Position Details

Position TypeFaculty, Tenure TrackClassification TitleAssistant ProfessorPosition's Functional TitleAssistant Professor, Media StudiesPosition Start Date08/16/2021Position End Date (if temporary)Position Summary

Governors State University (University Park, IL) is a minority-majority institution inviting applications for a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Digital Newsroom Manager to begin in the Fall Semester 2021.

Serving as the Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Digital Newsroom Manager, the ideal candidate will have a professional emphasis in broadcast news production and associated pre-production and production workflows. The candidate will develop, lead, and manage the planning, production, and presentation of news content (on-air and online), newscasts for a student news show and collaborate with the Phoenix online newsroom. This position will include recruiting, onboarding, and coaching student journalists and production staff, holding weekly staff meetings with student news staff, implementing newsroom policies and procedures, and supervising student producers and directors of live/taped television newscasts.

We seek a colleague whose experience, teaching, and research interests complement our curriculum. Candidates will be expected to teach courses in the Media Industry and Production concentration, including but not limited to Digital Video Writing, Advanced Writing for Multimedia, Producing Across Platforms, and The Newsroom. We are especially interested in candidates who contribute to the diversity of our department and academic community through excellence in teaching, service, and research.

The candidate will also remain active in a professional journalism capacity by contributing work to our community engagement efforts through the Center for Community Media. The Center is a unique emerging community media collaborative combining GSU’s Media Studies program, professional production expertise, and community storytellers to serve the information needs of our campus and community.


The position requires mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students, ongoing committee and service assignments, and actively engaging in ongoing creative work and scholarship in one’s area of specialty. Additional teaching responsibilities in the major or affiliated Communication, Media, and Performance graduate program will vary based on the area(s) of expertise. We also expect our new Assistant Professor of Media Studies to develop new courses that will enhance both our B.A. and M.A. curriculums.

The Program

Launched in 2014, the Media Studies program at Governors State University offers an undergraduate (B.A.) degree with concentrations in Media Industry and Production and Social Networking and Participatory Culture. The program prepares students to plan, manage, and produce media in a global, multicultural environment. It includes instruction in television and transmedia production, studio and independent field production, social media and emerging media cultures, regional media industry including public media, global and non-western media systems, all informed by a substantive study in the liberal arts. Students gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art studios, work with professional production equipment, emerging technologies, and industry-standard software. The Media Studies program is an inclusive learning environment that promotes creativity and scholarship in multiple forms of media, mirroring the wide range of cultural, artistic, and scholarly interests in the south Chicago and Southland regions. Students enjoy training and education in media theory, criticism, writing, content creation, and production. We pride ourselves in offering a curriculum that balances theory and practice. We also provide a range of in-house and industry internship opportunities.

Governors State University is the only regional public comprehensive university in Chicago’s south suburban area, serving more than 5,500 students annually. Since its founding in 1969, GSU has offered accessible, high-value educational opportunities to a culturally diverse student body of first-generation students, returning adults, and veterans. With the lowest undergraduate tuition in Illinois, GSU offers accredited programs that have earned high praise from national accrediting agencies. In 2014, GSU accepted its inaugural class of first-year students as it transitioned from an upper-division and graduate institution into a regional comprehensive university with a state-of-the-art general education program. New faculty at GSU must demonstrate enthusiasm and ability to work with students at all levels, from first-year to graduate.

Through its strategic planning, GSU emphasizes excellence, access, and innovation. Students benefit from the university’s academic quality, range of convenient class times, increasingly numerous hybrid and online offerings, and outstanding educational value. Our innovative lower-division program uses high-impact practices to foster student engagement with ethics, citizenship, and innovative thinking. Every first-year class is taught by a full-time faculty member to ensure that students have a strong foundation for their studies. GSU is a national leader in the successful transfer of community college students to universities and is leading through the Kresge-supported Dual Degree Program, with features such as tuition lock-in at GSU for academically eligible community college students who commit to earn an Associate Degree and attend college full-time. GSU offers a wide variety of master’s programs and several applied doctoral degrees in health, counseling fields, and Interdisciplinary Leadership.

GSU’s 750-acre campus encompasses the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park yet is conveniently located within easy reach of Chicago and surrounding communities with a wealth of cultural and natural attractions. The highly diverse region GSU serves has a number of high-performing schools and engaged communities as well as struggling urban, suburban, and rural communities. GSU serves as a public square, working to foster educational opportunities for all populations.

It is the policy of Governors State University, in its role as educator, employer, and purchaser of goods and services, to provide equal opportunity and affirmative action. Discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status is strictly prohibited.

Salary and benefits package are commensurate with education and experience.

Minimum Qualifications

1.Ph.D., M.F.A., or another appropriate terminal degree in Journalism, Media Arts, Communication, or related discipline. ABD candidates will be considered; all degree requirements must be completed by August 16, 2021.
2.College-level teaching experience in news broadcast related courses.
3.Professional major market broadcast journalism experience.
4.Active connections with working professionals in a major market such as Chicago.
5.Active record of creative work and/or scholarship.
6.Record of using technology such as computer-assisted reporting, DSLRs, audio equipment, mobile video, and other multimedia storytelling tools.

Preferred Qualifications

1.Experience with non-traditional, first-generation, and/or traditionally underserved student populations.
2.Ability to teach multimedia news writing, reporting, and production courses at the college level.
3.Ability to teach courses in audio production.
4.Professional social media presence.
5.Familiarity with FCC policies and regulations governing PEG channel programming, and program content standards.
6.Experience in producing broadcast-quality news programming for network television, cable, over-the-top media services, or a similar entity and associated workflows.
7.Demonstrated interest in developing community-based public media relevant to our local communities.
8.Professional recognition, as demonstrated by industry awards.
9.Experience producing Spanish-language content.

Posting Date09/11/2020Closing DateOpen Until FilledYesPosting NumberFA0368PType of SearchExternalQuicklink for Postinghttp://employment.govst.edu/postings/5499Employee IDDepartmentSpecial Instructions to Applicants

To apply, applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, statement of teaching philosophy, professional credits, and a list of professional references with contact information by November 1, 2020, to receive full consideration although applications will be accepted until the position is filled. References will only be contacted prior to candidate interviews.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * What is the highest level of education attained?
   • GED
   • High School Diploma
   • Associates Degree
   • Bachelors Degree
   • Masters Degree
   • Doctorate Degree
   • ABD
2. * What academic discipline did you earn your degree(s) in?

   (Open Ended Question)

3. * Do you have experience teaching at the college/university level?
   • yes
   • no
4. * Do you have experience in developing and/or teaching online (web-based) courses?
   • No
   • No but interested and able to do so
   • Yes I have taught online courses
   • Yes I have developed online courses
   • Yes, I have developed and taught online courses

Required DocumentsRequired Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Transcripts
4. Teaching Philosophy
5. List of References

Optional Documents

1. Other
2. Other2
3. Other3
4. Other4
5. Letter of Recommendation