University of Puget Sound

Assistant Professor of Communication Studies – Tenure Track

Job ID: 7927

Location: Communication Studies

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Faculty Posting Details

Appointment:

Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Communication Studies to begin fall 2025.

The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Puget Sound is seeking a full-time tenure-track faculty member with a passion for teaching and an interest in working at a liberal arts institution. We encourage applications from teacher-scholars dedicated to undergraduate education in Communication with an emphasis in Organizational and/or Strategic Communication.

Responsibilities:

The Department of Communication Studies is especially interested in strong teachers who are excited about developing a novel curriculum. Applicants should have a demonstrated commitment to excellence in research and teaching. We welcome applicants from a variety of methodological backgrounds. The ideal candidate will be able to teach courses that complement existing strengths in the department and university and will be committed to contributing to a diverse and inclusive academic community.

Candidates with a focus on digital media are especially encouraged to apply, as are candidates with an interest in contributing to University interdisciplinary efforts in Data Analytics and AI.

The successful candidate’s primary teaching responsibilities will include: 1) an introductory communication course in their area of expertise, 2) a 200-level communication theory course, 3) 300-level methods courses 4) upper division electives stemming from the candidate’s specific area of expertise, including but not limited to advanced organizational communication courses and/or strategic communication courses such as digital marketing communication, public relations, and other related areas, and 5) a 400-level senior seminar for graduating majors. The ideal candidate will also contribute to the University core curriculum at the intro and upper levels.

The standard teaching load is three units per semester. Additional duties include professional development, student advising, and participation in departmental service and university governance.

Qualifications:

Ph.D. in the field of Communication at the time of appointment. Applicants must demonstrate potential for excellence in teaching and research with particular commitment to undergraduate teaching and liberal arts education.

Application Instructions & Deadline:

Search and selection procedures will be closed when a sufficient number of qualified candidates have been identified. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit online application materials no later than October 25, 2024, to ensure consideration. Materials can be addressed to the Department Chair, Department of Communication Studies, University of Puget Sound.

Required Documents: Please upload the following applications materials for full consideration:

• Application Letter (Please be sure to address your interest and capacity to contribute to our curriculum in a liberal arts environment committed to teaching excellence, active scholarship, and inclusive learning.)
• Curriculum Vitae (In the online application system, please submit curriculum vitae when prompted to submit a resume.)
• One-page Teaching Philosophy
• One-page Description of Research Program
• Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness
• Unofficial Graduate Transcripts, if coursework not detailed on CV
• Diversity Statement (See details below)
• Three Letters of References (You will be asked to specify the email addresses of reference providers at the time of application and the system will email these providers on the next business day.)

Note: Applications submitted without the required attachments will not be considered. Additional documents can be attached within the application.

If you need assistance applying or have inquiries about this position, please contact University of Puget Sound Human Resources, or 253-879-3369.

Applicant’s Diversity Statement:

As a department and university, we are strongly committed to creating an inclusive and effective teaching, learning, and working environment for all. In the applicant’s diversity statement, applicants should comment on their ability to contribute meaningfully to our on-going commitment to be informed and competent with regard to issues of diversity, equity, and individual differences. We encourage applicants to reference the University of Puget Sound’s current Diversity Strategic Plan (DSP) at http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/diversity-at-puget-sound/diversity-strategic-plan/ prior to writing this statement. While not an exhaustive list, the following are some ways candidates can express their qualification:

• Your lived experiences and/or identities that speak to the department and university’s commitment to inclusion and diversity;
• Demonstration of your awareness of inequities for underrepresented student populations in education, research experience, and other opportunities;
• Brief insights on why diversity is important at institutions like the University of Puget Sound;
• Infusion of diversity and diversity-related issues into your research, pedagogy, and/or service;
• Previous and/or current activities involving mentoring underrepresented student populations;
• Creative ideas or strategies you could enact as a member of the University of Puget Sound campus community to support the university’s DSP;
• Brief insights on how cultural competency increases one’s effectiveness as an educator and department/university colleague.

Compensation and Benefits:

Rank: Assistant Professor.

Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Faculty salaries at the University of Puget Sound are based on a common salary scale based on experience. Assistant Professor salaries begin at $72,765 annualized for an Assistant Professor with a terminal degree in their field in their first year of full-time postdoctoral teaching through $81,428 annualized based on experience.

Puget Sound offers a generous benefits package. For more information, visit: https://www.pugetsound.edu/sites/default/files/2023-12/2024%20Benefits%20for%20Faculty%20Members.pdf

About the University of Puget Sound:

Located in a vibrant port city in the Pacific Northwest, Puget Sound is a leading national liberal arts and sciences university preparing students for success since 1888. In an ever-evolving world, we believe that the best preparation for the future is an education that exposes you to multiple perspectives, engages you in work that makes a difference in the world, and helps you discover who you are and what you have to offer. It’s an education that transcends boundaries, teaches you to adapt to changing circumstances, and prepare for careers that might not yet exist.

Our beautiful 97-acre campus supports connections with the world it serves, from the tide flats and urban energy of the entrepreneurial city of Tacoma, Washington to nearby Seattle, the Pacific Rim and beyond. A Puget Sound education is rooted in an inspiring confluence of histories and cultures and ideas, and centered on 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students who are open-minded, outward-reaching, and actively put their educations to work.

Puget Sound is a member of the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), Greater Washington State https://www.hercjobs.org/greater_washington_state/.

Puget Sound also has a well-established Shared Faculty Appointments Policy. For more information, visit: https://www.pugetsound.edu/gateways/faculty-staff/faculty-policies/shared-faculty-appointments/.

University Diversity Statement:

We acknowledge the richness of commonalities and differences we share as a university community; the intrinsic worth of all who work and study here; that education is enhanced by investigation of and reflection upon multiple perspectives.

We aspire to create respect for and appreciation of all persons as a key characteristic of our campus community; to increase the diversity of all parts of our University community through commitment to diversity in our recruitment and retention efforts; to foster a spirit of openness to active engagement among all members of our campus community.

We act to achieve an environment that welcomes and supports diversity; to ensure full educational opportunity for all who teach and learn here; to prepare effectively citizen-leaders for a pluralistic world.

Puget Sound is committed to an environment that welcomes and supports diversity. We seek diversity of identity, thought, perspective, and background in our students, faculty, and staff. To learn more please visit: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/diversity-at-puget-sound/

All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion of a background inquiry.

The University of Puget Sound is an equal opportunity employer.

How to Apply

For complete job description and application instructions, visit: https://apptrkr.com/5694266

About Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a selective national liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, drawing 2,600 students from 48 states and 20 countries. Puget Sound graduates include Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, notables in the arts and culture, entrepreneurs and elected officials, and leaders in business and finance locally and throughout the world. A low student-faculty ratio provides Puget Sound students with personal attention from faculty who have a strong commitment to teaching and offer 1,200 courses each year in more than 40 traditional and interdisciplinary fields, including graduate programs in occupational and physical therapy and in education. Puget Sound is the only nationally ranked independent undergraduate liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Pacific Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honorary society. Visit “About Puget Sound” (http://www.pugetsound.edu/about) to learn more about the college.

As a strategic goal and through our core values, University of Puget Sound is committed to an environment that welcomes and supports diversity. We seek diversity of identity, thought, perspective, and background in our students, faculty, and staff. EOE/AA