Assistant Professor & Associate Director, Center for Media Ethics and Literacy

University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, AR

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position. This hire will serve as the Associate Director of the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy, reporting to the director. We are seeking a scholar whose research and teaching align with our faculty cluster in Democracy, Ethics, and Immigration. The successful candidate will combine scholarly excellence with a commitment to public engagement and pedagogical innovation within a rapidly growing School of Journalism. This is a standard nine-month academic appointment. The University of Arkansas is a land grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top 2 percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance the state and build a better world through education, research, and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, fostering a welcoming climate, and nurturing creativity, discovery, and the spread of new ideas and innovations. The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The growing region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts and overall quality of life. As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. Faculty hired in this position will have an opportunity to be a part of Fulbright College’s multidisciplinary Democracy as a Public Good cluster hire at the University of Arkansas. Through its Democracy as a Public Good Initiative, the College will advance the University’s land-grant mission by expanding capacity to generate knowledge that informs public understanding, contributes to policy and practice, and connects Arkansas to national and international conversations about societal good. Building on existing campus expertise in issues ranging from norms of democratic communication, free speech, media ethics and literacy, humanitarian governance and civil society, risks that AI poses to democratic governance, immigration, and public law, new faculty members participating in the cluster will advance their research agendas through mentoring and opportunities for collaboration—both with other scholars and with communities in the state—that may result in peer-reviewed publications, external funding, and new approaches to the pressing challenges that democracy faces. The successful candidate for this position will have an opportunity to join a community of scholars committed to confronting major issues, generating new knowledge, and providing research-based solutions that investigate and strengthen democratic culture for people living in Arkansas and beyond. This is an in-person position. Most university classes are offered face-to-face, and extensive in-person engagement in such activities as office hours, student advising, and departmental, college, and university committee meetings is essential to advancing student success and departmental effectiveness. Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

Requirements

• Terminal degree in Journalism, Media Studies, Communication (or a closely related field) from an accredited institution of higher education conferred by the date of initial appointment
• A demonstrated record of exceptional teaching and mentoring at the graduate level and/or undergraduate level, especially journalism-related courses
• Evidence of, or a demonstrated potential for publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research and a clear vision for Center-led research initiatives
• Demonstrated experience in journalism and reporting, combined with a strong working knowledge of media-industry ethical standards and practices and evidence-based media literacy pedagogy
• Proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience in the media industry or non-profit leadership roles
• Experience in securing external funding and managing research budgets
• A track record of public-facing communication (e.g., op-eds, public lectures, active media presence)
• Experience in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in independent research

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Associate Director of the center, providing strategic leadership to the College and the University.
• Produce high-impact scholarly research in the fields of media ethics, literacy and theory, especially news literacy, civic engagement, and democratic practices.
• Actively engage and educate the public and industry professionals on ethics and literacy issues in the news cycle through the Center’s website, social media platforms, and other public-facing initiatives.
• Pursue external research support (grants, fellowships, etc.) to advance the strategic goals of the Center, the School, and the University.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Journalism, utilizing innovative media literacy pedagogy and practices to help students navigate the intersection of theoretical ethics and real-world newsroom challenges, drawing upon professional experience in journalism and reporting.
• Serve as a mentor and advisor to SJSM students.
• Serve on thesis and honors committees and participate in departmental, college, and university governance as appropriate for a tenure-track faculty rank.

Benefits

• university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance
• tuition waivers for employees and their families
• 12 official holidays
• immediate leave accrual
• a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level