Assistant Professor of Broadcast and Documentary Film

University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, AR

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas invites nominations and applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Broadcast Journalism and Documentary Film to start August 2027. This is a standard nine-month faculty appointment. The successful candidate should have the ability to teach broadcast news courses such as TV news reporting, TV news producing, sports production, video news production, long form video and live studio productions as well as proficiency with necessary software and equipment. The instruction of broadcast courses will be joined by a demonstration and commitment to producing creative works of national recognition in documentary, broadcast news, sports production, multimedia storytelling, or other contributions that reflect the national research and creative profile of a Research 1 university. The School of Journalism and Strategic Media values experience in—or the potential for—building a strong scholarly environment in teaching, mentoring, creative activity, life experiences, and service for all. The school’s ideal candidate aligns with the faculty cluster of Democracy, Ethics, and Immigration, demonstrating an understanding of the importance of visual media’s contribution to press freedoms, democracy, ethics, and transparency. 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. The successful candidate will be an active contributor to the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Arkansas with the proven ability to mentor undergraduate, honors, and graduate students including serving on and directing thesis committees and thesis-level video projects (or research papers), as well as other related duties in both masters and honors programs. 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

• A terminal degree in mass communication, broadcast, journalism, film, or a related area from an accredited institution of higher education conferred by the initial start date.
• A proven ability to teach broadcast news courses to service and expand a program that includes TV news reporting, TV news producing, sports, production, video news production, and documentary film.
• At least three years of relevant professional experience in TV news reporting and producing, documentary production, live studio productions, and/or related courses.

Nice To Haves

• At least five years or more of professional experience in TV news reporting and/or news producing, live sports reporting and/or production, and/or experience in non-fiction film or video and multimedia storytelling.
• At least one year of experience with undergraduate instruction in journalism or related field.
• A demonstrated ability to produce high-level peer-reviewed documentary work or peer-reviewed scholarly work related to journalism, media or related topics.
• A demonstrated ability to seek and generate external funding as needed to support creative production.
• Demonstrated proficiency with broadcast and documentary equipment and software.
• Active participation in national professional and academic organizations related to documentary and/or broadcast production.
• Experience managing equipment needs and upkeep while staying within budgetary limitations.
• Evidence of the ability to design, launch, and oversee a possible M.F.A. documentary film program.
• Evidence of the ability to teach in related nonfiction media areas such as podcasting, multimedia storytelling, social media, or digital storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Teach broadcast news courses such as TV news reporting, TV news producing, sports production, video news production, long form video and live studio productions.
• Demonstrate and commit to producing creative works of national recognition in documentary, broadcast news, sports production, multimedia storytelling, or other contributions that reflect the national research and creative profile of a Research 1 university.
• Mentor undergraduate, honors, and graduate students, including serving on and directing thesis committees and thesis-level video projects (or research papers).
• Contribute to the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Arkansas.
• Engage in office hours, student advising, and departmental, college, and university committee meetings.
• Conduct research/scholarly and/or creative activities (40% of duties).
• Engage in academic service activities (20% of duties).

Benefits

• University contributions to health insurance
• University contributions to dental insurance
• University contributions to life insurance
• University contributions to disability insurance
• Tuition waivers for employees and their families
• 12 official holidays
• Immediate leave accrual
• 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
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree