(Open Rank) Clinical Faculty/Program Director of Communication Management Master's Program

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

(Open-Rank) Clinical Faculty/Program Director of Communication Management Master’s Program

The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California invites nominations and applications for the position of an open-rank Clinical Faculty member and the Director of Communication Management (CMGT) Master’s Program. CMGT is a field-leading program that prepares the next generation of communication practitioners, professionals, and executives to operate in positions of leadership, management, and strategy throughout the creative and media industries. The Director is charged with the critical development of a multidisciplinary and iteratively evolving curriculum that blends pedagogy around media and communication research and conceptual frameworks with state-of-the-art practices and skills. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic, passionate educator or practitioner with experience teaching at the university level, a proven track record of engaging with and/or teaching on issues of diversity and equity, and an impressive record as a university administrator and/or senior-level management and leadership experience at a communication, marketing, or media organization.

The CMGT program accommodates the ever-shifting demands by industry and students, domestic and international, in alignment with Annenberg’s other global-leading master’s programs. We seek a visionary candidate who can lead the largest Master’s program in the Annenberg School of Communication. This degree includes two modalities: an on-campus program and an online program. CMGT attracts new and experienced professionals who aim to become transformative leaders, drive innovation, and positively affect global business communication. Aligned with the global vision of the Annenberg School, the program also attracts students internationally and from diverse fields of study. Classes center on applying communication theories, academic research, and case studies to real-world decision making. The program offers a vast array of courses taught by scholars, researchers, and industry professionals, featuring cutting-edge practices and skills for aspiring communication and media professionals.

A successful candidate will possess the qualifications necessary to immediately step into an intellectual and professional leadership role within the CMGT Master’s Program. The ideal candidate will become a thought leader throughout USC’s academic and professional communities; deepen our engagement with communication and media industries of practice; assist in recruitment of high-caliber scholars and practitioner; support professional growth and encourage collaboration within current faculty; promote external partnerships across diverse communities; and create long-term strategic plans that not only shape the future of the degree program but also advance technology, creative, marketing, media, and entertainment industries.

In addition, the ideal candidate will:
  • Advance an innovative and cross-disciplinary vision for the future of Communication Management that best prepares students to thrive in this rapidly-changing landscape.
  • Demonstrate excellence, knowledge, and foresight in attending to the increasing needs for diversity and equity in communication industries and a commitment to serving communities that reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of our campus and of Los Angeles. This excellence should encompass experience with and dedication recruiting diverse voices in faculty and student populations and advocating for social justice, equal opportunity, and equitable representation throughout the communication field and the creative, tech, and media industries.
  • Promote excellence in masters-level teaching that anticipates the ongoing disruption in the field and industries and the shifting demands around research practices, skills, student interest, and areas of focus to include media and entertainment, video games, emergent media and information and communication technology, marketing communication, strategic and organizational communication, and/or health and social change.
  • Possess the administrative, supervisory, and budgetary skills expected of the leader of an expansive and highly-ranked master’s program.

Those applying to the position should hold a graduate degree in Communication or related field, and although a PhD is preferred, it is not mandatory. This is designated as a Clinical faculty position, eligible for renewals and promotions. It is not a tenure-track position.

About the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

The USC Annenberg School was established in 1971 with a gift from US Ambassador Walter Annenberg. It has grown over time to include programs in both Journalism and Communication, and now houses several important centers and initiatives ( https://annenberg.usc.edu/research ). The School has a long history of collaborating with other academic units and with off-campus agencies. Noteworthy are our ties not only to other social sciences and neuroscience, but to the entertainment industry (e.g., via the Norman Lear Center), and to Technology and Games programs in Cinema and Engineering and the Medical School. Interdisciplinary work is highly valued and expected. The School recently expanded to include a second, modern 85,000-square-foot building providing more space for public events, student work groups, and student-faculty meetings. The School has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of 2,200.

The Annenberg School is committed to fostering a culture and climate of tolerance, diversity and inclusion, as is evident in the Schools’ various centers and initiatives ( https://annenberg.usc.edu/research ). Consequently, all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply in accordance with the University's mission to ensure equal opportunity (see below).

Applicants

To be considered for this position, all candidates must apply via the USC Employee Recruitment Services website at the following link https://facultypositions.usc.edu/FAS/application/position?postingId=REQ20098895 . Submission materials should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, syllabi and/or curriculum design, and the names of three references. The cover letter should be addressed to School of Communication Faculty Search Committee, Attention: Dr. Courtney Pade, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, 3502 Watt Way, Suite 305, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281. Applicants may direct questions to Billie Shotlow at shotlow@usc.edu regarding the search process. Materials submitted by regular mail will not be accepted.

Review of applications will commence on April 23, 2021 and continue until the position is filled or the search closed. Questions or concerns about the position can be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Courtney Pade, Assistant Director of the Communication Management Program, courtney.pade@usc.edu .

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu . Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance.