Call for Participation in MCA's Centennial!

The Mississippi Communication Association (MCA) will be celebrating our centennial on Friday, February 6, 2026, on the campus of our co-founding institution, Mississippi College. We would love to see broad institutional representation in our program, “Celebrating a Century: The Power of Words, Stories, and Media.”

MCA encourages and welcomes submissions to the annual conference from any educator, researcher, student, or professional in any of the many fields of work and research related to the broad field of communication. We invite original research papers, literature reviews, research-in-progress, panel proposals, roundtable discussions, creative & performative submissions, student speech & debate pieces, and teaching ideas. Submission in any category indicates the intention and availability to present at the annual conference in person on the day of the conference.

Please consider, but do not limit, your proposals to the following categories:

• Research Papers and Literature Reviews: Individuals are invited to present a communication-related paper of original research or a literature review. Author(s) should indicate category: undergrad, grad, faculty, or independent scholar.
• Research-in-Progress: Students, faculty, independent scholars, and practitioners are invited to share their research-in-progress to receive valuable feedback from fellow scholars. Research can be at any phase. Capstone papers, theses, or dissertations are encouraged. Proposals should 1) include an abstract summarizing their research 2) indicate their current phase of research, and 3) indicate category: undergrad, grad, faculty, or independent scholar.
•  Panels/Roundtable Discussions: Attendees are invited to suggest an idea for a panel discussion on a topic or group of topics of interest to students, teachers, or practitioners in the broad field of communication. Submitters should be willing and able to coordinate the topics and sub-topics of discussion, lead the discussion, and arrange for the participation of additional panelists. Panels should have a minimum of three total participants.
•  Project Panels: Participants are encouraged to submit applied projects, both creative and practical, related to the broad field of communication. Topical roundtable discussions from scholars and/or practitioners who have collaborated and applied communication practices in communities or the classroom are ideal. Individuals from a variety of institutions and backgrounds may submit ideas. We also encourage students to submit capstone course work and other class projects. 
• Creative and/or Performative Submissions: We welcome submission of all communication and theater-related disciplines to submit proposals for presentation. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, live performances, installations, multimedia projects, and interactive experiences.
•  Student Speech & Debate Submissions: Students and faculty sponsors are encouraged to submit the best student work in the area of speech & debate. Individual submissions that are chosen will be grouped for presentation.
•  GIFTS (Great Ideas for Teaching Students): Unique, classroom-tested teaching ideas for communication courses from all levels of education are welcome. GIFTS proposals should include a brief abstract, rationale, discussion of the methods/procedures, and typical results.
•  Submissions Honoring the 100-year History of MCA: Any and all topics honoring MCA’s history will be considered.

Potential Reviewers, Chairs, Respondents, Sponsors, Volunteers: Please submit interest to [email protected].