Assistant​/Associate Professor of Journalism

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Title: Assistant/Associate Professor of Journalism

State Role

Title:

Assistant Professor

Hiring Range: up to a MAX of $60,000.00, commensurate with Education and Experience

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia State University

Location:Virginia State University

Agency Website:www.

VSU.edu

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Virginia State University and the Department of Mass Communications invites applicants for our Public Relations/Strategic Communications term faculty position (VSUFO
667), at the rank of assistant or associate professor. The anticipated start date for the position is FALL 2026.
Successful candidates will be engaged in scholarship that advances the field of public relations. As a faculty member, successful candidates will teach in-person, hybrid, and online courses in the fall and spring semesters, advise undergraduate students, participate in department and university committees, and will serve as the Faculty Advisor for BSU’s PRSSA chapter.

• Bachelor’s, master’s or terminal degree in public relations or closely related discipline by August 2026. Applicants with significant professional experience with a bachelor’s degree may be considered.
• The ability to teach undergraduate courses in Public Relations/Strategic Communications.
• * Virginia State University requires that faculty be appropriately credentialed to teach assigned courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. VSU demonstrates compliance with its Faculty Credentialing Policy #2301 for all applicable education, experience, licensure and certification requirements in the selection and hiring of its faculty.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated commitment to the mission of public higher education, including support for access, equity, and student success.
• Evidence of effective engagement with a diverse student body through inclusive pedagogies, mentoring, or advising.
• Use of innovative, high-impact teaching practices in public relations courses, such as experiential-learning, service-learning, or project-based approaches.

• Record of peer-reviewed scholarship in public relations that advances the discipline.
• Evidence of interdisciplinary collaborations extending PR scholarship into related fields.
• Active participation in scholarly associations (e.g., ICA , NCA , AEJMC ) through conference presentations, leadership roles, or editorial service.

• Demonstrated involvement in PRSSA and/or PRSA.
• Relevant credentials or demonstrated knowledge of emerging communication platforms and tools (e.g., Hubspot, Hootsuite, Meltwater, APR , etc.).
• Professional experience in public relations or a closely related field.
• Experience teaching interactive media-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Knowledge of online content and media strategy for current and emerging technologies, theory and history of digital and interactive media, search engine optimization (SEO), generative AI, personal branding, and interactive media career preparation.
• Ability to develop courses to match changing media industries, advise students on internships and career paths, and other student and industry-focused initiatives.

• Professional industry experience and connections related to social media, content strategy, digital media, digital communication, interactive media, or related fields.
• Proficiency with relevant industry standard software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects and Premiere, and Figma.
• Experience in interactive media design, writing for online, mobile, and game platforms, social media content strategy, immersive or 360 video storytelling, strategic storytelling, audience research and analysis, or other areas within interactive media.
• Knowledge of online content and media strategy for current and emerging technologies, theory and history of digital and interactive media, search engine optimization (SEO), generative AI, personal branding, and interactive media career preparation.
• Experience teaching interactive media-related courses at the…