2017 IACS Fall Board of Directors’ Meeting

• November 17, 2017

• Convened at 9:00 AM EST

• Location – ZOOM

• Members Present- Ann Pegoraro, Kate Lavelle, Brody Ruihley, Sandy Alspach, Roxane Coche, Thomas Horky, Chuka Onwumechili, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

 

1. Welcome/Call to Order: Jim Walker (Executive Director)

 

2. Minutes, May 4: sent to Board for correction or addition as necessary.

 

3. Discussion of Call for Host of the 13th Summit on Communication and Sport in 2020

 

• Question 1 was amended to include “teaching”.

• Jim Walker reported that adjustments had been made in the Agreement with Idaho State (2019 host), necessitated by state contract regulations and insurance protection at $500,000.

• Jim Walker reported communication with companies to assist with conference planning if we decide to host the Summit as an organization.

 

4. Ann Pegoraro reported for Lauren Smith (Chair)

 

• Discussion of co-host options for a Summit was positive.  A joint bid that could move the Summit to an international site was encouraged.

• Much discussion ensued about moving to an international location and the role of the organization in hosting/managing the Summit.

• The suggestion was made to survey the membership about hiring someone to manage the Summit and about interest in attending an international location.

 

5.  Jim Walker agreed to post the Call for a Host for the 2020 Summit

 

6. Meeting was adjourned at 10:00 AM EST/ SLA

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2017 IACS Spring Board of Directors’ Meeting

• May 4, 2017

• Convened at 1:00 EST

• Location – SKYPE

• Members Present- Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, Kate Lavelle, Brody Ruihley, Sandy Alspach, Roxane Coche, Thomas Horky, Chuka Onwumechili, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

 

1. Welcome/Call to Order: Lauren Smith (Chair)

 

2. Minutes, March 31/April 1: were approved as amended

 

3. Discussion of 2017 Summit (Phoenix)

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• Concerns about financial issues were addressed.

• Jim Walker agreed to draft a Summit Host Contract for future use.  Upon concurrence of the Board of Directors on the draft, he will seek legal advice to insure that the interests of the Association are protected.

 

4. Discussion of “Organizational Membership” option

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• The Board of Directors was reminded that the offering of an “organizational membership” was created to serve as a fund-raising tool as IACS became established.  Few universities have participated in this initiative.  It was unclear what benefit, if any, accrued to the “organizational member” beyond a guarantee of “reduced conference fees.”

• The Board discussed several ways in which the incentive to purchase an “Organizational Membership” could be enhanced.  The result of the discussion (MSP) is that purchase of an “Organizational Membership” for $250 will entitle the organizational member school to 3 memberships in IACS, either faculty or student, for that year.  It is hoped that schools with numbers of communication and sport scholars and students will be attracted to this offering, since it would absolve three individuals from paying for an IACS membership out of pocket.

• In addition, “Organizational Members” will be recognized on the IACS website, in the Summit program, and at the Summit business meeting.  “Organizational Members” will be given permission to use the IACS logo and identify their membership in IACS in their publicity.

• Jim Walker will draft guidelines for the “Organizational Membership” option and market this option.

 

5. Discussion of Internationalization Initiatives

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• The Board of Directors confirmed support of $1500 for three Board members: Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, and Sandy Alspach, to represent the organization at the International Hamburg Congress on Sport, Economy, and Media, September 4-5, 2017.

• The Board of Directors discussed future internationalization efforts.  Jim Walker suggested that an ad hoc committee be formed to develop a plan for using IACS funds to underwrite international initiatives. Ann Pegoraro encouraged this ad hoc committee to consider supporting an international IACS initiative every 4 years.  Several members of the Board agreed to serve on this ad hoc committee: Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, Thomas Horky, and Chuka Onwumechili.  Other names were recommended to be invited to participate.

 

6. Discussion of Website Management

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• Several suggestions were offered for educational materials and other information to be made available at the IACS website.  It was agreed that the Board of Directors should make case by case decisions on what resources should be posted on the website. The consensus was that information and resources posted on the website should promote the IACS organization and its mission.  The Board of Directors will continue to discuss the organization’s use of the listserv as a vehicle to promote members’ work and the organization’s use of social media to promote members’ activities.

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7. Bylaws Revision

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• Jim Walker led the Board of Directors in a discussion of proposed revisions to the Bylaws.  He will polish a draft of the revised Bylaws and circulate it to the Board of Directors for approval.  Then, the membership will be invited to vote on the proposed revisions during the summer.

 

8.  Discussion of Call for a Host for the 2020 Summit

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• Discussion of the Call for a Host for the 2020 Summit was deferred to the next Board of Directors meeting.

 

9. Meeting was adjourned at 2:30 EST/ SLA

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2017 IACS Summit Board of Directors’ Meeting (II)

• April 2, 2017

• Convened at 12:00 noon PST

• Location – Embassy Suites, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ

• Members Present – Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, Sandy Alspach, Roxane Coche, Thomas Horky, Chuka Onwumechili, Jim Walker (Executive Director):  absent with cause, Kate, Lavelle, Brody Ruihley

• Guests: Galen Clavio (2018 Summit host)​

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1.  2018 Summit, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

​

• Galen Clavio updated the Board on plans for the 2018 Summit in Bloomington.

• Lodging will be available at the Indiana Memorial Union and a downtown hotel to be determined.

• Meetings will occur between the IMU and the downtown area at the University Center.

• There will be a conference rate for members and a separate conference rate for nonmembers (which will be higher than the cost of membership and the conference).

• The IACS Board will be involved with the host in the negotiation of contracts.

• Shuttles run hourly from the Indianapolis airport to the University for $40 round trip: Clavio will work with the local shuttle company.

