Welcome to the RMCA 2021 Conference registration and submission page!

 It is our pleasure to announce the 35th Annual Rocky Mountain Communication Association’s (RMCA) 2021 VIRTUAL Conference, “The Past as Prologue” on September 17-18, 2021. This is a FREE conference. 

Is the past a framework for the future or is the past, as poet Carl Sandburg declared, “a bucket of ashes”? As we reconsider and rebuild our lives post-pandemic, we are reminded, yet again, of the tragedies, disruptions, tangents, and persistent questions that accompany the steady march of time.

The 2021 RMCA Conference theme, The Past as Prologue, is intended to be interpreted broadly. We invite both new and veteran teachers, students and scholars to discuss and analyze the central role that communication plays in making sense of our interconnected pasts, presents, and futures. We ask you to proffer your most insightful analyses, to elevate stories and use your voices to foster understanding, combat bias and hate, explore innovative solutions, and illuminate the resources that highlight our diverse backgrounds. In our discipline, we have long argued that our work matters in how we perceive and shape the world. This year’s conference aims not only to cultivate and showcase our endeavors, but also to create thought provoking discussions and narratives which may become the catalysts for positive change.

This year marks an important transition for our organization as we aim to intensify our focus on the Rocky Mountain region and explore the changes which are already here and anticipate those which may be forthcoming. We know there is much to explore in the region’s rich history of disability activism, environmentalism, and labor rights. We know there is more work to be done to address a turbulent past of Japanese internment camps, anti-Semitism, BIPOC oppression, and other injustices. Because the Rocky Mountain region is a microcosm of the world, RMCA wants to embrace the future by building an interdisciplinary voice on the histories that have impacted and will continue to impact this region.

Paper and Panel Submissions 

“The Past as Prologue” is a wide-ranging conference theme. Papers may explore this theme from numerous intellectual and methodological perspectives. And, of course, submissions outside this theme are welcome as well and will be given full consideration. Please consider the following guidelines when making your submission. The submission deadline is Friday, July 30 at 11:59 p.m. Paper and panel submissions should be submitted to: https://rmca.submittable.com/submit

Completed Papers should be in the range of 2,500-7,000 words in length, excluding notes and references. Papers submitted to this category will automatically be considered for the following awards, as decided by the RMCA board:

• Outstanding Four-Year Student Paper(undergraduate)
• Outstanding Two-Year Student Paper(undergraduate)
• Outstanding Graduate Paper

Panel and Performance Proposals should provide the names of each panel participant(s), indicate a clear and unified theme for the panel, and a brief abstract of each panel presentation (or a description of the performance).

If you have any questions about the conference, email Program Planner, Beth Bonnstetter, at bbonnstetter@adams.edu.

Thank you for your interest in this year’s RMCA conference. We look forward to seeing you in Colorado Springs, Colorado!

Sincerely,

Rocky Mountain Communication Association Leadership Council

Immediate-Past President and Program Planner - Beth Bonnstetter, Adams State University
Executive Director Elect - Thomas Endres, University of Northern Colorado
Board of Governors Liaison - Sherry Dewald, Independent Consultant

Leadership Team Member -- Stephen Collins, Pikes Peak Community College