (roughly 42 per day) from an average of 600 different readers per issue.

Since a best article awards committee was not appointed for the 2000-1 academic year, no article of the year award was given this year. The floor was opened regarding whether the coming year’s awards committee should present a total of two awards, one for each year, or a single award covering two years. Members suggested two awards, one for each year.

Steve Reese mentioned that advisory board members for the Political Communication journal need to be appointed, and that the terms of service for current division officers expire at the end of the coming academic year. Reese also inquired whether the division should hold its annual post-reception dinner at the Seoul meeting in 2002. It was pointed out that the number of hosted dinners might limit attendance to a division dinner, and it was suggested that the division not sponsor a dinner next year.

The ICA newsletter has now expanded to 10 issues per year, so division members are encouraged to contribute commentary, announcements, and articles of interest to the newsletter. All submissions from division members can be emailed to Steve Reese, who can in turn submit them to the ICA newsletter.

Incoming ICA president Cindy Gallois and ICA executive director Michael Haley made a brief presentation about the 2002 ICA meeting at Seoul, South Korea. ICA is retaining its traditional deadline for paper submissions even though the 2002 meeting is being held later in the summer than usual. Efforts are being made to include Chinese and North Korean communication scholars in the meeting activities. Given that travel and lodging expenses will be so reasonable — ICA is negotiating with KAL airlines to provide roundtrip airfare to Seoul for under $800, and the Seoul Hilton is a bit less expensive than the Washington DC Hilton and Towers — Gallois and Haley encouraged division members to consider attending next year’s meeting.

—Scott L. Althaus, Political Communication Division Secretary

Scott L. Althaus, is assistant professor in two departments, Speech Communication and Political Science, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 702 S. Wright St., Rm. 244, Urbana, IL 61801 USA (217) 333-8968 fax 217.244.1598