• Board members expressed interest in scheduling keynote speakers; especially sports practitioners or eminent scholars in the field of communication and sport, in addition to the traditional papers and panel sessions.

 

2.  The Executive Board met in closed session to discuss site management issues.

 

3.  Mindful of our international members, the Executive Board discussed an appropriate response to President Trump’s international travel ban.

Lauren Smith will circulate a statement for Board consideration, seeking unanimous support before any public release.

 

4.  Bylaws Revisions

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• Lauren Smith and Jim Walker will review the Bylaws and submit recommendations for discussion at the next Board meeting.

 

5.  Internationalization Efforts

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• Jim Walker called for commitment from Board members to represent IACS at the International Hamburg Congress on Sports, Economy and Media scheduled for September 2017.  Three Board members agreed to attend:  Lauren Smith, Ann Pegeraro, and Sandy Alspach.

 

• The Board agreed that any financial support for these members to attend this international conference should not be construed as precedent-setting.  (An electronic vote was conducted in April, resulting in support for an allocation of $1500 to underwrite this initiative.)

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6.  Meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PST/ SLA

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2017 IACS Summit Board of Directors’ Meeting (I)

• March 31, 2017

• Convened at 4:15 pm PST

• Location – Embassy Suites, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ

• Members Present- Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, Kate Lavelle, Brody Ruihley, Sandy Alspach, Roxane Coche, Thomas Horky, Chuka Onwumechili, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

• Guests: Larry Wenner (Editor, Communication and Sport), Jeff Kassing (2017 Summit host)

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1. Welcome/Call to Order: Lauren Smith (Chair)

 

2. Minutes, July 21, 2016: were approved.

 

3. Larry Wenner, Editor, Communication & Sport updated the Board on the health of the journal.

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• 20% of submissions were accepted for publication; 29% accepted versus rejected

• 15 month wait for submission to appear in print

• 32 days to first decision; 42 days to final decision

• 1.232 impact factor (including citation by others) encouraged Sage to put C&S up for consideration to be indexed

• Sage agreed to increase publication from 4 issue to 6 issues; compared with our closest competitor IJSC (Human Kinetics, Paul Pedersen, Ed.)

• No additional cost to us; no impact from printed copies increasing, since most readers access the journal electronically

 

4. The Executive Board met in closed session with the Summit host to discuss site management issues.

 

5.  Discussion of Bid for 2019 Summit

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• The Executive Board reviewed the proposal from Idaho State University to host the 2019 Summit in Boise, ID. 

• MSP: tentatively accept the bid pending discussion of working with host to negotiate hotel contract.

 

6. Treasurer Update

 

• Kate Lavelle submitted the IACS Treasurer Report (see attached) showing a balance (as of March 27, 2017) of $21,932.44.  She noted that membership is up 30% since the 2016 Summit.  She reported that the transition to Chase and Capital360 for online banking was completed in February.

 

7.  IACS Awards

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• Lauren Smith and Kate Lavelle led discussion of the development of criteria and procedures for establishing an IACS award honoring sustained and meritorious contributions to the field of Sport Communication.  Lauren will form a subcommittee to generate a proposal.

 

8.  Communication Officer Update

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• Brody Ruihley submitted the following report to the Secretary Sandy Alspach:

• At this date there are 544 members on the Listserv and 408 Twitter followers

• Costs to maintain our communications include:

  • Website Hosting: $149, paid September 5 for 1 year

  • Web Domains: $ 38.50, paid September 4 for 3 years

• Plans for the coming year:

  • Update schools page

  • Update conference pages

  • Add more resources (e.g. 2016 Summit videos)

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9.  Adjourned to Sunday, April 2.

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2016 IACS Summer Board of Directors’ Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting - July 21, 2016

• Convened at 1pm EST

• Location – SKYPE

• Members Present- Lauren Smith, Ann Pegoraro, Kate Lavelle, Brody Ruihley, Sandy Alspach, Roxane Coche, Thomas Horky, Chuka Onwumechili, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

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1. Welcome/Call to Order: Lauren Smith (Chair)

 

2. Minutes, March 13, 2016 were approved as posted.

 

3. Sandy Alspach agreed to serve as Secretary for the next two years.

 

4. Bylaw Review Committee

 

• Jim will chair a committee composed of Lauren Smith, Kate Lavelle, Roxane Coche, and Chuka Onwumechili to review the Bylaws and recommend revisions to the membership.

 

5. Communication Officer Update

 

• Brody Ruihley announced that he has moved to Miami University and can be reached at brody.ruihley@miamioh.edu.

• At this date there are 534 members on the Listserv, and 366 Twitter followers

• Costs to maintain our communications include:

• $150 annually for website space and access

• $30 annually for the .com and .org domains

• Brody and Kate agreed to work on integrating our Facebook and Twitter information.

• Brody and Simon Licen continue to work on links to other sports media organizations and member schools.

• A separate password protected link has been established for Board communication.

 

6. Update on Summit 2017

 

• Lauren reported that Jeff Kassing and his team are preparing for the 2017 Summit March 30-April 2.  The dates include a Thursday welcome reception, special events on Friday and Saturday, and final panels on Sunday.  The length has been extended to accommodate excursions to baseball games on Friday and the NCAA Basketball Championship on Saturday.  Lauren will communicate with the membership to explain costs for hotel rooms and conference registration.

• Jim requested scheduling a two-hour session to recognize the 10th Summit event and to engage the membership in reflection on the organization’s development and future direction.  He will invite the organization’s founders and other leaders in the field to frame and guide the discussion.

