Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, UNC Chapel Hill

The College of Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites applications for Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication. Reporting to the senior associate dean for fine arts and humanities, serving as the department’s academic leader and lead administrative officer, the chair will be called upon to: create an environment that facilitates an effective shared vision; proactively lead department academic, research and service activities; promote an inclusive and culturally competent environment with a strong commitment to recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, staff and students; promote, recognize and reward faculty research, excellence in teaching and mentoring, and excellence in service; provide programs and opportunities for students to develop research and leadership skills; effectively link programs within the department to the broader college and university missions; foster a culture of high-impact interdisciplinary research and collaboration within the college; build partnerships and alliances across the university; provide leadership in developing external partnerships and fundraising in support of the department’s mission and goals; continue a nationally and internationally recognized research program; demonstrate strong abilities in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; and facilitate student recruitment, budget administration, and personnel management.

The Department of Communication is one of 44 departments and curricula in the College of Arts & Sciences. As the largest unit on campus, the College of Arts and Sciences forms the academic core of the Carolina experience. Through teaching, research, and service, the Department of Communication addresses how communication functions to create, sustain, and transform personal life, social relations, political institutions, economic organizations, and cultural and aesthetic conventions in society. Recognized for significant contributions to the profession, University, state, and nation; the Department houses a Ph.D. program, a major in Communication, an interdisciplinary major in Cultural Studies, and a minor in Writing for the Screen and Stage. It serves as the intellectual home for 25 faculty members, 45 graduate students, and over 600 undergraduates. The Department’s doctoral program offers a theoretically rich, interdisciplinary, problem-based approach to education and research that enables graduate students to define their own research in response to the changing demands of a constantly evolving communicative and cultural world. The Department’s undergraduate major features four structured concentrations: interpersonal and organizational communication; media and technology studies and production; performance studies; and rhetoric. Each concentration offers the Department’s majors, as well as the hundreds of pan-University non-majors, a set of critical capacities that contribute to an engaged, creative, and critical 21st-century citizen.

The successful candidate (they) must be eligible for appointment at the rank of full professor with tenure, including a Ph.D. or recognized equivalent They must have a national reputation in Communication or an adjacent field with an outstanding record of research, teaching, and service. The successful candidate must be able to articulate an innovative vision of communication for the 21st century that reflects that department’s commitment to engagement, creativity, and critique. They will be a relationship builder and advocate with a proven capacity to persuade a wide range of audiences and guide the implementation of their vision. They will be a collaborative and creative leader who is collegial and supportive with a commitment to the promotion of diversity. They will have demonstrated administrative management experience, including an ability to balance the priorities of multiple stakeholders. The successful candidate must have a demonstrated commitment to developing the excellence of communication faculty, as well as recruiting and supporting promising students, maintaining strong relationships with our alumni, and working with University Development to secure philanthropic support.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled.

To apply:  https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/214767

For more information, contact Professor Jocelyn Neal, jneal@email.unc.edu, Chair, Search committee.