Assistant Professor of Communication - Public Relations

Assistant Professor of Communication - Public Relations - #000555

Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes ‘Best Employers’ lists each year. Including:

• 2025 – Ranked 1st in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers by State’ list.
• 2024 – Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes ‘America’s Best Midsize Employers’ list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.
• 2023 – Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes ‘America’s Best Midsize Employers’ list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries.
• 2022 – Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers by State’ list.

Western Carolina University is the UNC system’s westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.

Employees of WCU are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other resources, policies and programs to ensure a happy and healthy work/life balance.

• Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans – eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire.
• Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan.
• Optional disability plans are also available.
• Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses.
• Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year.
• Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately.
• Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.

Position Summary

The primary location of this position is on-site in Cullowhee, NC.

The Department of Communication at Western Carolina University ( WCU ) is seeking a full-time, tenure-track, assistant professor of communication position with a primary focus in public relations and strategic communication. This is a nine-month position with an expected begin work date of August 2027.

Duties will include teaching three undergraduate courses in communication each semester, engaging in scholarship, advising students, advising WCU’s PRSSA chapter, and engaging in departmental, institutional, and regional service. In addition to teaching public relations courses, the successful candidate may have opportunities to teach professional development and other communication courses based on their areas of expertise and departmental needs.

Housed within the College of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Communication offers a B.S. degree in Communication with concentrations in broadcasting, health communication, interpersonal & cultural communication, journalism, and public relations. With approximately 250 communication majors and minors, the department also offers a minor in communication, a minor in journalism, and serves approximately 2,000 freshmen and transfer students each year in the liberal studies Foundations of Communication course that is required of all students.

The department has a strong interdisciplinary focus, and provides a variety of communication courses in areas such as conflict resolution, interpersonal communication, family and close relationships, television production, intercultural communication, international reporting, and crisis communication to other colleges at WCU including programs in health sciences, social justice, construction management, international studies, environmental science, motion picture studies, special education, and emergency and disaster management.

The Department of Communication is known for its engaged teaching and learning, and the department prides itself on its students’ involvement in service learning,…