• The Board discussed how best to manage the submissions and review process. Suggestions included extending the permitted length for abstracts to 1000 words, revising the rubric to accommodate abstracts of work in progress, and setting an earlier deadline for completed papers to be considered for Top Paper recognition with a separate review process. Roxane noted that an author of a completed paper should be able to reduce the work to a 1000 abstract. Lauren will draft a rubric for reviewing abstracts and a separate rubric for reviewing full paper submissions.  We remembered that the prize for Top Student Paper from 2016 is to waive conference registration for the next Summit.

• The Board discussed an appropriate mechanism for managing submissions and reviews.  Jim will work with Lauren to investigate vendors for managing the review process.  Jim will work with Brody to investigate the best mechanism for creating and distributing the program.  Effort will be made to balance the program so that all presenters have appropriate time to share their work and papers are distributed evenly across the program.

• The Board discussed an ethics policy for no shows. For the 2016 Summit, effort was made to adjust the program for late withdrawals until the printing deadline.  Jim sent a few “gentle emails” to scheduled presenters who did not appear.  The Board was asked to review the policies of other organization for “best practices”.  Kate will monitor conference registration and communicate with Lauren as the program is developed to ensure that scheduled presenters are encouraged to register.  Lauren will draft an Ethics Statement.

• Lauren will prepare the Call for Submissions with a mid-October deadline.  She will remind submitters that first listed authors are expected to present the work or arrange for the work to be presented by a co-author. The target release of the Call is mid-August, with reminders at the end of August and mid-September.

• Carry over from the March meeting:  There was a recommendation to have a business meeting with protected time during the summit. This meeting would be an opportunity to involve more IACS members in the governance process.

 

7. Marketing IACS

 

• Jim asked Board members to send their ideas for growing the membership in number and quality, especially international members.  He encouraged members who plan to attend other conferences to “market” the Summit at business meetings and one on one with colleagues with interests in the Mission and Objectives of IACS.

 

8. Pioneer Award

 

• There was discussion about having a pioneer award named after a significant figure in the field. This award does not have to be given every year, but there should be ways to help honor outstanding people in the organization. Lauren will solicit ideas about framing the criteria for the award, with the special nature of the 10th Summit in mind.

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9. Discussion about International Summit (outside of the US)

 

• Jim suggested that there are two directions the organization might go in regards to “internationalizing” the conference: continue the call for bids to host the Summit or solicit an international partner.

• Sandy invited Thomas Horky to share information about the sports media conference scheduled in Hamburg in September 2016.  He said that plans for this conference are to include sessions in both English and German to encourage “international” participation.  This led to discussion of the pros and cons of moving the Summit to fall.  Sandy suggested that the organization consider supporting an international event where IACS members could present their work and also maintaining a Summit conference scheduled in North America.  September seems to be a “conference” month for international scholars, preceding their fall academic terms.

• It was decided to poll the membership at the 2017 Summit so that decisions could be made for moving “offshore” by 2019.

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10. Discussion of the Sports Communication Program information on the IACS website

 

• Sandy noted the increase in undergraduate programs in Sports Communication, suggesting that the organization consider an “undergraduate division.”  Jim reminded us that our central purpose is the conference, but he also observed that we need to consider what benefits come with membership.  Funds are available for the organization to expand to accommodate all members’ interests.

 

11. Adjourn

• Meeting was adjourned at 2:30pm EST SLA

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2016 IACS Summit Board of Directors’ Meeting (II)

• IACS Board Meeting – March 13, 2016

• Convened at 5pm EST

• Location – Grand Rapids, MI

• Members Present- Jimmy Sanderson, Lauren Smith, Sandy Alspach, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

​

1. Welcome/Call to Order Jimmy Sanderson (Chair)

 

2. Discussion of Marketing

 

• Jim Walker asks the Board members to share 3-5 ideas for marketing the organization.

 

3. Bylaw Changes

 

• Bylaw change will be coming to the membership that allows a run off process until a winner is determined.

 

4. Feedback on the Summit (Grand Rapids, MI, USA 2016)

 

• Sandy Alspach discusses evaluation forms that were distributed during the session. There is discussion among the Board about the most efficient way to gather feedback from conference participants. There is discussion about how feedback at the Summit would get used, and there is discussion about providing feedback for the Arizona Summit.

• Sandy Alspach recommends the creation of a summit planners’ manual to provide feedback and suggestions for future planners. There is discussion about the different types of problems that sites can cause (hotels have fees for technology use). There is discussion about the importance of a Board liaison with future hosts to help handle reviews of submissions and guidelines for hosting.

• The Board discusses how best to manage submissions process. There is concern that the current review process does not work well for abstracts, (as well as how to deal with submissions using an accept, maybe, and reject criteria), along with other specific guidelines in the call for submissions. The Board wants to find ways to balance encouraging a variety of submissions and presentations with space and audience turnout. There is discussion about providing opportunities for abbreviated research presentations (for work in progress), as well as having fewer presenters on a top paper panel.

• The Board discusses an ethics policy for no shows. There is discussion about a letter coming from the Chair and Executive Director to remind presenters the impact of no-showing after the Summit has been paneled. The Board wants to be supportive, but also recognizes that it is a systematic problem that causes imbalance on panels (there were a number of GR panels with 2-3 participants while others had 4-5).

• There was discussion about the balance of when panels are scheduled. There were 6 presenters on Friday, 19 on Saturday, and 42 on Sunday. There was also a concern that the overall participation was not very international, as well as finding ways to encourage more diversity within the presentation pool. There was discussion about whether or not the call should be more direct in encouraging  international or underrepresented groups.  

• There was a recommendation to have a business meeting with protected time during the summit. This meeting would be an opportunity to involve more IACS members in the governance process.

