The National Communication Association is holding its 93^rd annual convention this week in Chicago from Nov. 15 to Nov. 18. The theme of this year's convention is "Communicating Worldviews: Faith-Intellect-Ethics."

"The theme focuses attention on how communication can be used to achieve understanding and social justice across the gulf of worldviews that separate and threaten people around the world," said Arthur P. Bochner, convention planner, on the NCA convention Web site. "Communication researchers have an important and special role to play in the world today, and it is my hope that this convention will showcase the significant achievements of our discipline as well as the work that needs to be carried out in the days ahead."

The National Communication Association convention will feature over 1,200 programs for the estimated 4,500 attendees. From the College of Communication and Information, 26 UT professors will be present at the convention.

Convention highlights noted on the National Communication Association Web site are the "Carroll Arnold Distinguished Lecture," "Decade of Behavior Distinguished Scholars Lecture" and "The Vice Presidential Plenary Lecture." There will also be a graduate school open house and an annual job fair.

The National Communication Association, based out of Washington, D.C., was created in 1914 under the name "The National Association of Academic Teachers of Public Speaking" and has since gone through three names until it was called The National Communication Association in 1997.