Global Communication Research Association
Minutes of the Meeting of the Steering Committee held on 26 September 2001, from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm, at the Department of International Communication, North Ryde, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
Election of Meeting Chair
The meeting began with the convenor of the Under-Represented Areas Network for Media and Communication Research (URANMACR) Professor Naren Chitty, in the Chair. The Meeting elected Professor Chitty as Chair.
Remarks by the Chair
The Chair took the opportunity to thank URANMACR members for having attended the Conference and the Constitutive Meeting. He spoke of the key role played by Mr Reinhard Keune and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in making the conference a success, through funding ten Travel Fellowships. He expressed his thanks to Mr Keune and FES for their support.
Discussion of Aims, Names and Statutes
After a discussion of Aims, Names and Statutes, it was decided that URANMACR will adopt the name of GLOBAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (GCRA).
Adoption of Statutes
The Statutes that had been circulated previously were modified and adopted in the form that appears in the attached Statutes.
Election of provisional Executive Board
The following provisional Executive Board was elected
President: Naren Chitty;
Secretary General: Basyouni Hamada;
Treasurer: Guo Qin;
Vice Presidents: Diosnel Centurion, Dipak De, Mira Desai, Paschal Eze, Rasem El-Gamaal, Justine Lamond, Munkhmandakh Myagmar, Asawin Nedpagao
Discussion of Program
Professor Dipak De offered to arrange for the publication of conference papers by an Indian publisher. It was decided that the Executive Board will discuss this proposal.
Professor Naren Chitty briefed the Steering Committee on the proposed web development project for submission to IPDC. He said that Pashal Eze and Zahid Hussein had offered institutional bases in Gambia and Pakistan respectively. It was decided that the Executive Board will drive the development of the proposal.
Professors Dipak De and Ila Joshi offered Varanasi and Ahmedabad as locations for the 2002 conference. After discussion the Indian participants agreed mutually to offer Ahmedabad in the first instance and Varanasi later.
It was decided that the question of fund raising would be discussed by the Executive Board.
Conclusion
The President thanked all members of the Steering Committee for participating in this historical first meeting and for all the hard work in fashioning a new organization.
The meeting was adjourned at 4.00 pm.