 

5. Updates on the 2017 Summit in Phoenix

 

• Jimmy Sanderson provides updates from Jeff Kassing about Phoenix. They are working on events scheduled around Spring Training (MLB) and keeping conference registration rate low. More information will be distributed publicly as it becomes available.

• Jim Walker suggests a possibility of having a short pre-conference in Phoenix to allow for broad discussion about the direction of the organization.

 

6. Agenda for Summer 2016 Skype Meeting

 

• There is discussion about having a pioneer award named after a significant figure in the field. This award does not have to be given every year, but there should be ways to help honor outstanding people in the organization.

 

7. Discussion about International Summit (outside of the US)

 

• There is discussion about focusing on moving the Summit outside of the United States. This conference might have issues with cost (especially for graduate students), but if a host is found that provides easy access to reach and a variety of hotels. There is discussion about moving outside the US on a regular rotation (perhaps every 5 years). The Board wants to think about logistics and timing to make sure that the international launch is effective. There is some consideration of making the jump in the Fall to avoid conflicts with other conferences.

• There is discussion about using a specific keynote speaker or a soft landing in a place like Toronto or Montreal to help with the transition to an international location.

• Brody Ruihley discusses a potential partnership for international travel. He and a colleague have started a business that organizes targeted student trips abroad. This business could help organize a potential out of the USA IACS Summit. There is discussion about making sure that legal liability is taken care of for any conference hosted by the organization.

 

8. Discussion of the Sports Communication Program information on the IACS website

 

• Simon Licen shares information that he gathered and organized about Sports Communication/Communication and Sport academic programs that is available on the IACS website. The current list includes information about programs and live links to relevant websites. He will continue to update and improve the list as he access more information. The current list has 25 programs, but it will continue to be updated and be more user friendly.

 

9. Discussion of other promotional plans

 

• Jim Walker is in the process of developing a brochure based on website information to help promote the organization. Kate Lavelle will be setting up a Facebook page designed to interact with members who are not on Twitter, Facebook page would be set up to share IACS announcements from the email and Twitter account.

10. Adjourn

• Meeting is adjourned at 6:30pm EST KLL

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2016 IACS Summit Board of Directors’ Meeting (I)

• Board of Directors Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting – March 11, 2016

• Convened at 3:26pm EST

• Location – Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI

• Members Present- Jimmy Sanderson, Lauren Smith, Sandy Alspach, Adam Earnheardt, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

 

1. Call to Order: Jimmy Sanderson (Chair) - call to order

 

2. 2018 Host Site Selection

 

• Board assesses potential host sites for 2018 Summit. Indiana University is selected by Member vote.

• Indiana University is seen as an attractive venue because of its comprehensive proposal and location (for sports and some of the membership).

• Board uses discussion to talk about international hosts in the future. Jim Walker leads discussion about the possibility of shifting the Summit dates to the Fall to host during a less busy time in the academic conference calendar and to avoid potential snowstorms in cold weather host cities.

 

3. Ninth Summit Update from Sandy Alspach

 

• Sandy Alspach provides suggestions and updates from the Summit. She identifies cost savings when hosted at a university, where the host would not be charged for use of visual aids and other charges. There is discussion of the importance of considering all hidden costs of hosting.

• There is discussion about more transparency between hosts on budget to help with planning and support.

• Jimmy Sanderson brainstorms about how to handle cancellations. A number of late cancellations in 2016 created problems with scheduling. There is discussion about whether or not to change the bylaws, or to provide clearer parameters for communicating with individuals who cancel.  There is discussion about drafting a policy statement with a letter from the Executive Director and Chair.

• Lauren Smith brainstorms about changing the abstract and review process. The current rubric does not work well for reviewing abstracts. There is discussion about providing guidelines to submitters about how to structure abstracts to provide clarity for submitters and reviewers.

 

4. Update from Larry Wenner - Editor of Communication & Sport

 

• Larry Wenner provides some background and history about the relationship between IACS and the journal. Wenner emphasizes the importance of IACS as international, and compares and contrasts the relationship between the Board and the Journal Editor with the structure in other journals. Wenner emphasizes the importance of a good relationship between the Board and the Editor.

• Wenner outlines some possibilities for dealing with the Online First backlog and talks about the importance of a quick turnaround to avoid reviewer fatigue. The journal continues to reach out to various constituencies to build readership and interest in the journal.

• Wenner emphasizes that the journal is a great deal for members ($80 membership rates, $20 for four issues), and encourages past members to keep their membership current to continue to access the journal.

 

5. Updates from the Communication Director - Brody Ruihley

 

• Brody Ruihley reports that Twitter followers have doubled since last year (342 followers), there are 525 people on the email listserv. Ruihley is working on a secure place for Board documents on the website.

• Ruihley is working to expand the participation on “what is communication and sport to you” on the website.

• Ruihley is pushing for more pictures and interaction. He is open to lots of different ways we can highlight communication and sport work. The current website allows for lots of video capacity, Ruihley will continue to update this portion of the website.

• Simon Licen and Brody Ruihley are working on a part of the website that highlights communication and sport programs. This list will continue to expand as we get more information.

• Kate Lavelle will develop the Facebook site. Facebook site will offer an alternative place for IACS messages (currently on Twitter and email listserv).

 

6. Updates on 2016 IACS Board Elections

 

• Adam Earnheardt is rotating off the board as Treasurer. He will help train the new Treasurer during the 2016-17 academic year.

• Other board positions open: Vice Chair (Lauren Smith will be Chair on July 1, 2016), three Board positions (Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, and John Spinda). A call for nominees will come out later in the spring for members to self-nominate for positions.

• Bylaws will need to be revised in order to deal with potential ties.

7. Adjourn

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• Meeting adjourned at 5:05 pm.

