Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that preparations for the annual Carolinas Communication Association convention-which will be held September 15-16, 2006 at the Embassy Suites - Historic District in Charleston, SC-are underway. The Embassy Suites, housed in the original 19th century Citadel and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located adjacent to Marion Square on Meeting Street, one block from the Visitor's Center, two blocks from the King Street shopping district, and within easy walking distance of "The Market" as well as the historic district. Everything you could hope to see in Charleston should be easily accessible to you from this central location!

The 2006 conference theme is "Communication, Culture & Common Ground." Attached to this email is the Call for Papers for the conference as well as the calls for student paper submissions for the Graduate and Undergraduate divisions of the Jarrard Student Paper competition and the Ray Camp Research Paper competition. The call for papers for the Carolinas Communication Association Annual is also attached. Please pass these calls along to interested colleagues and/or post them where your colleagues and undergraduate and graduate students will see them.

I hope you will consider contributing a completed paper, panel proposal, or GIFTS (Great Ideas for Teaching Speech Communication) presentation for this fall's convention. Please encourage your students to submit entries for the Jarrard competition, and encourage your colleagues to submit conference proposals and to join us in September. CCA's annual conference offers a unique opportunity to connect (and reconnect) with colleagues from throughout the Carolinas in a collegial atmosphere.

Finally, be sure to reserve your rooms at the Embassy Suites by the booking deadline of AUGUST 13, 2006. The conference rate for single/double rooms is $139.00 per night. All rooms in the hotel are suites, with a separate living room and bedroom. Each suite includes such amenities as refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and a dining/work table. The rate also includes a cooked-to-order full breakfast each morning and a "Manager's Reception" each evening. There is also an outdoor pool and an exercise room onsite.

Please call the Embassy Suites - Charleston reservations department at 843-723-6900 x2104 or email chses_ds@hilton.com. Be sure to mention the reservation code, "COL" and mention the Carolinas Communication Association to receive the conference rate. The conference rate is available for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, so we hope that many of you will consider spending the entire weekend, getting the most out of both the conference and Charleston!

I look forward to seeing you in September.

Best regards,

Celeste Lacroix

1st Vice President, Carolinas Communication Association

Associate Professor

College of Charleston

Celeste C. Lacroix, PhD