Assistant Professor of Media Studies

Utah Tech University; St. George (VT); On-site; USD 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits package

Undergraduate tuition waivers for you

Potential summer/overload compensation

Job summary

Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Digital Media with an emphasis in public relations and digital storytelling.

The role requires a 4/4 teaching load across public relations, social media, multimedia storytelling, cross-platform content creation, and related courses. The candidate will contribute to a growing Digital Media program, encourage active learning, and pursue scholarly/creative work relevant to teaching.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in Digital Media, Public Relations, or related field or MFA; ABD considered if completion by July 1, 2027.

Responsibilities

• Teach up to 24 credits annually with emphasis on public relations and digital media storytelling; include at least 3 credit hours of service.
• Assist in growing communication programs and adapt courses with instructional technology.
• Be willing to certify in online instruction and teach online courses.
• Engage in campus faculty duties: office hours, meetings, committees.
• Engage in scholarship or creative activity aligned with teaching mission.
• Mentor and supervise adjunct faculty.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Digital media

Public relations

Digital storytelling

Cross-platform storytelling

Instructional technology

Online teaching

Curriculum development

Education

Doctorate in Digital Media, Public Relations, or related field; MFA considered

Job description

Position Announcement

The Department of Communication at Utah Tech University (UT) in St.George, Utah, is seeking an enthusiastic and well-qualifiedindividual for the position of Assistant Professor of DigitalMedia, with an emphasis in public relations and digitalstorytelling. The position requires a 4/4 teaching load, withinstruction in the areas of public relations, social media,contemporary multimedia storytelling, cross-platform contentcreation and other courses as needed. The successful candidate willcontribute to the Digital Media program while bringing depth incross-platform strategic digital communication and contentcreation. The selected candidate will join a healthy and growingCommunication Department. UT’s polytechnic mission emphasizes ahuman-centered approach to problem-solving. As such, UT isparticularly welcoming to active learning modalities in ourcoursework. Similarly, we encourage and value faculty scholarshipthat involves student researchers, as well as scholarship thatinforms the faculty member’s teaching. More information about thedepartment and its programs can be found online at https://communication.utahtech.edu/.

Responsibilities

• Teach up to 24 credits annually with an emphasis on publicrelations and digital media storytelling plus the equivalent of 3credit hours or more of institutional service as defined by thedepartment and school. Course topics include public relations,strategic communication, cross-platform storytelling, digitalcontent creation, and using media strategically to inform,persuade, and build relationships.


• Assist in the continuing growth of communication programs, withthe ability and willingness to adapt courses to effectively utilizeexisting and developing instructional technology.


• Willing to become certified in online instruction and teach oneor more courses online. Special preference will be given tocandidates with experience in online teaching.


• Perform defined campus-wide faculty duties, including holdingoffice hours, attendance at department and division meetings, andservice on committees, with adherence to department, college, anduniversity policies and procedures.


• Engage in scholarship and/or creative activity appropriate to ateaching university. UT values both scholarship of discovery andscholarship of pedagogy within the context of our teachingmission.


• Assist in mentoring, supervising, and assisting part-timeinstructors (adjunct faculty).


• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in Digital Media, Public Relations, or relatedfield or MFA plus 10+ years of experience will also be considered.ABD will be considered if completion of degree will occur by July1, 2027.


• Experience teaching and/or designing courses in digital media.Preference for candidates with expertise in digital media, digitalcommunication, strategic digital media creation and management,public relations, digital storytelling, social media or relatedareas particularly as these areas intersect with contemporarypublic relations and strategic communication. Professionalexperience in public relations, digital media, social media,content strategy, or related fields is also preferred.


• Evidence of successful, student-centered teaching and withproficiency in instructional technology (finalists will complete ateaching demonstration to showcase competence).


• Ability to develop innovative curriculum and appropriate coursecontent for face-to-face and online instruction.


• Eagerness and ability to engage with colleagues, staff andadministrators to develop ways to improve the educationalexperience of Utah Tech students, both within communication andinterdisciplinarily.


• Commitment to academic excellence, including utilizingcomputer-related technologies to enhance education methodology, andproficiency in curriculum design, program development, programevaluation, instruction, student guidance, and academicmentoring.


• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.


• While teaching is the priority at UT, all tenure-track facultyat UT are expected to maintain a scholarly or creative agenda. Werecognize and encourage diverse scholarly and creative pursuits.Faculty are free to pursue research, applied projects, or creativescholarship in the areas that inspire them, without being bound toa single methodological or topical focus.

POSITION DETAILS, COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Full-time(9-month) tenure-track faculty position. Faculty service, with payand benefits starting July 1, 2027. Annual salary of $58,000 withadditional compensation available for optional summer/overloadteaching. Excellent benefits package included that begins on startdate; includes medical, dental, vision, disability, and lifeinsurance, employee assistance and wellness programs, retirementplan contributions, and undergraduate tuition waivers for employeesand eligible dependents. See https://humanresources.utahtech.edu/employee-benefits/under "Benefits Summary" for more details.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY:

Utah Tech University is an open,comprehensive, polytechnic institution, committed to exceptionalstudent learning and success that has adopted an instructionalapproach of "active learning. active life." and a culture ofinnovation and entrepreneurship. We seek faculty and staffcommitted to creating an active, applied and career-orientedlearning environment that is student-centered. Established in 1911as a community college and in 2013 as a state university, ourUniversity is located in picturesque southwestern Utah,approximately 120 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The area isrenowned for its red rocks, desert climate, over 300 days ofsunshine annually, and featuring easy access to world-class outdoorrecreational opportunities. Click here to learn more about theUniversity.

Utah Tech University is a fast-growing Utah public institution ofhigher education, with more than 13,000 students. We offer over 250programs, including doctoral, masters, bachelors, associates,certificates, endorsements, minors, and/or emphases. We seekfaculty and staff committed to creating an active, applied, andcareer-oriented learning environment that is student-centered, whobring new ideas, possess values and career aspirations aligned withthe University’s mission and vision, and are inspired to build apremier open, comprehensive, polytechnic university.

Utah Tech employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorizednon-U.S. citizens. All new employees must provide employmenteligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services.

Utah Tech is committed to providing access and reasonableaccommodations in its services, programs, activities, education,and employment for individuals with disabilities. To requestdisability accommodation in the application process, please contactHuman Resources at [e-mail] or 435-652-7500.

Utah Tech University does not discriminate on the basis of race,religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sexdiscrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, genderidentity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy,pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status,veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law inemployment, treatment, admission, access to educational programsand activities, or other University benefits or services. For moreinformation or contact information, please visit https://titleix.utahtech.edu/reporting-discrimination/.

For important information regarding academics, campus safety,student services, employment laws, and other regulatoryrequirements, visit Utah Tech University’s Right‑Know https://utahtech.edu/right-to-know and Clery Act https://police.utahtech.edu/clery-act websites.