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2015 IACS Summer Board of Directors’ Meeting

• Board of Directors Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting – July 7, 2015

• Convened at 2pm EST

• Location – Skype

• Members Present- Jimmy Sanderson, Lauren Smith, Sandy Alspach, Adam Earnheardt, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Jim Walker (Executive Director)

 

1.  Welcome/Call to Order Jimmy Sanderson (Chair)

 

2.  Approval of Minutes from Summit Board Meeting–

 

• Discussion of number of submissions for 2015 Summit. Number was 161, minutes approved with change. Motion to approve (Brody Ruihley), Lauren Smith seconds it.

 

3. Discussion of Summit 2016 (Grand Rapids, MI, USA)

 

3a. Summit Planning Committee

 

• Sandy Alspach and John Spinda discuss continuation of including the next host in the planning process. Sanderson will get feedback from Jeff Kassing (2017 host) about involvement. Alspach suggests including the Board more actively in the reviewing process to help shift workload from host, specifically focusing on reviewing abstracts. The 2015 Summit had 130-140 abstracts submitted, and there was a hope that the Board could help with quality control of reviews.

 

• Members expressed concerns about time and feedback, and there was discussion about targeting additional reviewers with specific expertise in particular research areas. The Board could be more involved in matching abstracts with areas of expertise and diversity for review process.

 

• It was suggested that potential reviewers could submit a mini-vita to help match up reviewers with topics. Alspach notes that screening the reviewing pool will ensure research areas as well as experience with the review process will generate higher quality reviews. This process allows the program planner to work with the Board on the review process.

 

• Walker suggests the program planner documenting the procedures to help advise future planner, including a list of reviewers and rubrics used, to promote consistency over time with the review process. Ruihley suggests that documentation could be available online to provide clear direction to future planners.

 

3b. Recommendations for Submission Process/Ethics Statement (Attending)

 

• Alspach suggests developing an ethics statement for the Summit to ensure that the first author is committed to traveling and presenting. There is discussion about how the first author is determined, but decided that the submission should clearly identify which author would present at the conference. Smith notes that AEJ designates a presenting person, which would work for IACS. There was discussion of potentially restricting future conference attendance for no-shows who do not have extenuating circumstances, similar to other professional organizations and their meeting no-show policies

• Walker recommends putting ethics statement and policy for presenting author in the call for submissions, as well as the acceptance letter to the presenters.

 

3c. Acamedics

 

• Smith has concerns that Acamedics program forces feedback for all reviews. Spinda had some concerns about Customer Service last year and the quality of support for the upcoming summit. There is discussion about considering a different vendor, but Spinda is concerned about re-leaning a new system as opposed to communicating better with the company. Ruihley suggests treating this year as an opportunity to improve service and move on if necessary for 2017.

 

3d. Constant Contact

 

• Adam Earnheardt explains that Constant Contact is an online event management that could be used for Summit registration and membership renewal. He used it with the Ohio Communication Association. It is cost effective, it allows for email marketing with a registration feature where people could customize for members when they will be at the conference. This feature allows for better planning with meals and analysis of participants.

 

• Earnheardt explains that this system would be cost effective ($240/year up front) and allow for synching of membership and registration, and is a good program for the organization the size of IACS. There are some concerns about lag time for journal payments if members wait to renew until they register for the Summit.

 

3e. Registration/Exhibition Space/Transparency/IACS Support

 

• Earnheardt and Sanderson discuss the possibility of sponsorship for meals or breakout sessions. Earnheardt notes that there was some sponsorship in Cleveland as well as at Bradley. Alspach is willing to have some sponsorship and exhibition space for publishers at Grand Rapids to help with cost coverage.  

 

3f. Call for Summit 2016

 

• The Board wants to have notifications out for submissions before the holiday break in the beginning of December to provide planning time for participants. There is discussion about having October 1st or 15th deadline.

 

4. Election Issues (Graduate Student Board Position)

 

• Kate Lavelle discusses the possibility of a student representative on the Board of Directors. There are concerns about what would define a “student” and Walker suggests having a student interest group with IACS that could interact with the Board of Directors. The Board wants to provide opportunities for student-leadership within the organization. There is discussion about using time at the next Summit to formalize student leadership.  

 

• Walker discusses the 2016 elections, where there will be four open slots on the Board. The bylaws allow for staggered terms for resignations, but it might be helpful to have someone stay on the Board beyond 2016. Ruihley suggests the idea of an Ex-Officio Position for the Immediate Past Chair to help provide continuity to the Board. Ex-Officio Position would require a change to the bylaws.

 

• Lavelle is charged with researching potential solutions to Immediate Past Chair and making adjustments to bylaws for vote by the membership.

 

5. Other issues

 

• Sport Communication Program List for Website and Mentoring Program are tabled to email discussion due to time constraints.

 

6. Adjourn

 

• Meeting is adjourned at 3:19pm EST. Walker motions to adjourn, Spinda seconds it.

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2015 IACS Summit Board of Directors’ Meeting

• Board of Directors Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting – March 8, 2015

• Convened at 7:30am EST

• Location – UNC-Charlotte, City Campus, Charlotte, NC

• Members Present- Jimmy Sanderson, Lauren Smith, Sandy Alspach, Adam Earnheardt, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Jim Walker (Executive Director Elect), Michael Butterworth (Executive Director)

 

1.  Call to Order: Jimmy Sanderson (Chair) – call to order

 

2.  Approval of Agenda. No discussion over agenda

 

3.  Update from Executive Director  Ÿ

 

• Butterworth notes that Adam Earnheardt is running the membership list in part because it was important to have continuity in the middle of the Executive Director transition. There has been discussion about moving to a membership system, but due to costs, this transition would only make sense after hitting the 300-member mark. Membership management could be done by SAGE. The current system is cumbersome and the organization needs a better system that would support fees and up to date contact information.

