02/25/2026

ECA 2026 Communication Administration Interest Group Convention Programming

Dear Colleagues, 

I hope this message finds you well!

We look forward to your participation at the Eastern Communication Association's (ECA) annual conference (April 9-12) in Pittsburgh.  As the Communication Administration's Interest Group planner, we have created several panels that will be of interest to leaders and aspiring leaders.  Highlights include:

•  An academic leaders' lunch and learn that will feature a lunch discussion among esteemed colleagues: Todd Allen (Messiah University), Angie Corbo (Widener University) and Amanda McKendree (University of Notre Dame). Thursday, April 9th at 11:30am. Reflections Room. 
  
  
• A roundtable discussion on fostering civil discourse on the polarized campus among academic leaders from different institution types and career stages. Thursday, April 9th at 2:30pm. Brighton 1. 
• A chair's panel that focuses on the department chair as a first responder.  Department chairs from around the country will offer honest reflection, a few laughs, and takeaways that will elevate any leader or aspiring leader. Friday, April 10th at 1:30pm. Brighton 1. 

In addition, we look forward to seeing you at our Communication Administration Business Meeting on Friday, April 9th at 4:00 pm in the Waterfront Room.

• The convention will offer full A/V technology in all rooms. We encourage presenters to take full advantage of the available technology, Wi-Fi, and the convention-themed slide templates available here. Please remember that presenters must bring their own laptops.
• Be sure to register for the convention—the Early Bird registration discount ends February 28th!
• If you plan to stay overnight, please book the ECA discounted room at the Sheraton Station Square. The booking deadline is March 10th, and rooms are filling quickly.
• ECA 2026 Shirts & Zip Hoodies are available for pre-order at this link. Orders will be available for pickup at convention registration, and all proceeds support our students. The order deadline is March 9th.
• This year’s program features our first ECA Book Club! The selected book is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticismby linguist Amanda Montell. The Book Club will meet Friday from 4:30–5:45 PM in Elwood I.
• We also encourage everyone to attend our signature convention events, including the Welcome Reception, the Convention-wide Keynote & Awards Ceremony (no other programming is scheduled during this time!), Pub Trivia, the General Business Meeting, and the President’s Reception.

Sincerely,

Tim

Tim Brown
Communication Administration Interest Group Planner
2026 ECA Conference - Pittsburgh