Thank you to the 2025 TCA Leadership and Robert Davenport/Motlow State faculty and staff for the behind the scenes work to make this conference possible.
Thank you to all the conference presenters and participation.
This conference could not happen without you!
Congratulations to the following students. Our student work is the highlight of the conference.
2025 TCA Undergraduate Paper Winners:
1st place: Eli York, Middle Tennessee State University/Faculty Mentor Dr. Patrick Richey
2nd place: Haley Conde, Northeast State Community College/Faculty Mentor- Dr. Ruth Livingtson
2025 Top Graduate Paper Winner:
1st place: Traci Lively- University of Tennessee at Knoxville/Faculty Mentor- Dr. Michelle Violanti
2025 Student Film Showcase Winners:
Short Film Winner: Garrett Travis, Tennessee Tech University
Audience Favorite: Garrett Travis, Tennessee Tech University
Documentary: Tyler Payne, Tennessee Tech University
Commercial: Chloe Gessner, Aimee Blackburn and Anna Johnson, Volunteer State Community College
2025 TCA Annual Awards:
Educator of the Year: Dr. Janet McCormick, Middle Tennessee State University
Communicator of the Year: Dr. Karen Hill, Volunteer State Community College
Dortha Norton Spirit of Service: Dr. Natonya Listach, Middle Tennessee State University
Horizon Award: Kayla Huber- Walters State Community College
Below, you will find the 2025 TCA Conference Program at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee on Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact TCA Executive Director, Dr. Shaq Marsh, at somarsh@pstcc.edu. We look forward to seeing you!
The 2025 Tennessee Communication Association (TCA) Conference will be held on the campus of Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee on Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.
Please use the link below to register for the 2025 TCA Conference and pay for your 2025-2026 TCA membership.
We have reserved hotel rooms for the 2025 TCA conference at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.
The conference hotel is Hilton Garden Inn & Suites in Smyrna.
Thank you, Robert Davenport, from Motlow State Community College for securing these rooms for us.
You can reserve your hotel room at the link below.
If you have any issues booking a hotel room, please contact Jacob below.
Jacob Hall Area Director of Sales Hilton Garden Inn Nashville/Smyrna Hampton Inn and Suites Nashville/Smyrna O:615-355-6262 M: 629-201-1199 jacob.hall@hilton.com
You will have until Thursday, August 28 to reserve your hotel room.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind Regards, TCA Executive Director, Dr. Shaq Marsh
We have reserved hotel rooms for the 2025 TCA conference at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennesse Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.
The conference hotel is Hilton Garden Inn & Suites in Smyrna.
You can reserve your hotel room at the link below.
Friday, September 19 – Saturday, September 20, 2025
Motlow State Community College
Smyrna, Tennessee
“Come Together: Colleagues, Classrooms, and Communities”
The theme for the 2025 conference is focused on the connections an individual makes in multiple aspects of his/her/their life. This theme is designed to explore how communication has evolved and has been utilized within classroom assignments and activities, community involvement, and how we as a society, navigate major historical events. Communication areas to consider might include student support and accommodation, generational perspectives, culture, pop culture, technological advancements, etc. We encourage papers, panels, and GIFTS submissions surrounding the theme.
Please submit to a paper, panel, or GIFTS proposal at the link below.
The deadline to submit proposals is Monday, June 30, 2025.
We seek GIFTS proposals that relate to the basic communication course (i.e. Fundamentals of Communication, Public Speaking, Introduction to Communication).
All GIFTS ideas must :
Be original to the presenter Not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work
2. Have been implemented in the classroom
3. Presenters should bring printed handouts with an explanation of the GIFTS activity to the conference/presentation.
4. The GIFTS idea should be able to be explained in 8 minutes or less.
11th Annual TCA Student Short Film Contest and Showcase
Please enter your students’ films in the Tennessee Communication Association’s Short Film Contest and Showcase. Entries are due by Monday, June 30, 2025.
The categories are:
Commercials and PSAs that are 30 – 60-seconds
Documentaries that are 10-minutes or less
Short films that are 10-minutes or less
Submit the YouTube Links and Microsoft Word document with the information below for the 2025 TCA Short Film Contest.
Category
Title of Submission
School
Submitted By
Phone Number
Email
Brief Synopsis
YouTube Link
Submit the information in a Microsoft Word document and email at tennesseecommassociation@gmai.com by Monday, June 30, 2025.
