Description
University of Colorado | CU Denver

Department of Communication

Assistant Professor

 

* Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers *

The University of Colorado has a requirement for COVID-19 vaccinations and full completion thereof by 9/1/21 or upon start date. Information regarding this requirement, and exemptions can be found at:

Denver: https://www.ucdenver.edu/coronavirus

Exemptions vary by campus location/department.

Campus/Unit-Specific Exemptions:

• Anschutz Campus – Exemptions are allowed for medical or religious reasons.
• Denver Campus – Exemptions are allowed for medical, religious, or personal reasons.
• Consolidated/Central Services Administration – Will follow Anschutz policy on exemptions.

The University of Colorado Denver seeks individuals with demonstrated commitment to creating an inclusive learning and working environment. We value the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty, and staff of diverse backgrounds.

The Department of Communication is searching for a full-time, tenure track Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication, beginning in August of 2022. The primary research and teaching focus of this position will fall within strategic communication. The primary service focus includes coordination of our Media Learning Lab, as outlined below.

The Department of Communication at CU Denver is a dynamic community of learners and scholars who seek “to cultivate the knowledge and ability to use communication to create a more equitable and humane world.” Preference will be given to candidates whose research and teaching supports our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, international studies, environmental communication, civic engagement, and social justice broadly.

Communication is the third largest major in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences on the downtown campus. We offer BA, MA, and online degrees and certificate programs. The Department serves approximately 650 majors and minors and 25 MA students. We also offer a BA program at the International College Beijing in China, where opportunities to teach exist. The Department is staffed with colleagues whose work falls largely in the rhetorical and critical/cultural traditions.

Job duties include:

1. Conducting original research related to strategic communication, in support of our Department mission, vision, and values that leads to peer-reviewed scholarly publications and conference presentations.
2. Teaching 1-2 courses per term in our strategic communication pathway. Courses could include COMM 2051, Introduction to Strategic Communication; COMM 2081, New Media Production and Management; COMM 3660, Social Media for Social Change; COMM 4665, Principles of Advertising; COMM 4240, Organizational Communication; and COMM 4051, Advanced Strategic Communication, but also other courses in the pathway. There is future potential to teach courses related to the hire’s other areas of expertise. Courses in our Department are offered in person, online, hybrid, in an 8-week intensive format, depending on curricular need and are made in negotiation with the Chair. Summer teaching is on a separate contract subject to curricular need and Dean’s approval.
3. Coordination of the CLAS Media Learning Lab, involving hiring, training, and coordinating staff (usually one to three students each term), ensuring software and equipment are running properly in conversation with the College’s information technology personnel, and assisting the Department develop applied “lab” components in many of its strategic communication courses that make use of the Media Learning Lab’s audio, lighting, and camera kits and Adobe Creative Suite products. The ideal candidate is able to instruct others in the use of Adobe Creative Suite products.
4. The standard teaching load for tenure stream faculty in Communication at CU Denver is 4 courses per year, or two a term. For this position, there is a 1-course release to support oversight of the Media Learning Lab, making the teaching load 2-1 for the duration of time this hire oversees the Lab.
5. Assisting with curricular development in the pathway and service on a limited number of student exam, project, and thesis committees at MA and BA level.
6. Participation in Department and campus service and committee work.
7. Promoting a sense of inclusion and belonging through research, teaching, and service initiatives.
8. Abiding with all university, campus, college, and Department policies.

This list includes the essential job duties but is not exhaustive.

As Colorado’s public urban research university, the University of Colorado Denver educates a diverse student body through quality academics, ambitious research, creative work, and civic engagement in the city we call home. CU Denver graduates gain the powerful combination of immersive classroom and real-world experience that are in demand today. The city benefits from well-educated, top talent and a new generation of knowledge that fuels the future of Denver and our region. We are CU in the City.

CU Denver offers more than 100 degree programs, from the bachelor’s to the doctoral level, in the heart of downtown. Here, more than 15,000 students pursue academic programs that range from global energy management to music industry studies to criminal justice. As part of the state’s largest public university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with nearly 2,500 employees and annual economic impact of $800 million. Read CU Denver Quick Facts here. 

Position Emphasis:

This position includes three main areas of effort, consistent with peer institutions: 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service.

Salary and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $70,000—$78,000.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

The University of Colorado offers a full benefits package. Information on University benefits programs, including eligibility, is located at Employee Services.

University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background checks for all new employees prior to their employment.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act requires that verification of employment eligibility be documented for all new employees by the end of the third day of work. Alternative formats of this ad are available upon request for persons with disabilities.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Benefits: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits.

Total Compensation Calculator: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/total-compensation

 

Diversity and Equity:

CU Denver is on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute nations. Let us acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory and pay our respects to the diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land. Let us also give thanks to all Tribal Nations and the ancestors of this place.

Please contact hr.adacoordinator@ucdenver.edu for information on disability accommodations.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and all veterans. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment. The University of Colorado Denver is an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Communication completed by August 15, 2022, with training in strategic communication, public relations, and/or allied areas
• Evidence of a well-defined research trajectory in strategic communication

Required:  Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PRSA Accreditation
• Evidence of excellent teaching
• Evidence of commitment to department, campus, or disciplinary service
• Experience teaching and developing innovative curriculum in strategic communication
• Experience publishing original research related to strategic communication
• Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Cloud products and/or other media production and management platforms

Core Competencies:

• Ability to develop and maintain an active research profile in strategic communication
• Ability to create and deliver creative and cutting-edge courses in strategic communication
• Ability to improve Department-level use of the Media Learning Lab by integrating media equipment and Adobe Creative Suite products and/or other media production and management platforms into classes and coordinating the Lab
• Demonstrated commitment to addressing institutional and structural racism and bias and mitigating their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution
• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and extemporaneously 
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing the Department’s mission and vision.  
• We are a department that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and preference will be given to candidates whose research and teaching supports those commitments, as well as one or more of the following: multicultural advertising, activism, critical public relations, diversity, ethnicity, identity, inequality, race, international studies, environmental communication, civic engagement, or social justice broadly.

Job Category: Faculty
Primary Location: Denver
Schedule: Full-time
Posting Date: Oct 18, 2021
Unposting Date: Ongoing