14th annual Communication and Social Action Conference to begin today

The communication and dramatic arts department is holding its 14th annual Communication and Social Action Conference today and tomorrow in Moore Hall’s Townsend Kiva Auditorium.

The conference is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with keynote speaker Phillip Tomkins, former communications professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Tomkins also recently wrote “Who is My Neighbor,” a telling of his experiences volunteering at a homeless shelter in Denver.

“This conference will underscore the fact that there are ways we can exercise a commitment to caring for others in our own community — whether by working to eradicate homelessness or by transforming the community in other ways  — and with our own families,” said communication and dramatic arts professor and event organizer Mary Ann Renz in a news release.

Tomkins will receive a $1,000 stipend in addition to transportation and boarding costs for his time at Central Michigan University, Renz said.

The conference will continue from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow, with other presentations by CMU faculty and other nationally recognized scholars on issues of homelessness, community transformation and family caregiving.

In addition, service-oriented campus groups have been invited to display their mission to help keep students informed of various activities both on and off campus.

The event is free and open to the public.