The annual Pennsylvania Communication Association (PCA) Conference took place on Friday and Saturday, September 29-30 at Slippery Rock University. This year was the PCA’s 83rd Annual Conference entitled “Sustaining Communities.” Undergraduate, graduate, and faculty in the field of communication were able to submit their work and present it at the conference.
“The Pennsylvania Communication Association promotes teaching, research, and service and development in all areas of human communication." (https://pcasite.org/)
The weekend featured panels that brought together several presentations around a common theme and keynote speakers on both nights. Friday night featured student poster presentations, and the conference awards were presented at Saturday’s dinner.
Throughout the whole weekend, Geneva was well-represented by Geneva Associate Professor Joel Ward, PhD and alumni of Geneva’s communication program: Michael Kearney ’17, Ryan Eisenhuth ’23, Kelsey Ingold ’18, and Mikayla Covington ’16.
Dr. Joel Ward is an Associate Professor in Geneva’s Communication Media & Rhetoric department. He is also a member of the PCA Executive Committee, playing a key role in the planning and execution of the conference and management of the PCA. At this year’s conference, he chaired the panel on “Exploring Ethics of Attention in Sustaining Communities,” and he presented his paper titled “Meeting in Person: Teaching Assistantships in Undergraduate Education.”
Michael Kearney graduated with a Communication degree from Geneva in 2017. He is currently finishing his doctoral work at Duquesne University, serving as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant for the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies. At the PCA conference, he chaired the panel on “Committee Work as Performative Praxis: Sustaining Communities through Professional Decision-Making.” He also presented two of his papers entitled “Learned Ignorance in Interpersonal Communication” and “Structuring Dialogue from Conciliar Theory to Robert’s Rules.”
Ryan Eisenhuth recently graduated from Geneva with a communication degree in 2023. He is currently a graduate student of communication at Ohio University. At the PCA Conference, he presented his paper on “Memory Dis-Membered: A Call to Re-Member the Forgotten Rhetorical Canon.”
Kelsey Ingold graduated from Geneva with a degree in Communication in 2018 and is currently the Assistant Director of Internal Communication at Geneva College. She is also a graduate student of communication at Duquesne University. Kelsey presented her paper on “Organizational Space: Freedom Versus Restriction” and won the second place Graduate Paper Award.
When asked about the PCA conference, Kelsey answered, “PCA is a great organization to build professional community, exchange ideas, and advance scholarship in the field of communication for the betterment of the community. It is exciting to see excitement around the field of communication and to learn about what others are doing. The environment is very welcoming, and it is evident that the students and faculty in attendance are there to learn from and support each other.”
Mikayla Covington was a Geneva graduate in 2016 with a degree in Communication. She is currently finishing her doctoral work at Duquesne University and serves as an adjunct professor there. At the conference, she presented her paper titled, “Fragmented Communities: Navigating Physical and Digital Spaces as Rural Nonprofit Organizations.”
Dr. Joel Ward was very encouraged by Geneva’s representation at the conference saying, “Geneva continues to demonstrate an important presence at the Pennsylvania Communication Association. Both Kelsey and Ryan Eisenhuth took home writing awards from the state Undergraduate and Graduate writing competition. Michael Kearney, another graduate, was in attendance as well, presenting papers and serving as PCA secretary. We hope to continue supporting this vital organization that provides so many opportunities for our current students and graduates who are pursuing graduate degrees.”
-Lexi Meese '21, MBA '22
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