Assistant or Associate Professor of Communication Studies

APPOINTMENT DATE:  August 17, 2021

Bemidji State University (BSU) invites applicants to join our team as an Assistant or Associate Professor of Communication Studies for a probationary tenure-track position beginning in Fall 2021.  BSU’s vision is to educate people to lead inspired lives. To accomplish BSU’s vision, the University prioritizes creating a culture in which diversity is embraced and all people are safe, welcome, and validated. BSU also prioritizes increasing engagement with Indigenous communities to become a destination university.

BSU is located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota and occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji.  BSU balances rigorous academia with the opportunity to enjoy a fun, robust, outdoor culture.  The proximity to the lake and the surrounding north woods allows easy access to an assortment of recreation.  Major campus facilities are connected by all-season underground passages for safe and warm travel during the cold, winter months. 

Enrolling around  5,000 students, BSU offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. BSU’s Shared Fundamental Values include civic engagement and leadership, international and multicultural understanding, belief in the power of the liberal arts, and environmental stewardship.

BSU’s Communication Studies program is housed within the Department of Sociology and Communication Studies. Until two years ago, no communication studies program existed at BSU. We now have a 21-credit minor with a growing need for a major, and a graduate program in Communication Studies. It has been exciting to build a program that provides students with the fundamentals of the communication discipline and opportunity to tailor electives to their selected career. In addition to the academic program, the Department offers a new student organization, Communication Scholars Society, for students wanting more active participation in the discipline. As a Department, we are a diverse faculty and  the Department is fully committed to equity and inclusiveness in our programs and classrooms.

Responsibilities of the Assistant or Associate Professor of Communication Studies include:

• Teaching four courses (12 credits) within the communication discipline per semester.
• Teaching lower-level courses such as Public Speaking, Career and Professional Communication, and Interpersonal Communication.
• Teaching upper-level undergraduate communication courses in the minor, based on expertise, that may include Communication Theory, Gender Communication, Family Communication, Health Communication, Organizational Communication, Persuasion, Interviewing, and Conflict.

• Teaching graduate-level courses with the future development of a graduate program in Communication Studies.

• Designing and delivering courses for on-campus and online delivery.
• Advising and supporting students’ academic progress.
• Contributing to a collegial and supportive environment that advances the goals of the program, including curriculum development of an undergraduate major, as well as a potential graduate program in Communication Studies.
• Contributing to interdisciplinary teaching and involvement in activities that support BSU’s Shared Fundamental Values.
• Participating in faculty departmental governance activities.
• Commitment to quality undergraduate teaching, scholarship within the discipline, student development, and service to the University, community, and discipline.

Minimum qualifications for this position include:

• Pd.D. in Communication Studies, Speech Communication, or closely related Communication field.
• Three (3) years of teaching communication courses at the undergraduate level in Communication Studies.
• Demonstrated excellence of, and commitment to, quality teaching of communication courses at the undergraduate level.
• Ability to develop and teach graduate courses for graduate program in Communication Studies.
• Advanced and sophisticated knowledge of, and familiarity with, current scholarship, theories and research in the following areas in which the successful candidate will be asked to teach graduate students: Communication Theory, Research Methods, Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication, Gender Communication, and Small Group Communication.
• Demonstrated evidence of continued or promising scholarly agenda within the communication discipline (e.g., conference presentations and publications).
• Demonstrated experience working with and/or interest in working with students and colleagues from multi-cultural and diverse backgrounds.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Additional demonstrated undergraduate teaching in upper-level communication courses such as Communication Theory, Gender Communication, Health Communication, Organizational Communication, Persuasion, Interviewing, and Conflict.
• Demonstrated excellence of, and commitment to, quality teaching of communication courses at the graduate level.
• Experience with curricular development and assessment that can contribute to building a communication program.

To facilitate proper crediting, please ensure that your application and/or resume clearly demonstrate fulfillment of these minimum and preferred qualifications.

Other Considerations:

• All applicants must be able to lawfully accept employment in the United States at the time of an offer of employment.
• Official transcript(s) must be provided to Human Resources upon hire.
• Employment for this position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement for the Inter Faculty Organization (IFO) which can be found at https://www.ifo.org/.
• In accordance with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MinnState) Vehicle Fleet Safety Program, faculty and staff driving on college/university business, who use a rental or state vehicle, shall be required to complete a vehicle Use Agreement form and conform to MinnState's vehicle use criteria and consent to a motor vehicle records check.
• BSU and NTC are tobacco free workplaces (see policy).

APPLY ONLINE:    https://bemidjistate.peopleadmin.com/

A complete application will include the following attachments:

• Cover letter, which addresses the required qualifications and your specific interest in working at Bemidji State University.
• Resume/Curriculum Vitae.
• Unofficial transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework.
• A teaching philosophy/statement that discusses your commitment to teaching, and experience with teaching undergraduate students.
• Teaching evaluations, where available, or evidence of teaching effectiveness.

Inquiries:

Dr. Donna Pawlowski, Search Chair

Professor and Coordinator of Communication Studies

donna.pawlowski@bemidjistate.edu

If you have general questions about this posting or submitting an application, contact Teresa Hanson at teresa.hanson@bemidjistate.edu

UNIVERSITY / COMMUNITY

WHY BEMIDJI:

Bemidji State University is nestled among the pines along the shores of Lake Bemidji, just blocks from a thriving downtown community. In this Northwoods setting, students, staff, and faculty have a variety of activities at their fingertips. Possessing all the charm and character of a college town, Bemidji remains a tight-knit community of good neighbors and engaged citizens who always come out to cheer for the Bemidji State Beavers. While the city of Bemidji — named after the Ojibwe Chief Shaynowishkung (nicknamed Bemidji) — is home to a diverse population of more than 15,000 people, it serves a regional population of more than 100,000.

Located between three American Indian reservations – Leech Lake, Red Lake and White Earth, students at Bemidji State University have the opportunity to experience a dynamic local culture and history. Bemidji also sits at the center of the legends of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. The famous statues of Paul and Babe greet students as they drive in from the south along Lake Bemidji.

Though quaint and historic, the city offers the urban conveniences upon which college students rely. Bemidji State is conveniently located minutes away from affordable restaurants, cozy coffee shops, grocery stores, city parks and more. Small, locally owned shops and art sculptures line the streets of downtown Bemidji, while national chains can be found in and around the Bemidji area, including an uptown selection of department stores and restaurants.

The thriving downtown community presents ample opportunities for engagement off-campus. Among other things, there are fine-dining restaurants, cafes, and a natural foods co-op in downtown Bemidji. The historic Paul Bunyan Playhouse has a calendar of classic shows; restaurants and lounges offer weekly live music performances; the First Friday Art Walk provides a tour of new monthly art exhibits; and annual events such as the Loop the Lake Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Blue Ox Marathon, Bemidji Winterfest, and The Minnesota Finlandia bring the community together.

For those who love the outdoors, there are wooded, multi-use trail systems within minutes of campus and community parks with walking trails, playgrounds and a skate park. Lake Bemidji State Park and its miles of navigable trails is located directly across the lake from BSU, and the Buena Vista Ski Area — just 12 miles north of campus — offers downhill skiing and BSU-sponsored student transportation in the winter months. Further, the Mississippi River Headwaters is a mere 45 minutes from Bemidji.

For further information, visit our website at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu

Review a "special report on how this former lumber town has rebuilt itself as a high-speed, regional center of enterprise" at Bemidji 2.0