It's been my great pleasure and honor to serve the International Communication Association as President-Elect, Dresden Conference Planner (but really Michael Haley and Wolf Donsbach were the organizers), and President. It's been particularly informative, productive, cheery and pleasant to work with Michael Haley, the Executive Director and his staff: Sam Luna, Deandra Tolson, Michael J. West, and Tina Ziegler. I have also learned a lot (though sometimes a nearly-continuous barrage of questions!) from the Executive Committee: Jon Nussbaum, Wolfgang Donsbach, Bob Craig, Jennings Bryant, and now Sonia Livingstone.

Also of course very busy in soliciting, reviewing, and programming papers were the Division and Interest Group Chairs and Planners. I thank them for their ongoing hard work and commitment to ICA.

I would also like to thank the members of the ICA Standing Committees, especially those members whose terms will end at this year's Business meeting. These committees, their membership structure, and term of office, are set up by approval of the BoD, as specified in the bylaws. The committees' general charge is identified below. The President sets the specific charge for each year. Chairs and members are appointed by the President (except as specified below), approved by BoD at the annual ICA conference, and take office at the end of the conference. The Chair leads the activities of each committee and acts as liaison between the committee and President, EC, and BoD.

Conference Planning Committee
This annual committee includes the President-Elect (Sonia Livingstone), Division and Interest Group representatives, and other members appointed by incoming President-Elect (e.g., Theme Chair, Local Organizing Committee Chair). Duties are described in detail under duties of President-Elect.

• Meets at preceding annual ICA conference to begin planning process
• Plans the conference scientific program
• Oversees the paper selection process
• Prepares the conference program, with Executive Director and ICA staff

Finance Committee
The three past ICA presidents comprise the Finance Committee, which is chaired by the most senior of them. Term of office is 3 years, with staggered terms. The Chair leads all activities of this committee:

• Develops an annual budget (presented to the BoD in writing) for the next fiscal year, for approval by BoD (deadlines: May 1 and October 1)
• Negotiates (through chair) about changes to the budget with Executive Director, President-Elect, and EC prior to approval deadlines
• Oversees and advises President about fund raising and other activities to increase income, with appropriate targets, including members' dues, conference fees, and other development activities
• Chair provides regular, at least quarterly, reports to the President and through President to the EC
• Advises the Board of Directors on the fiscal policies of the Association
• Chair provides a report to each meeting of BoD

Bob Craig (chair); Wolfgang Donsbach; Jon Nussbaum

Internationalization Committee
Chair (normally a Regional Member-at-large of BoD) and up to six members (normally including at least three other Regional Members-at-large and a student member). Members serve 3-year terms, with staggered membership. The Chair leads all activities of the committee:

• Recommends policy about the internationalization of ICA, including monitoring the needs of ICA's international constituency
• Along with the Membership Committee, recommends and monitors policies and practices that meet the needs of non-US members of ICA
• Reports in writing to the BoD on internationalization policy and activity (Chair; deadline: May 1)
• Attends the BoD meeting at the annual ICA conference as required (Chair)

Karen J. Ross (chair); Jianxun Jackson Chu; Angela Schorr; Katerina Tsetsura; Ted Zorn; Dafna Lemish; Sherry Lynn Ferguson; Wim Elving; Yu-li Liu; Elena Pernia

Nominating Committee
Chair plus up to six members: This annual committee and its chair are appointed by the President-Elect Select and assume office at the end of the annual ICA conference. Members should reflect a balance between new and continuing committee members and represent the diversity of membership and interests of ICA. The Chair leads the activities of the Committee. 3-year terms, staggered. Chair should be a member from the prior year.

The committee actively recruits and recommends to BoD at least two candidates for the following positions:

• President-Elect Select
• Regional Board Members-at-Large (as required by vacating members)
• Student Board Members (two, with staggered terms).

Rajiv Rimal (chair); George Cheney; Peng Hwa Ang; Dafna Lemish; Lynn Schofield Clark; Els de Bens

Publications Committee
Chair plus two members: Each ICA President appoints one member to a 3-year term; in the third year, the member serves as chair. Chair leads all activities of the committee: 

• Oversees ICA journals and editorial policy
• Chair maintains regular contact with all journal editors about publication issues
• Chair provides regular reports to the President and through President to EC about problems or issues as they arise
• Monitors and updates the Publications Manual and distributes it to ICA journal Editors (Chair, assisted by Committee members and Executive Director)
• Actively recruits and recommends Editors for Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Communication Yearbook to BoD, beginning the search-and-screen process at least 18 months before the end of the previous Editor's term
• Chair gives regular progress reports to President and is assisted by the EC and BoD in the search-and-screen process
• Reviews editorial policies across ICA journals and the brief of each journal, ensuring that each journal's domain is clear and distinct
• Makes recommendations about the acquisition or start-up of new journals (assisted by EC and others as appropriate)
• Reports in writing to the BoD on publication policy and activity (Chair; deadline: May 1)
• Attends the annual ICA conference (Chair)
• Chairs a meeting with Editors
• Chairs a panel of ICA Publications Committee
• Attends BoD meeting as required

Loretta L. Pecchioni (chair); Mohan Dutta-Bergman; Sriramesh Krishnamurthy

Newsletter Task Force (Subsumed into Publications Committee) 

• Monitor the efficacy of the new format and frequency of the newsletter.
• Monitor the development of the regular column on "Communication in the Public Interest."
• Recommend to Publications Board and Board of Directors, whether, when, and how the ICA should move toward a new periodical on Communication in the Public Interest.

Student Affairs Committee
The two current Student Members of BoD (elected by ICA), normally serving as Co-Chairs, and up to five student and nonstudent members. Members serve 2-year staggered terms.

