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In 1976, a small group of journalism historians, primarily
from the southeastern United States, decided to gather in Chapel
Hill, N.C., to do the sorts of things academicians usually do when
they meet -- talk about their research, share teaching tips, debate
and discuss issues and ideas, and, most likely, commiserate over
low salaries, heavy teaching loads and insufficient time for writing
and research.
Thus was born the Southeast Regional Colloquium. The
oldest and most successful regional journalism and mass communication
meeting, the Southeast Colloquium has given hundreds of graduate
students their first crack at presenting their scholarly research
at an academic conference. It has allowed scores of professors and
students to try out ideas and theories, many of which ultimately
blossomed into articles, monographs and even books. It has provided
teachers a much-needed break from the daily routine of lectures,
labs and paper-grading, coupled with the opportunity to hear thought-provoking
speakers and stimulating panel discussions. But perhaps most importantly,
it has given journalism and mass communication scholars the chance
to meet and interact with colleagues from other schools in an informal,
collegial atmosphere, the chance to form not only professional relationships
but also lasting friendships.
When members of the History Division agreed to hold
the first colloquium at the University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill in 1976, AEJMC was just
AEJ. Although the association's name was used in conjunction with
the gathering, the colloquium was a grassroots activity, planned,
organized and carried out by the scholars themselves rather than
by AEJ officers or staff. The organizers decided the term "colloquium,"
rather than "convention" or "conference," best
described the nature of the gathering.
The colloquium's present format was established early
on. A host school plans and coordinates the event with participants
charged a registration fee low enough to enable graduate students
to afford to attend but high enough to enable the host school to
cover all, or most, of the expenses.
Participants in the first colloquium enjoyed the experience
so much that they decided to do it again the following year. The
second colloquium, still primarily a gathering of History Division
members, was held in 1977 at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
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