Department Chair-Full Professor – Journalism & Creative Media

Department / Organization

207451 - Journalism and Creative Media

Rank

Associate / Full Professor

Position Summary

The Department of Journalism and Creative Media, in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama, invites applications for the position of Department Chair, a tenured 12-month position at the level of full professor to begin July 1, 2026.

Detailed Position Information

The successful candidate will lead a nationally recognized, multidisciplinary academic unit that is poised to grow its impact and prominence. The Department has a faculty of teachers, researchers and artists with national and international reputations, producing high-profile scholarship across multiple areas, including (but not limited to) media effects, journalism studies, critical-cultural studies, film production, and creative nonfiction writing. The Department offers students a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses through academic programs in journalism and creative media, as well as access to real-world experience through in-house professional media outlets in the College’s Digital Media Center. The new chair will have the opportunity to help further realize the potential of this multifaceted unit, collaborating with faculty to develop a forward-looking, distinctive vision for the Department’s future.

Candidates should have in-depth experience in at least one of the Department’s subdisciplines in the journalism and creative media areas as well as an understanding and appreciation of the other subdisciplines. Candidates should also have a background in higher ed leadership and a commitment to supporting and developing faculty. Candidates with strong knowledge of today’s changing academic and professional media fields will be well positioned to work with faculty to create effective strategies for innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship and educational offerings.

The Department of Journalism & Creative Media (JCM) is one of four academic units in the College of Communication & Information Sciences. The Department is home to 36 full-time faculty who teach more than 900 undergraduate and graduate student majors. JCM offers undergraduate majors and minors in News media and Creative Media, as well as a major concentration and a minor in sports media. The News Media major includes courses in electronic reporting, multimedia and visual journalism, and specialized writing; the Creative Media major includes courses in filmmaking, screenwriting, production management, and critical studies in film / television. JCM’s News Media major and professional master’s programs are accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism & Mass Communications. JCM also offers a Master of Arts degree in Journalism & Media Studies, which can be completed online or on campus. Additionally, Department faculty have the opportunity to teach in the College’s doctoral program.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Ph.D., M.F.A., or other terminal degree in a related field.
• Scholarly achievement and reputation consistent with departmental expectations for the rank of full professor. Associate professors who meet this standard will be considered for appointment to full upon hiring.
• A record of teaching excellence in courses relevant to department disciplines.
• Leadership experience in higher education.

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with credentials and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in a department-relevant media profession is a preferred qualification but not required.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application

To apply, provide the following :

About the Division / College / School

The College of Communication & Information Sciences has four academic units, approximately 110 full-time faculty members, and serves approximately 3,500 students across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including approximately 95 students in the college-wide Ph.D. program. The college’s Institute for Communication & Information Research (ICIR) is a premier research institute dedicated to addressing societal and cultural issues related to communication and information research. The ICIR collaborates with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and other entities to produce high-impact research that informs and improves our evolving communication and information landscape. The College is also home to the Public Opinion Lab, equipped with the Sprinklr data warehouse and custom data collection and management resources; a biometrics lab outfitted with state-of-the-art iMotions software and associated hardware; and the near-term development of an interactive VR / theater lab, among others. The college is also home to the Holle Center for Communication Arts, whose mission is guided by a commitment to advance narrative justice through innovative and arts-informed research, community engagement, and creative co-operation. The college also maintains the 40,000 square-foot Digital Media Center, which is home to Alabama Public Radio and WVUA 23, a full-power commercial television station serving a top-50 television market.

About the University

The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.