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Public Comm. Faculty Division Director

Publication or Company  School of Communication - American University
Industry  Teaching/Academia
Salary Competitive
Benefits 401K/403B
Job Duration Full Time
Job Location Washington, DC
Job Requirements The Public Communication Division of the School of Communication at American University is seeking applicants for the position of Division Director. A PhD in Communication or related field as well as significant professional and academic experience is preferred. Candidates with a master's degree as well as significant professional and academic experience will be considered. All candidates should be an advanced Associate Professor or full Professor and must be qualified for appointment with tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor at American University. The ideal candidate will have worked in an academic environment and will have professional experience in multiple communication entities (agency, corporation, nonprofit organization, or local, state, or federal government). The candidate's background must demonstrate a solid understanding of the field of strategic communication. The successful applicant will be adept at understanding the professional opportunities in the field and recognizing the importance of integrating the professional aspects of the discipline with the creative, professional, scholarly requirements of the Division, School, and University.

The Division Director oversees 16 full-time tenured, tenure track, in-residence, and term faculty in the School's largest major. The position requires insightful interpersonal skills and strong administrative capabilities. In addition to administrative experience relevant to the Division Director's role, the applicant should have strong teaching credentials and serve as a mentor to tenure-line and term faculty. The Division Director's duties include working with faculty to assign classes, teaching two classes per academic year, developing the strategic mission and goals of the Division, and working with the Dean on School-wide administrative matters, including hiring and mission. The successful candidate will be comfortable managing budgets, conducting faculty evaluations, recruiting students, maintaining and securing strategic partnerships with outside organizations, and collaborating with other campus units. The Division Director works with the weekend MA Program Director and oversees a fully online MA in Strategic Communication scheduled to launch in January 2014. The Division Director oversees the Division's Outcomes and Assessments program, and ACEJMC accreditation. The Division Director works with the Associate Dean of Academic Administration in hiring and assigning adjunct faculty, developing and scheduling new classes, and long-term academic planning.

Application process: Application materials should be sent in PDF via email to bourgabt@american.edu and addressed to the PC Division Director Search Committee.

Submissions should include:
1) a letter of interest that addresses the position requirements and summarizes qualifications, previous leadership experience and accomplishments, and articulates relevance to leading a multi-disciplinary department; describes research interests, courses taught, and history of mentoring faculty
2) full curriculum vitae
3) names and contact information for three references
(If possible please send all materials in one PDF file.)

Hard copy materials may be sent to:
PC Division Director Search Committee
School of Communication
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20016-8017

The committee will begin reviewing applications immediately. For full consideration, all application materials should be received no later than Sept. 15, 2013.

American University is a tobacco and smoke free campus. American University is an AA/EEO institution, committed to a diverse faculty, staff, and student body. Women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
About Our Company The School of Communication has four Divisions: Communication Studies, Journalism, Public Communication, and Film and Media Arts. SOC is one of six major teaching units at American University, a private, co-educational university with more than 11,000 graduate and undergraduate students in the District of Columbia. SOC has 950 undergraduate and 350 graduate students and offers a broad range of undergraduate, graduate (master's and PhD), and non-degree programs. SOC's talented and engaged faculty draws from both scholarly and professional backgrounds. The Public Communication faculty has a national reputation for work in the areas of political communication, public affairs, advocacy communication, social media, and public diplomacy. PRWeek this year named SOC's MA in Strategic Communication second in its Best PR Education Program in the United States. For more information, visit: http://soc.american.edu.