2025 ICA Conference Program
All panels are on the third floor of Lang Hall at UNI.
To register for the conference and/or renew your ICA membership, click this link. The deadline to register for the conference without a late fee is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18.
Friday, Sept. 26:
8-8:30 a.m.: Registration and coffee/pastries in the Interpreter’s Theatre Alley.
9-10:15 a.m.: Session Block A
Rolling Back DEI in Higher Education: Impacts on Communication in the Classroom (LANG 308)
Chair: Aimee Langager, DMACC-Urban
Panelists: Maggie La Ware, Iowa State; Amy McCoy, Drake; Teresa Morales, Wayne State (Neb.); Jennifer Hough, South Dakota; Chase Aunspach, DMACC; Brian Pattie, Buena Vista; Jeffrey Brand, UNI
Effective Communication Instruction for the Future (LANG 311)
Chair: Dale Cyphert, UNI
Panelists: Maria Hanna, Augustana College; Eric Upmeyer, Vinton-Shellsburg HS; Danielle McGeough, UNI; Gayle Pohl, UNI; Gabriela Olivares, UNI
Transforming From Within (LANG 345)
Chair: NiCole Denler, Upper Iowa
Panelists: Luke Hanson, Upper Iowa; Hayden Sathe, Upper Iowa; Maddy Wolf, Upper Iowa; Ava Privet, Upper Iowa
Being Present to Prepare for Our Future; How Presentation-Based Assignments Can Overcome Boundaries Created by AI (LANG 346)
Chair and Panelist: Ryan McGeough, UNI
Panelists: Anthony Peavy, ISU; Ryan Courtney, Hawkeye Community College; Sade Barfield, UNI; Rachel Murdock, DMACC
10:30-11:45 a.m.: Session Block B
Navigating the Unknown: The Push to Innovate (LANG 308)
Panelists: Jim Baumann, St. Ambrose; Brett Billman, St. Ambrose; Marianne Fenn, St. Ambrose
Identity and Adapting Relational Communication Activities in the Classroom (LANG 311)
Chair and Panelist: Jenn Supple, Dubuque
Panelists: Michelle Grace, Dubuque; Sue Ann Marino, Dubuque
Transcending Boundaries in Education and Strategies for the Future (LANG 345)
Chair: Melissa Beall, Emerita, UNI
Panelists: Emily Eisenman, Waterloo Public Schools; Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Johnston High School; Kendra Hall, Western Iowa Tech; Craig Ihnen, emeritus, IHSSA; Michele Letzkus, Cedar Falls Public Schools; David Wendt, Burlington West High School
Dealing With Difficulties in Communication: Best Practices in Communicating Purpose and Leadership in Journalism, Public Relations, and Organizational Structure
Chair and Panelist: Kyle J. Miller, Northwest Missouri State
Panelists: Joy Daggs, Northwest Missouri State; Lori Costello, South Dakota; Gayle Pohl, UNI
Noon-2:15 p.m.: Business Meeting and Awards Luncheon (Maucker Union)
Luncheon Speaker: Cassi Price, President, Forbin
Awards Presentations:
Citation Award: Dr. Joy Daggs, Northwest Missouri State
Outstanding Adjunct Award: Ruth Ann Gaines, DMACC
2:30-3:45 p.m.: Session Block C
Transcending Boundaries in our Communities and Strategies for the Future (LANG 308)
Chair: Marilyn Shaw, Emeritus, UNI
Panelists: Aaron Hawbacker, Cedar Falls City Council; Molly Kahler, Bar Winslow - Cedar Falls; Ben Hagerty, Content Creator - Film and Music; Jennifer Shaw, Cedar Circle Mental Health and Wellness; Matt Ford, Rich Heritage Cedar Rapids Community Theatre; Kristen Henry, Schofield Spine and Motion - Cedar Falls; Russ Fagle, Analog and Digital Creator; Kristin Tieg Torress, Wartburg; Greg Holt, Cedar Falls Community Theatre
Research Presentations (LANG 311):
ECOWAS’ Response in the Wake of Military Coups in Sahel West Africa: An Analysis of Communication Gaps and Missed Public Relations Opportunities
Presenter: Chris W. Ogbondah, Emeritus, UNI
Strategic Communications: Panacea for Effective Internal Security Operations in Nigeria
Presenter: Abdullahi Saleh Bashir, University of Abuja (Nigeria)
Transcending Academic Boundaries: Engaging Communication Studies in Organizational Outreach and Institutional Change (LANG 345)
Panelists: Lori Costello, South Dakota; NiCole Dennler, Upper Iowa
G. JON HALL ONLINE GIFT FORUM: How to use AI in research? (LANG 346)
Chair: Tom Hall, UNI
Panelist: Amy McCoy, Drake
Optional Evening Events:
4-5:30 p.m.: The Cedar Valley Improvisors: Gorilla Theater (show in Interpreter’s Theatre — 040 Lang Hall)
6 p.m.: Bar Crawl - Drinks and Appetizers on Main Street (meet in the Hampton Inn lobby)
7:30 p.m.: ICA Social — Shelly O’Shea’s (third floor): 401 Main St. in Cedar Falls
Saturday, Sept. 27:
8 a.m.: Registration and coffee in the Interpreter’s Theatre area in Lang Hall.
