The Association

The Scottish Media and Communication Association is Scotland’s higher education subject association in the media and communication fields, with the participation of both the universities and colleges of art and design.

SMCA holds an annual autumn/early winter conference, and regular Steering Committee meetings, the latter of which are attended by representatives of all member institutions, schools and faculties.

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SMCA participates in dialogue with media, education, training and governmental bodies, including Scottish Screen and Skillset and with the Further Education sector, and is an observer on the Scottish Industry Skills Panel (the audio-visual sector’s employers’ forum).

SMCA’s last three conferences have been hosted by the University of Stirling in The Royal Hotel, Bridge of Allan, in 2001; by the University of Paisley in The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow in 2002; and by Napier University, Edinburgh, at its Craighouse Campus in 2003.

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Membership, Finance & Democratic Governance

The SMCA is an Unincorporated Association of higher education institutions financed by annual institutional membership fees whose main function is to fund an Annual conference, which is free to delegates.

Institutional membership confers membership of the Association on staff and postgraduate members of the divisions, departments, schools or faculties which teach and research within the related subject fields in higher education.

For voting purposes, five individual members in the subject fields (including Steering Committee members) are named by each affiliated institution or schools and faculties thereof as their official SMCA members (‘designated members’). For other purposes, all associated teaching and research staff, and postgraduates in affiliated institutions will be regarded as members. The Association is committed to encouraging postgraduate participation in its events.

The SMCA is located in all its member institutions and attaches importance to its consensual, inclusive and non-partisan nature. The Association is committed to increasing communication among all its institutions.

Decisions of the SMCA will normally be taken by its Steering Committee members as representing the wishes of their institutional members, though fully representative voting mechanisms are available, as detailed in the Constitution.