Associate Professor

Job Summary

The Department of Communication Studies and Storytelling at East Tennessee State University seeks an Associate Professor of Communication Studies. This position carries full-time, tenure-track status beginning August 15, 2027, as an academic year appointment pending continued availability of funds.

We seek a colleague with a demonstrated emphasis in Organizational Communication, and a record of teaching, service, and research appropriate for the rank of Associate Professor. We are especially interested in candidates who have a secondary interest in one or more of the following areas:
Crisis and Risk Communication, Social Media & Digital Communication, Applied Communication, or Political Communication. We are open to candidates who use any Communication Studies research methodology. Our new colleague must demonstrate respect and value for the use of narrative and storytelling in teaching and scholarship, although their research may or may not incorporate narrative.

• Teaching (60%)—The expected teaching load is a 3/3. This faculty member will primarily teach in our undergraduate Communication Studies major and minor programs but may have opportunities to teach graduate courses for our Graduate Certificate in Storytelling. They will be expected to teach existing undergraduate courses in Organizational Communication, Business and Professional Communication, and Communicating in Groups. The successful candidate will also have the ability to teach one or more of the following undergraduate courses currently in our catalog:
  Communication Theory, Professional Communication & Technology, Advanced Public Speaking, Speaking for Social Change, and/or Communication Ethics. We are especially interested in candidates who are willing to develop new courses in Organizational Communication and at least one of the following areas:
  Crisis and Risk Communication, Social Media and Digital Communication, Applied Communication, and/or Political Communication. Our new colleague will serve on undergraduate honors thesis committees and hold regular office hours for students. Teaching formats may include in-person, hybrid, and online teaching. Summer and winter teaching opportunities are optional and available depending on need. The successful candidate must demonstrate a record of teaching in breadth and quality that is commensurate with the rank of Associate Professor.
  
  We are especially interested in candidates interested or experienced in community-engaged learning.
• Service (20%)—Applicants should make clear their ability to step into service obligations expected of an Associate Professor. Service duties will include coordinating our undergraduate internship program and potentially growing and supporting our undergraduate Communication Studies Association and/or coordinating the teaching of one of our oral communication general education courses. All faculty advise undergraduate students on their program of study. We are particularly interested in candidates who have strong organizational skills, demonstrated ability to work in collegial and collaborative environments, and experience in community-engaged work.
  
  In addition to the duties described above, tenure-track faculty members contribute professional service to the college, university, discipline, and/or community.
• Research & Creative Activity (20%)—Tenure-track faculty contribute to the mission of the Department of Communication Studies & Storytelling through a program of research and/or creative activity that leads to publication, peer-reviewed performances, and/or competitively selected performances. Applicants must show how their existing record of scholarship is consistent with the university’s expectations for the rank of Associate Professor.

The Department of Communication Studies & Storytelling serves just over 90 majors and minors at the undergraduate level, as well as hundreds of students enrolled in general education courses in oral communication. The award-winning ETSU Speech & Debate Team and the Storyteller Collective are also housed within the department. The department currently has 12 full-time faculty members with areas of expertise across…