9-10:15 a.m.: Session Block D
DEI and the Value of Higher Education (LANG 308)
Moderator: Joshua Young, Divine Word
Effective Strategies for Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning (LANG 311)
Chair and Panelist: Nicole Salo, ISU/DMACC
Panelists: Erin Todey, ISU/DMACC; Rebecca Wells, ISU; Leah Kain, ISU; Corinna Most, ISU; Elizabeth Helmick, ISU
Creating a Professional Development Opportunity with the Inaugural ICA Book Club (LANG 345)
Chair: Joy Daggs, Northwest Missouri State
Panelists: Chase Aunspach, DMACC-Urban; NiCole Dennler, Upper Iowa; Bryan Kampbell, Buena Vista; Aimee Langager, DMACC-Urban; Allyn Lueders, Wayne State (Neb.)
10:30-11:45 a.m.: Session Block E
Research Presentations (LANG 345)
Authenticity at Issue: Legislative Resistance to Gen AI in Constituent Communication
Presenter: Amy McCoy, Drake
Ethical Pedagogy: Addressing Somatotypes and Constitutional Psychology in Nonverbal Communication Courses
Presenter: Stacey Passalacqua, Northwest Missouri State
From Student to Graduate: Preparing Our Students for Post-Graduation Work Through Profession-Based Experiences
Chair: Jenn Supple, Dubuque
Panelists: Kyle J. Miller, Northwest Missouri State; Joy Daggs, Northwest Missouri State; Lori Costello, South Dakota; Allyn Lueders, Wayne State (Neb.)
Westphal Paper Presentations (LANG 365)
Westphal Paper Winner: Gift Olalusi, University of Dayton: “Unheard Voices: The Hidden Influence of Non-American Accents on Patient Outcomes and Provider Perception in U.S. Healthcare”
Runner-Up: Owen Dlugos, SUNY-Oswego: ““It's how it's perceived by others:” A Qualitative Examination of LGBTQ+ Employees Navigation of Communication through Performative Face Theory”
Honorable Mention Papers:
Joshua Papa Amofa, Iowa State: "Classroom as Sanctuary: Examining Communication Educators' Role in Grief Support and Academic Continuity"
Tahura Tabassum Tari, Minnesota State University-Mankato: “Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ and Bangladeshi youths’ perception of homosexuality”
Ryan Rasco, Davis & Elkins College: Metaphor and Ethos in Lomborg’s Case for Cost-Efficient Global Prioritization
Dominic Rascati, North Dakota: “I’m bullshit”: Gender, Sex, and Data in Courtney Pauroso: Vanessa 5000”
Scarlett Binder, Bradley: “To be Loved is to be Known: The Futility of Relationships without Communication”
Carly Irwin, North Dakota: “It’s Dark in Here: A young girl’s journey through figuring out her sexual identity in the Deep South and her mom’s radical acceptance of life with her wife”
Noon: Balloon Send-Off; End of ICA Convention! (Outside Lang Hall)
Sponsor: University of Northern Iowa Department of Communication & Media