Associate/Full Professor of Strategic Communication Department Chairperson

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Note: If you have an expansive CV, we recommend that you apply manually and only include the positions you have held in the last ten (10) years. You will then be able to attach your Resume/CV, as well as all other supporting documentation in the "My Experience" section of your application.

Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The College of Communication and Media (CCOM) at Montclair State University invites applications for a faculty member to serve as chairperson for the Department of Strategic Communication. Qualified candidates will be hired with tenure as either an associate or full professor. Candidates must have earned tenure prior to applying. This person will have the opportunity to lead an engaged and talented faculty in ensuring academic and co-curricular programs are contemporary and industry-aligned while continuing to build the national reputation and distinctiveness of programs within the department. They will also lead the Department in furthering critical interdisciplinary work both in the College and across the University. The Department chair will provide leadership in supporting external engagement with industry and community, lead the department in best practices in teaching and in a range of administrative functions, drive innovative academic and public scholarship that informs the discipline, and champion new programs and curricula that prepare students for the future strategic communication workplace.

The ideal candidate will have an established record as a faculty member in one of the Department’s disciplines. They should have a record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service that merits tenure at Montclair. They must have administrative experience, which could include serving as department chair, deputy chair, graduate director, assistant dean, and other leadership roles. The candidate must embrace the importance of responsibilities assigned to the chair, including efficient and equitable scheduling, faculty evaluation, assessment, student grievances, mentoring of junior faculty, student recruitment, and hiring and overseeing adjunct faculty. They must recognize the importance of resource management and prioritization. They should be excited to fully embrace the professional opportunities that come from a campus in the shadows of NYC, the center of the nation’s communication and media industries. Ideal candidates will foster a positive environment where faculty work collaboratively towards student success, creative and scholarly initiatives, and department innovation. Candidates from all disciplines within the Department are welcomed to apply, and they must be keenly focused on the technologically evolutionary nature of these fields and ensuring that the Department’s academic programs prepare students for these career opportunities. Department chairpersons do maintain a teaching schedule, reduced for their administrative load, and receive additional compensation for their administrative responsibilities throughout the summer.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

The Department of Strategic Communication houses two undergraduate (B.A.) majors, Advertising and Social Media & Public Relations; and a graduate (M.A.) program, Strategic Communication & Media. The undergraduate programs currently enroll over 319 majors and are experiencing rapid growth in both majors – particularly true as the Advertising major was only launched in 2022. While these are two separate majors, they share several common courses and a recognition of the synergies between the two disciplines in a highly integrated academic and professional landscape. The graduate program in Strategic Communication & Media is a highly innovative and fully online curriculum that prepares graduates for careers in the contemporary professional landscape. The department also supports several key co-curricular programs, including Hawk Communications (the Department’s strategic communications agency), a PRSSA chapter, and a newly forming Ad Club. The Department also oversees participation in the Bateman PR competition, in which Montcla