Strategic Communication, Public Relations, and Social/Mobile Media Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

Strategic Communication, Public Relations, and Social/Mobile Media Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

 

The George Mason University Department of Communication within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences seeks a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication, Public Relations, and Social Media for an August 2022 appointment. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

 

About the Position:

Applicants should have a PhD in Communication or a related field, a record of scholarly publications commensurate with experience, an ongoing research agenda, a record of teaching excellence, a commitment to department and university service, and a commitment to teaching a diverse student population. We invite applications from candidates across all subfields of strategic communication, public relations (PR), and issue advocacy research, although we are particularly interested in candidates whose research engages with the uses and effects of social, mobile, and/or interactive media. Secondary areas of scholarship may also include the connections between strategic communication, issue advocacy, and/or PR and other areas of communication studies, especially science communication and risk crisis communication. We welcome all methodological approaches. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to teach undergraduate courses in a variety of areas such as introduction to PR, social media and PR, social media and issue advocacy, PR writing, persuasion, and strategic communication campaigns. The ability to teach graduate courses in PR, issue advocacy, or strategic communication theory will also be important, along with graduate courses in the candidate’s primary area of expertise. Overall, teaching experience at the university level is preferred. Past experience as a PR or issue advocacy professional is also desirable, as is past engagement with (or a strong interest in engaging with) the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Finally, an interest in developing curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels is also preferred.

 

About the Department:

Mason’s Communication Department has a diverse and collegial faculty committed to excellence, innovation, community and public service, inclusion, and social equity. All department faculty participate in the life of our campus community, including career fairs, faculty functions, recruiting sessions and other events. Located just 15 miles from Washington, D.C., we offer a broad undergraduate program with more than 500 majors; five minor programs; a vibrant MA program including strategic, health, and science communication specialties; and a highly ranked PhD program emphasizing health, strategic, and science communication. The department also offers a graduate certificate in science communication. We serve a diverse population of undergraduate and graduate students who bring a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds to our classrooms. Additionally, the department supports several co-curricular activities, including debate, forensics, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ), and a comprehensive student media program.

 

The research life of the department includes both undergraduate and graduate research, and is reflected in the activities and outreach of its faculty, including those of the Center for Climate Change Communication, the Communication, Health, and Relational Media (CHARM) research lab, the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the Center for Health and Risk Communication, and the Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) research lab. For more information on the Department of Communication at George Mason University, visit communication.gmu.edu.

 

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities of the position include conducting and publishing scholarly research, contributing to the teaching needs of the department at the graduate and undergraduate levels, mentoring students, and service to the department (and, later, to the college/university) commensurate with the assistant professor role.

 

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in communication, or related field, completed prior to appointment;
• Research agenda grounded in strategic communication, issue advocacy, and/or PR, with a record of scholarship commensurate with experience;
• Relevant teaching experience at the college or university level;
• Ability to teach courses on strategic communication and the uses and effects of social, mobile, and/or interactive media at the undergraduate and graduate levels;
• Ability to teach theory courses in strategic communication, issue advocacy, and/or PR;
• Commitment to teaching and mentoring a diverse student community;
• Commitment to service in the department, college/university, and discipline.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in communication (rather than a PhD in a related field);
• Research agenda exploring the uses and effects of social, mobile, and/or interactive media in PR and/or other forms of strategic communication, with a record of scholarship commensurate with experience;
• Secondary research interest in science communication, risk and crisis communication, and/or issue advocacy;
• Past work experience practicing PR, issue advocacy, or other forms of strategic communication practice;
• History of engagement in PRSSA and/or PRSA, or a strong interest in fostering this affiliation;
• Experience with or interest in developing courses and curriculum at undergraduate and graduate levels;
• Experience with or interest in undergraduate student mentoring and graduate student advising.

 

Special Instructions to Applicants  

In a continuing effort to enrich GMU’s academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, we actively encourage applications from all job seekers, including all groups historically underrepresented in American higher education.

 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number F9037Z at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a resume, a cover letter that includes a description of how you will contribute to the university’s mission as a diverse public university, and a list of three professional references with contact information. For full consideration, please submit the above materials to GMU’s jobs portal (https://jobs.gmu.edu/) by October 22, 2021. The jobs portal will remain open until the position is filled.

 

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.