• Serves the needs and interests of student members and assists in crafting and disseminating student agenda
• Recommends and promotes policy and activities to enhance student involvement in ICA
• Craft a clear role for Graduate Student members of ICA Board of Directors.
• Reports in writing to the BoD on student policy and activity (Chair(s); deadline: May 1)
• Attends the BoD meeting at the annual ICA conference (Chairs)

Qi Wang, Rebecca Hains (cochairs); Jianxun Jackson Chu; Constanze Felicitas Rossmann; Sabine Fritz; Bing Han; Irina Gendelman

AWARDS COMMITTEES

Research Awards Committee
Each of the five subcommittees includes 5 members: one individual nominated by the ICA fellows, a chair, and three general members. Service on the committee is for a two-year term. The previous year's winner joins the subcommittee in the first year of service (but, as approved by the Board 2006-2007, is no longer automatically designated subcommittee chair for the following year). Two other members of each subcommittee are held over from the previous year's subcommittee to ensure continuity. The various subcommittees submit their recommendations to the Research Awards Committee Chair, who submits a final report to the ICA Executive Director, who then forwards it to the ICA Board of Directors for final approval.)

• Organize and oversee the evaluation of nominees for ICA's research awards. Solicit nominees, create evaluation committees (according to by-laws), evaluate nominees and recommend award winners.
• Committee organizes and oversees evaluation of nominees
• Chair produces a Call for Nominations, including deadline dates and selection criteria for each award, in the July-August ICA Newsletter and web site (assisted by Executive Director; deadline: June 15)
• Chair and Committee produce a written report to BoD recommending award winners or the reasons for not recommending winners (deadline: May 1)

Robert Sanders (Chair, Coordinator of the Subcommittees)

Subcommittees actively search for nominees during the call process (assisted by D/IG Chairs, who recommend nominees, and EC). Subcommittees evaluate nominees according to the published selection criteria and recommend recipients (or give reasons for not recommending a recipient) to the Chair.

Each Subcommittee deals with one of the following ICA research awards:

• Outstanding Book in Communication Published in the Previous 2 Years. Pablo J. Boczkowski (chair); Roderick P. Hart; Ling Chen; Valeria Manusov; Dan Hallin; Paolo Mancini
• Outstanding Article in Communication Published in the Previous 2 Years. Gail Fairhurst (chair); Monique Mitchell Turner; Debashish Munshi; Michael Schudson; Nurit Guttman; Albert Gunther
• Applied/Public Policy Research Award. Sandra Calvert (chair); Jennifer Stromer-Galley; Juergen Maier; Janet Fulk; Jan van Dijk; Michael McDevitt
• Young Scholar Award (for the best scholar in communication who has received his or her PhD within the past 7 years). Amy Nathanson (chair); Jesper Stromback; Nadia Caidi; Larry Browning; Lidwien van de Wijngeart; Tamara D. Golish-Afifi
• Steve Chaffee Career Productivity Award (for the best sustained communication scholar, across the length of the career). Linda L. Putnam (chair); Christina Holtz-Bacha; Gary L. Kreps; Stan Deetz; Donal Carbaugh; Judee Burgoon

Fisher Mentorship Award Committee
Chair (normally a BoD Member-at-Large) plus up to four members (normally including a recent winner). Members serve 2-year terms, with staggered terms.

• Chair produces a Call for Nominations for the B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award, including deadline dates and selection criteria, in the July-August ICA Newsletter and web site (assisted by Executive Director and publicity officer: deadline: June 15)
• Actively recruits nominations across the whole membership of ICA (assisted by BoD and EC)
• Processes and evaluates nominations according to the published selection criteria (assisted by Executive Director)
• Chair produces a written report to BoD recommending a recipient of the award (or the reasons for not recommending an award (deadline: May 1)

Eytan Gilboa (chair); Cynthia Stohl; Edward L. Fink; Franklin Boster; Patricia Moy; Elizabeth Toth; Peter Monge

ICA Fellows Book Award
A committee of ICA Fellows selects the ICA Fellows Book Award. The fellows select one of its members to chair the book selection process and a committee of fellows to review nominated books. The committee chair submits a report to the ICA Executive Director for inclusion in materials to be presented to the ICA Board of Directors for final approval.

SPECIAL TASK COMMITTEES

These are committees appointed by the President to undertake specified tasks during his or her term of office, as permitted in the bylaws. Chairs, members, terms of office, and duties are determined by the President, except that each Task Force should present a written report to BoD at the annual ICA conference (deadline May 1) and all recommendations on policy must be approved by BoD.

Liaison to Funding Agencies, Foundations, other Associations

• Work to establish the communication discipline and its researchers as visible targets for funding priorities by federal agencies and major foundations.
• Develop seminars for ICA members interested in submitting grant proposals.
• Invite foundation and agency heads to participate in ICA conferences and seminars.
• Develop links on the ICA website to funding agencies and foundations sympathetic to communication research.
• Facilitate ongoing relationships and cooperation between ICA and IAMCR.
• Recommend future joint activities.

Monroe Price (chair); Andrea Pitasi; Jolan Roka; Michael L. Haley

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS

Karen Ross; Ted Zorn; Sherry Lynn Ferguson; Elena Pernia; Yu-li Liu

I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming ICA Conference in San Francisco. President-Elect Sonia Livingstone, Theme Session chair Nico Carpentier (with Benjamin De Cleen) and the local organizing committee headed by Heather Hudson of University of San Francisco, along with the usual immense help of Michael Haley and the ICA Staff, have developed an outstanding conference.