 

• Butterworth spoke with the IACS lawyer to make sure that the organization is in compliance with IRS regulations and the transition to the new Executive Director. Financially, the organization is in good shape with about $20,000 in the combined accounts.

 

• The surplus provides flexibility for the organization to potentially help future planners and perhaps to consider a more centralized location for the Summit, such as hotels and convention centers.

 

4.  Update from Communications Director

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• Ruihley provides updates on the Summit and communication. He reports that the list serv has 489 members. Wix.com costs $150 per year and it is $40 for the web address. Wix.com offers options for premium options that would be less cumbersome to update, the Board might consider paying for some of these services.  

Ÿ

• Earnheardt suggests having a seamless option on the website for registration. Right now, membership and conference payment are separate, which creates a number of problems. A payment option on the website would be helpful and provide a lump sum to the conference host. 

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• Ruihley is happy using Wix and it provides great premium options that the organization could pay for, such as resource hosting for journal information, lists of communication and sport programs. Butterworth suggests assigning graduate students with compiling information about relevant publications. There is discussion about what criteria would be used for inclusion of material, but it is determined that it would be a good thing for the organization to make information available to promote scholarship across communication and sport.

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• Butterworth and Sanderson discuss investing in a short video from the conference to use as a promotional tool. Using the local host to produce the video would be more efficient. Alspach suggests that host Ferris State could produce a video through a video production class. There is discussion about hosting videos from the Summit on the website, especially keynotes and plenary sessions.

 

• There is a discussion about using the Twitter handle to share information about publications, but setting limits on how much information is shared.

 

• Butterworth recommends a Facebook page that could reach new academic audiences. An administrator could be designated and use guidelines could be developed. 

 

5.  Update from Treasurer

 

• Earnheardt reports that there is $5,004.78 in the Chase Account, $8,500 in the PayPal Account, and $4,000 in the KeyBank account. It is suggested that the Board consider investing some of the money to provide for future planning. 

 

• There is discussion about participants who signed up at the member rate but aren’t members, as well as original members who have not renewed because they did not attend. One of the issues to consider is offering a lifetime membership to individuals who are committed to the organization in the long term.

 

6.  Executive Director Transition

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• Sanderson welcomes Jim Walker as the New Executive Director. Walker will officially succeed Butterworth on July 1, 2015.

 

7. Elections

 

• Lavelle wants to discuss some of the issues that occurred during the 2014 elections, but these discussions are tabled until the summer due to time constraints. There is discussion about having a student representative, which would require a change in the bylaws. It is suggested to start to stagger terms better for board members, since four will rotate off at the same time in 2016.

 

8.  Conference Feedback

• Alspach reports about the review process: 161 submissions were evaluated by reviewers from acamedics and the list serv. There is still work to be done on spreading out the work among reviewers. For future conferences, there should be a number of changes to the review process, including a clearer ranking policy, a rubric for reviewers and submitters, and earlier submission deadline of October 15, 2016, and two reviewers instead of three.

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• Butterworth notes that reviewers are assigned based on availability. Moving forward, there could be more interest groups or divisions to help align scholarship, but this decision would have consequences. There was discussion about the balance of research presented at the conference, questioning whether or not the organization was skewed in terms of research presented.

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• Alspach reports that there were 161 submissions with a 79% acceptance rate. Grano notes that there needs to be consistency in the quality of the review process, potentially using software to help match reviewers with submissions. There is discussion about balancing quality of program, encouraging participants, and creating a manageable schedule with submissions. There is discussion about how to manage presenters who do not show. Butterworth suggests an ethics statement as an organization that requires individuals to attend if their work is accepted, barring an emergency situation. Grano recommends developing guidelines for submissions that designates a submitter that would help with planning purposes. The organization wants to encourage co-authorship, but also create a schedule that is easier for the program planner.

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• Alspach recommends having stricter standards for reviews of submissions. There is discussion about the rules of other organizations, including using some of the reviewing standards used by Communication and Sport. There is discussion about creating submission categories to provide direction to reviewers, as well as suggestions about creating a small committee to help update alternative. There will be more discussion on this issue during the summer board meeting.

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• Alspach discusses creating a system to ensure that nonmembers pay the appropriate registration fees. The current system cannot track membership and can be confusing.  Grano discusses the possibility of centralizing the money. Previous planners have run into tax problems and bureaucracy when handling registration fees. Grano had many dealing with the Travel and Unusual Payments office that he doesn’t want future planners to encounter. IACS should centralize the payment process, especially when considering an international site. The host should not be responsible for dealing with such complicated monetary issues that would not be anticipated in a proposal. Alspach notes that Grand Rapids will be centralized because it will be on a hotel system, but the Board should push for centralization to help future hosts.

 

• Grano recommends a policy for no-shows as well as specification about when registration is open. Most hosts do not have a staff (such as a larger national or international convention), so participants should be aware when they can register.

 

9. Meeting adjourned at 8:47am EST

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2015 IACS Summit Business Meeting

• IACS Summit Business Meeting at UNC-Charlotte – 3.7.15

 

• Michael Butterworth thanks Dan Grano and Shawn Long (Department Chair at UNCC) for their support and work on the event. Butterworth thanks the Executive Board and Sandy Alspach for her work coordinating the review system.

• Dan Grano awards the Inaugural Graduate Student Top Paper Award to Lorin Shellenberger from Virginia Tech (“Training’ Killer Instincts’: Serena Williams’ Deviant Black Ethos”).

