8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(w01) Teaching Advertising in the Age of Social Media, Generative AI, and Corporate Apocalypse
Sponsored by Advertising Division
$65 Fee Faculty and $35 Fee Students (Participation limited to 55)
This pre-conference brings together internationally recognized educators and researchers, students, and professionals to explore how advertising education can respond—strategically, ethically, and creatively—to the realities of social media ecosystems, generative AI tools, and broader societal transformation. We invite pre-conference attendees to participate in conversations with and learn from agency professionals, independent entrepreneurs, influencers, professors of practice, researchers, and students to facilitate educational innovation. Please contact Anastasia Kononova at kononova@msu.edu with questions. (ADVD). Pre-registration is required.

8 a.m. to Noon
(w03) Remixing and Redesigning Curriculum: Third Annual AEJMC Teaching Academy
Sponsored by AEJMC Council of Divisions
$10 Faculty and Students (Participation limited to 50)
This pre-conference workshop provides faculty and graduate students with hands-on experience designing, redesigning, or remixing a course they teach (or are planning to teach). It will guide participants through a multi-step curriculum design process grounded in education theory and practice (e.g., objectives, Lexile scores, assessment, instructional strategies, backward design, Bloom’s taxonomy, zone of proximal development). Participants will leave with resources, skills, and a newly structured course to implement in the upcoming school year; we will also establish a network to continue conversations beyond the workshop. Participants do not need to know educational theory or curriculum and instruction practice. Rather, this experience is meant to provide an equitable experience in curriculum design regardless of experience level or title. We hope participants come with excitement to create a curriculum that has a lasting impact and learn instructional design strategies to elevate their home institution’s curriculum and pedagogy. A certificate of completion will be provided for individuals who attend and complete this workshop. More information about what to bring and how to prepare will be provided closer to the conference. For information contact Patrick Johnson, Marquette, patrick.johnson@marquette.edu (ETHC) or Briana Trifiro, Northeastern, b.trifiro@northeastern.edu (CSGE). Pre-registration is required.

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(w02) Sacred Spaces Tour: VIP Guided Tour of St. Louis Cathedral and Old Ursuline Convent Museum
Sponsored by Religion and Media Interest Group
$39 Faculty and Students (Participation limited to 10)
Guests will enjoy a private guided experience inside the cathedral, exploring its history, architecture, and role at the heart of New Orleans for nearly 300 years. Immediately following the cathedral tour, your group will go to the convent museum for their visit as the doors open. Space is very limited. For questions, please contact Cylor Spaulding at spaulding@Fullerton.edu. (RMIG) Pre-registration is required.

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(w04) Unlocking COVID-19 Big Data Insights: Hands-On Workshop with the Social Media Analysis-Based DataViz Tool
Sponsored by Mass Communication and Society Division
No Fee, pre-registration is required (Participation limited to 40)
During this two-hour workshop, creators of the DataViz tool will demonstrate the use of the tool, provide hands-on research activities and allow time for questions and answers. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring their laptops to the workshop so they can participate and engage with the interface throughout. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to navigate the DataViz interface and explore the available data within COPE-ID. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Terri Hernandez (thernandez@comm.msstate.edu). (MCSD) Pre-Registration is required.

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(w07) Academic Job Market Readiness Workshop
Sponsored by Newspaper and Online News Division
$5 Fee (Participation limited to 50)
What does a “job ready” CV look like? What about a research statement? Or a teaching statement? What questions might come at you in the interview process? How do you position your work for the job market? The academic job market is confusing and intimidating for even the most seasoned scholars. This pre-conference workshop will give doctoral students one-on-one facetime with senior scholars to answer questions, provide feedback on CVs, sample cover letters, research and teaching statements, and other common documents. In the opening panel, early- and mid-career scholars will share their experiences on the job market, but the remainder of the time will be dedicated to workshop-style sessions where doctoral students are assigned to meet with and get feedback from multiple tenured or advanced tenure-track faculty from both research and teaching institutions. Pre-registration is required. For information contact Michael Clay Carey, Samford University, mcarey@samford.edu (NOND)

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(w08) Prosocial Communication, Leadership, and Grassroots Campaigns: The Role of Public Relations in Community Mobilization
Sponsored by Public Relations Division
$10 Fee (Participation limited to 50)
This pre-conference brings together three perspectives from leading academics and practitioners around a compelling, timely topic: community mobilization and activism. Part I, sponsored by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, will focus on insights gleaned from the Page Center research call on Prosocial Communication. Panelists will discuss how government, corporations, and NGOs communicate about prosocial and/or contentious issues in the current environment. Drawing from their research, panelists will share findings on prosocial communication during tragedy, moral signaling in times of conflict, and learning from stakeholders to improve corporate social advocacy outcomes. Part II, sponsored by the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, will be led by an industry professional who interacts with activists and activist communication. The workshop will provide practical guidance for practitioners. Part III will present a compelling Louisiana-based case study of an impacted community-led environmental campaign that successfully halted a proposed grain elevator project by a manufacturing company. Designed for public relations and journalism educators, the session explores how strategic message development, coordinated grassroots organizing, and sustained media coverage and social media combined to shape public narrative, influence stakeholders, and ultimately determine the outcome. The session will conclude with an interactive workshop in which participants apply these insights to a real-world challenge, developing practical strategies they can bring back to their classrooms. Overall, this year’s pre-conference format allows more time for hands-on workshops at the end of each session so participants can bring tangible activities to the classroom or their own research and practice. Pre-registration is required. For information contact Virginia Harrison, Clemson University, virginia.s.harrison@gmail.com (PRDV).

1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(w09) Media Gumbo: A Mix of GAI, Trends and Education
Sponsored by Visual Communication and Magazine Media Divisions
$40 Faculty, $25 Non-Faculty (Participation limited to 60)
The Magazine Media and Visual Communication Divisions come together to stir up the roux in media with a series of panels to inspire innovation in the classroom and in your scholarship. Panels include Lifestyle Journalism and Influencers: Professional Tips; Visual Journalists, GAI, Third-party Images, and Copyright Issues and Print and Visual Communication Education and Job Readiness. To keep registration fees low, this session will not include a formal luncheon. We will provide attendees with a guide to local New Orleans food trucks and cafes for lunch prior to the 1:00 p.m. start. Please contact Tina Korani at tina.korani@sjsu.edu for additional information. (VISC, MMAG)

1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Women Faculty Moving Forward: Navigating the Academy
Sponsored by Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Council of Affiliates
Must Pre-register with contact below (Participation limited to 40)
This annual workshop with accomplished academics will help junior women faculty move forward in their careers through mentoring, networking and preparing for tenure and promotion and administration and leadership positions. By prior application only. Contact for workshop is Carla Zensen at czensen@fiu.edu (Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Council of Affiliates)

5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Kopenhaver Center Fellows Reception
Sponsored by Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University, and the Commission on the Status of Women
By Invitation Only
All past and present Kopenhaver Center Fellows are welcome to join us for this reception and informal networking time. Thank you to the Scripps Howard Fund for their sponsorship. Contact is Carla Zensen at czensen@fiu.edu (Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University, and the Commission on the Status of Women)