The President’s Note
Dear Korean American Communication Association (KACA) members,
I hope you are having a healthy and productive summer. For many communication scholars, the summer begins with the ICA conference and wraps up with the AEJMC gathering. This summer, we have more on our plates than our regular ICA and AEJMC reports, but let’s begin with our regular ICA and AEJMC news first.
First, our ICA conference was successfully convened in Paris this past May. It was such a pleasure to meet many of our members in person! Five studies were presented, and the award for the top paper was given to Drs. Myojung Chung and John Wihbey. Dr. Dal Yong Jin also became an ICA fellow this year. Thus, we now have seven KACA members among the ICA fellows. Additionally, Dr. Eun-Ju Lee has begun her term on the executive committee as ICA president-elect. Congratulations to all of these members, and we wish you all the best in your research and service.
I am also grateful that I had the chance to host a reception at the ICA through the generous support of our sponsors—the ECU College of Fine Arts and Communication, the SUNY Buffalo Office of International Education, and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. During the reception, the participants enjoyed food, friendship, and networking opportunities. I would especially like to appreciate Dr. YoungJu Shin (KACA–ICA VP) and the KACA–ICA committee members for their excellent leadership and service in organizing sessions at the ICA conference. Enjoy the recap video of our ICA gathering at https://youtu.be/Hpo0TW20aFs. A special thanks goes to Dr. Youjeong Kim, who created the video.
Second, I want to remind you that the 2022 AEJMC annual conference is around the corner. We gladly offer an on-site conference again for KACA events. In particular, I am excited to offer our members a professional social gathering. The Korea Foundation – Los Angeles Office (Director Chungmin Lee) will be sponsoring our networking dinner on Thursday, August 4th. Stay tuned for further announcements from Dr. Yeonsoo Kim (KACA-AEJMC VP) and the KACA-AEJMC team. I strongly encourage our student members to join us for this dinner, as there will be plenty of good food. The detailed program of events for the entire AEJMC-KACA program has been included in this newsletter.
Third, KACA and the Korean Foundation For International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) have renewed their memorandum of understanding and established a three-year funding agreement. This partnership enables us to continue to hold an annual KACA–KOFICE conference and offer research grants to our students and faculty members. I believe that this support will strengthen our scholarship and facilitate diverse research on current Korean communication issues. You can also find the call-for-papers for the KACA-KOFICE conference in this newsletter. I hope to see many of you participate in the conference!
Finally, you will find an article from the late Dr. Jaewon Lee’s family. Please join us in celebrating his life and legacy. We are thankful for his genuine care for the KACA community throughout his life. It has been a blessing for all of us to have such a dedicated role model who demonstrated an exemplary spirit of service.
Thank you very much, and I hope to see many of you soon at the AEJMC conference in August!
Jin-Ae Kang, Ph.D.
President (2021-2023)