• Michael Butterworth provides updates on membership totals. At the end of 2014, there were 121 members, 25 from outside of the United States. As of now, there are 144 members, 23 from outside the United States. Butterworth thanks members for promoting IACS and is excited about the continued international growth of the organization.

• Sandy Alspach encourages participants to come to Grand Rapids for the 2016 Summit. Event will be self-contained in the conference setting. Michael Butterworth discusses the options in Grand Rapids that will be available to conference participants. Butterworth reminds participants that the 2017 Summit will be in Phoenix to celebrate the 10th anniversary and the normal selection process will resume for 2018.

• Michael Butterworth announces that a number of major communication organizations have created Communication and Sport interest groups. Butterworth encourages NCA members to affiliate with Communication and Sport. This interest group is forming with officers and will have slots available at the Philadelphia Convention in 2016. ICA’s sport group is live for the conference in Puerto Rico in May.

• Michael Butterworth notes that five years have passed since the Summit became a formal organizational structure. Since 2004, the organization has gained non-profit status, with financial health, and a journal. Butterworth is excited about where the organization stands. Butterworth has a word of caution that the organization should be careful to be inclusive theoretically, methodologically, and topically. Butterworth encourages members to be mindful of “mapping the terrain” as we move forward. Butterworth feels at the fifth year of the organization, this is an appropriate time to step down as of June 30, 2015.

• Jim Walker is introduced by Michael Butterworth as the next Executive Director. Walker is impressed with the vitality of the organization and thanks Butterworth for his service to the organization.

• Jimmy Sanderson speaks on behalf of the Board of Directors to thank Michael Butterworth for being a mentor and encouraging collegiality between junior and senior scholars. The Board appreciates Butterworth’s skill as an administrator and leadership of the organization.

• Official business concludes KLL

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2014 IACS Summer Board of Directors' Meeting

• Board of Directors Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting –July 28, 2014

• Convened at 2:30pm EST

• Location – Conducted Via Skype

• Members Present – Jimmy Sanderson, Lauren R. Smith, Sandy Alspach, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Michael Butterworth (Executive Director)

 

1. Call to Order: Jimmy Sanderson (Chair) – call to order

 

2. Welcome new board members and short introductions: All members introduce themselves and welcome new Board Member Sandy Alspach and new Vice Chair Lauren Smith.

 

3. Approval of the Agenda/Minutes: Approval of Minutes from March 15, 2014 meeting. No discussion over minutes. Minutes approved.

 

4. Review Summit Feedback

 

• Expanding to 3 days: Sanderson discusses how member feedback suggested moving to a three-day summit. Brody Ruihley discusses that the location could determine 2 or 3-day conference. Butterworth notes that Sunday transportation can be difficult; if the summit runs late on Sunday, some participants may not be able to get late flights. Sanderson suggests evaluating the conference length based on the locations.There was discussion of how to integrate academic and industry speakers. Sanderson and Butterworth want industry speakers to be part of an academic conversation at the conference. Industry speakers should help enhance the academic discussion at a summit. Simon Licen suggests that conference participants should be given some background information available prior to the presentation on the industry speakers, especially if they are speaking about a specific controversy or issue.Sanderson and Butterworth recommend that Dan Grano include more information about speakers and attempt to integrate these speakers better with conference participants. Ruihley recommends finding topics related to the host site. John Spinda talks about the importance of the conference planner finding intersections between industry personnel and conference submissions.

 

• Future locations & the bid process: Sanderson begins discussion about future host sites. Ruihley, Smith, and Spinda like sites that are smaller that encourage community and networking. Licen wants to find a way to combine smaller and larger markets, especially given the diversity within the organization. Licen wonders if there can be a push to rotate types of locations. Kate Lavelle wonders if location diversity could be implemented by encouraging co-hosts. Co-hosting could bring the Summit to different locations and provide incentives for more scholars to get involved. Butterworth talks about the importance of camaraderie and the spirit of collaboration. Butterworth wants locations that encourage participation by senior scholars and younger faculty. By providing a regional/market size rotation, it can help provide a good balance for the organization.

 

• Internationalization:  Sanderson wonders if the Board should take more of an active role in selecting a host. Does the organization have a more controlled bid process, or continue with the open calls. Butterworth talks about a number of potential host sites, especially now that IACS is becoming a stable organization. Ruihley and Butterworth discuss conditions where the Board might make a decision for a host site, such as a major anniversary of the Summit (10th, 20th). If such a decision is made, this decision must be clearly communicated to the organization to prevent another potential host for putting in additional work.

 

• Any Additional Items: Spinda wants to step down in his role as liaison and program planner for the Summit.  Sanderson thanks Spinda for putting together a blind review system that will be used in 2014. Michael Butterworth suggests that Alspach succeed Spinda, since she will host in 2016. This motion to replace Spinda with Alspach is unanimously accepted by the Board. 

 

5. Feedback/Direction for 2015 Summit: Sanderson appreciates Dan Grano’s work on the Charlotte Summit. Grano is soliciting feedback from the Board on a regular basis, and is providing an excellent model for future hosts.

 

6. Revise Bylaws to account for ties in elections: Sanderson notes that the bylaws do not have wording about a tie in the Board elections. Butterworth notes that an easy fix to the bylaws would provide direction for future elections, and he will draft language for the changes.

 

7. Financial Updates: Butterworth provides updates. The Key Bank account has 4531.56 and the Chase account has 6732.63 for a total of 11264.19. The organization continues to grow and provide flexibility for the organization

 

8. Goals Moving Forward with New Leadership (from Sanderson & Smith)

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• Because of the high number of young scholars at the Summit, the Summit should provide mentoring opportunities and job market discussions the conference.

• The organization should continue to foster international membership and host out of the US soon.

