Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication - Utah State University

Overview:

The Department of Journalism and Communication at Utah State University’s main campus in Logan invites applications for Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication. We seek a person who is constantly focused on emerging mediums and can bring the various professional journalism backgrounds represented in our course curriculum together as we continually think about how media affects our social interactions and how our students can graduate with skills that reflect our changing communication technologies.  Successful candidates will be able to translate content creation and storytelling tactics across multiple media sources and platforms. 

 

This is an academic-year (nine-month), tenure-track position with an initial start date of August 1, 2025. 

Responsibilities:

• Teach courses across our curriculum and develop new courses in the candidate’s research or professional fundamental ability (teaching load: 3 courses in the fall, 3 courses in the spring). These courses will be taught primarily face-to-face at the USU campus in Logan, Utah.  
• Conduct and publish scholarly research in the successful candidate’s areas of academic interest. 
• Bolster our department’s interest in inclusive excellence for students, faculty and staff through service work or professional and academic work. 
• Advise and mentor students. 
• Assist in the continued growth of the department.  
• Serve on departmental committees and perform other departmental, college and university services as needed. 
• Support academic success and individual readiness for post-graduation endeavors.  
• Encourage respectful dialogue and the exchange of diverse viewpoints and foster a campus climate conducive to belonging.  
• Present a collaborative effort that contributes to a campus culture that values every individual in all academic and community-life aspects. 

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Doctorate to be completed before August 1, 2025, in journalism, mass communication, strategic communication, public relations, social media, or media studies or a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited college or university. 
• Master’s degrees may be considered if the candidate has substantial professional media experience. 
• Demonstrated ability to teach established courses, such as media writing, qualitative or quantitative research, opinion, sports, feature writing classes, investigative reporting, public relations and law and ethics.  
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in professional media content creation. 
• Demonstrated ability to conduct and publish scholarly research. 
• Interest in assisting with the continued growth of our department. 
• Ability to mentor undergraduate students, and possibly graduate students. 

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience in writing and public relations, with a strong portfolio showcasing a variety of content types, including press releases, articles and social media posts.  
• Demonstrated ability to craft compelling narratives that engage target audiences and enhance the department’s visibility.  
• Familiarity with media outreach and relationship-building strategies is a plus. Interest in emerging media paradigms and how to effectively teach them to undergraduate students.  
• Experience working with and supporting diverse populations. 
• Interest in developing interdisciplinary professional, teaching, research and other academic collaboration. 

Required Documents:

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV"
2. Name and contact information for 3 professional references to be entered into Candidate Profile
3. Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary:Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent benefitsADA:

Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  

College/Department Highlights:

https://chass.usu.edu/journalism/

University Highlights:

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

 

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu. 

 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

 

*updated 04/2024

Notice of Non-discrimination:

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

 

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

*updated 09/2023