It is free to enter students into Student Film Contest and Showcase.
The top films will be put into a 1.5-hour showcase at the conference on Friday evening.
Judges rate the entries, and the top entries will be in the showcase and the winners will be the top rated per category. All directors of the films chosen to be in the showcase will be given a Selected for Screening certificate.
The director of the winning film in each category will be given a certificate and a cash reward. After the showcase, the audience will vote for their favorite film, and the winner will be given the Audience Favorite certificate and cash award.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Tracy Nichols by email at nicholst@apsu.edu.
Student Scholarship
TCA prides itself for its support of student scholarship. Please pass this invitation along to your students. Remember there are top student paper awards for undergraduate and graduate students. Please notate all student submissions as Undergraduate or Graduate student on the cover page.
We are proud to announce that our 2025 TCA conference will be held at Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20, 2025. We hope you can join us then! If you have any questions about the conference, please email Dr. Shaq Marsh, TCA Executive Director, at somarsh@pstcc.edu.
Thank you for attending the 2024 Tennessee Communication Association conference on the campus of Austin Peay State University on Friday, September 20 and Saturday, September 21, 2024. Attached to this post, you will find the conference schedule. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Shaq Marsh, TCA Executive Director, at somarsh@pstcc.edu.
Below, you will find the 2024 TCA Conference hotel information.
Doubletree by Hilton Clarksville Riverview 50 College Street Clarksville, TN 37040
615-671-4628
Please ask for the TCA rate. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact TCA President-Elect, Dr. Jessica Morris at morrisjr@apsu.edu or TCA Executive Director, Dr. Shaq Marsh, at somarsh@pstcc.edu.
Friday, September 20 – Saturday, September 21, 2024
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee
Reflect and Relate:
Reimagining Communication for ALL
This year’s theme is based on a growing and changing understanding of human communication, digital communication, media, culture, and practices. This theme is designed to give researchers and presenters a broad umbrella under which to consider communication history and discuss changes in how we communicate, or the future of communication as a practice. Communication areas to consider might include changes based on race, gender, sexuality, economics, disabilities, law, culture, pop culture, technology advancements, etc. GIFTS panels could include explanation of the way that assignments and practices have been adapted over the years to keep the strength of the past while looking toward the future. PAPERS, PANELS, and GIFTS Submissions
Please complete the form to submit a paper, panel, or GIFTS Session:
The deadline to submit proposals is Saturday, June 14, 2024.
We seek GIFTS proposals that relate to the basic communication course (i.e. Fundamentals of Communication, Public Speaking, Introduction to Communication).
All GIFTS ideas must
Be original to the presenter
Not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work
Have been implemented in the classroom
Presenters should bring printed handouts with an explanation of the GIFTS activity to the conference/presentation.
The GIFTS idea should be able to be explained in 8 minutes or less.
10th Annual TCA Student Short Film Contest and Showcase
Please enter your students’ films in the Tennessee Communication Association’s Short Film Contest and Showcase. Entries are due by Saturday, June 15, 2024.
The categories are:
Commercials and PSAs that are 30 – 60-seconds Documentaries that are 10-minutes or less Short films that are 10-minutes or less Only YouTube Links format will be accepted.
Submit the Youtube Links and Microsoft Word documents with the information below for the 2024 TCA Short Film Contest.
Category
Title of Submission
School
Submitted By
Phone Number
Email
Brief Synopsis
YouTube Link
Submit the information in a Microsof Word document and email it to Dr. Tracy Nichols at nicholst@apsu.edu by Saturday, June 15, 2024.
It is free to enter. The top films will be put into a 1.5-hour showcase at the conference on Friday evening. Judges rate the entries, and the top entries will be in the showcase and the winners will be the top rated per category. All directors of the films chosen to be in the showcase will be given a Selected for Screening certificate. The director of the winning film in each category will be given a certificate and a cash reward. After the showcase, the audience will vote for their favorite film, and the winner will be given the Audience Favorite certificate and cash award.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Tracy Nichols by email at nicholst@apsu.edu
Student Scholarship
TCA prides itself for its support of student scholarship. Please pass this invitation along to your students. Remember there are top student paper awards for undergraduate and graduate students. Please notate all student submissions as Undergraduate or Graduate student on the cover page.
Tennessee Communication Association 