• Alspach and Sanderson discuss the importance of mentoring communication students, since many of the PhD programs are sports management, not Communication and Sport. Butterworth talks about how the journal, is doing well, and it helps membership in the organization.

 

9. Listing Sport Communication programs on website: Ruihley thinks that this is a worthy endeavor, but there needs to be some discussion about what criteria would be used to choose programs to include. Butterworth recommends developing an ad hoc committee on Communication & Pedagogy. Licen will chair the committee and a call will go out to the membership for 3-4 people to join.

 

10. Adjourn

• At 3:55 EST, Spinda motions to adjourn, Alspach seconds it. All in agreement.

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2014 IACS Summit Board of Directors' Meeting

• Board of Directors Meeting

• IACS Board Meeting –March 15, 2014

• Convened at 5:03pm EST

• Location – Cornell Club, New York, NY

• Members Present – Karen Hartman, Jimmy Sanderson, Adam Earnheardt, Kate Lavelle, Simon Licen, Brody Ruihley, John Spinda, Michael Butterworth (Executive Director)

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1.  Call to Order: Karen Hartman (Chair) – call to order

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2.  Approval of the Agenda/MinutesApproval of Minutes from August 12, 2013 meeting. No discussion over minutes, minutes approved.

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3.  Summit 2015 Updates

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• Dan Grano from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte presents updates for the 2015 Summit. He is working on setting up dates for the Summit in line with the organization’s preference. There is substantial discussion about making the conference an extra day to provide more space for attendees to see spotlight research. Brody Ruihley, Michael Butterworth, and Jimmy Sanderson discuss asking about an extra day on the Qualtrics survey. Considering that the Charlotte hotel and food should be cheaper, participants may be willing to have an extra day for more research.

• For hotel and event space, Grano is working on getting a hotel discount for the conference participants. The Summit will be held on the Central City campus, which is close to dining and downtown Charlotte. Campus catering must provide food served on the conference site.

• Grano discusses a number of sports opportunities in Charlotte, including the Bobcats (NBA), the Panthers (NFL), the NASCAR Hall of Fame, , and ESPNU. Charlotte has an international airport to help international members reach the conference. University has a number of relevant sports figures as possible speakers/panelists.

• Grano discusses the possibility of a full day pre-conference, or having elements of the preconference during the conference itself. He has campus-funding opportunities for bringing in a speaker. Hartman recommends that if a speaker is tied to a dinner, this speaker needs to be a big name. Grano is working now to make these arrangements.

• Board discusses possible weekend. Grano working around other academic conferences as well as the NCAA tournament first weekend hosted in Charlotte.

• Board provides initial suggestions for 2016. Adam Earnheardt likes the emails, affiliation, and Twitter addresses on the program from 2014. Butterworth recommends assigning a person to monitor Tweets during conference, perhaps to identify what is trending from the Summit. Ruihley recommends having a singular hashtag for the conference.

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4. Update from the Executive Director

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• Butterworth provides updates on the membership numbers. The numbers are very encouraging, especially with international members. Much of the representation of the organization is from early to mid-career faculty, as the organization continues to grow, hoping for more involvement from senior faculty.

• In terms of finances, transition from KeyBank to Chase is almost complete. There is $4600 in the Chase Account and $5200 in the Key Account. The growth and financial flexibility is good.

• Butterworth opens up discussion about elections and indefinite board positions. Elections will take place in the spring (call around April 15th), elections start June 15th, voting and new Board in place on July 1. Karen Hartman and Paul Gullifor will rotate off the board, leaving open a vice-chair position (Jimmy Sanderson will become Chair) and a board member. Thank you to Hartman and Gullifor for their four years of service to IACS.

• Butterworth, John Spinda, and Ruihley discuss the possibility of changing the bylaws to reflect the indefinite status of the Treasurer and Communications Director. All are voting members; this indefinite status could be of a concern to the membership.

• Previous discussion by all board members suggests that having an indefinite status for these positions is crucial because of specific expertise and access for these positions. Indefinite positions are still subject to member and Board accountability, and the Vice-Chair and Chair positions, as well as most of the Board of Director members are part of the regular rotation for voting by the membership.

• Bylaw changes for language in Treasurer and Communications Director will be sent to the membership in the spring.

 

5. Update from the Communication Director

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• Ruihley provides updates on the Summit and communication. He reports that 420 members are on the listserv, ¼ of these members are on Twitter. Lots of tweets and pictures during the conference that Ruihley appreciates.

 

6. Updates from Committees

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• Awards - Sanderson updates the Board on the new Awards Committee. They have a number of suggestions that they have for Charlotte, including a top paper panel, a top graduate panel, and scholar office hours. There is a hope to get more involved, including sponsorship for guest speakers and naming awards.

• Butterworth recommends offering some sort of monetary reward with awards and Simon Licen suggests offering a publisher’s coupon from SAGE. Ruihley suggests offering free conference fees for the top student paper.

• 40th Anniversary of Real’s Super Bowl essay

• Licen would like to have senior scholars on a panel to discuss Michael Real’s 1975 article. The Larry Wenner panel inspired Licen in 2014, and Spinda believes that this event would be a way to get younger scholars interested in reading landmark books and articles. Butterworth recommends inviting different panelists and hopefully, Michael Real will come. Kate Lavelle encourages Licen to set up the panel since he brought the idea forward and would be able to line up appropriate panelists.

 

7. Future Meetings

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• Butterworth talks about having a Board Meeting via Skype in mid-July with the newly elected Board. The future meeting will discuss Summit 2015 and the review process. All in attendance will participate.

 

8. Board Meeting PictureIs successfully taken in the lobby of the Cornell Club.

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• Meeting Adjourned at 6:20pm

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