Assistant Professor of Mass Communications: Public Relations/Strategic Communications
Xavier University of Louisiana
Application
Details
Posted: 19-Jul-24
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 3168
Job Summary:
The Department of Mass Communication at Xavier University of Louisiana invites applicants for a tenure track position in Public Relations/Strategic Communication at the assistant professor level beginning August 2025. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in Mass Communication/Journalism or related with a professional background in Public Relations/Strategic Communications and Digital/New Media branding, marketing and content creation. Postdoctoral experience is strongly preferred.
The department seeks candidates whose area of concentration is digital branding, marketing, strategic campaigns, and new media strategic communications. Candidates with professional experience, training and content creation skills in public relations/strategic communications for Tech, Digital Companies, Corporate and Biomedical industries are preferred.
The position will allow the department to grow its niche area in new and digital media, artificial intelligence, and health communication. The ideal candidate will be able to teach innovative strategic communication courses that incorporates training in digital multimedia content creation, web/app and graphic design, social media marketing and branding and should be able to prepare students to work in corporate strategic communication positions in technical industries, biomedical industries and in major corporations.
Duties
Teach four classes per semester, primarily in Public Relations/Strategic Communications.
Demonstrate an ability and willingness to work collegially.
Ability to develop and teach face-to-face as well as hybrid classes.
Ability to show enthusiasm and experience in recruiting and mentoring undergraduate research students leading to publications and professional presentations.
Ability to contribute to the growth and recruitment of the undergraduate Mass Communication programs.
Demonstrate commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population.
Participate in service activities for the department, university, and community.
The Department of Mass Communication offers all levels of instruction for undergraduates and concentrations in Multimedia, Strategic Communications/Public Relations and Health Communication. The Department also supports an active Student Media program that creates content for news and entertainment across media platforms and for public relations; publishes the Herald newspaper, and the university yearbook and has active student chapters of the NABJ and PRSSA. The department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and who have demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students.
Minimum Qualifications:
PhD in Mass Communication/Journalism or related fields
Strong commitment to teachingfour classes per semester, primarily in Public Relations/Strategic Communications.
Ability to teach all levels of Mass Communication courses.
Write and Speak English proficiently.
Demonstrate a strong potential for excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.
Ability to develop and teach face-to-face as well as online classes.
Commitment to developing an active research program within the area of the Multimedia, Strategic Communications/Public Relations and Health Communication areas.
Commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population; and
Commitment to the mission of Xavier University of Louisiana.
Preferred Qualifications:
Advanced Training in Mass Communication/Journalism.
Professional Experience in Digital and New Media branding, marketing and strategic communication campaigns.
Background in corporate, tech, digital media and biomedical strategic communications.
Ability to teach innovative strategic communication courses that incorporates training in digital multimedia content creation, web/app and graphic design, social media marketing and branding.
Demonstrate the ability to prepare students to work in corporate strategic communication positions in technical industries, biomedical industries and in major corporations.
Successful experience teaching undergraduate courses to a diverse student body.
Experience recruiting undergraduate students.
Awareness of pedagogical best practices and ongoing commitment to developing and maintaining knowledge in this area.
Demonstrates culturally responsive approaches in teaching, research, and/or service.
Participate in service activities to the department, division, university, and community; and
Participate in on-campus department, division, college, and university meetings and assemblies, as well as university convocations and graduation.
Xavier University of Louisiana, founded by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1925, is Catholic and historically Black. The ultimate purpose of the University is to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society by preparing its students to assume roles of leadership and service in a global society. The only historically Black, Catholic university in the United States, XULA is a private, liberal-arts based, co-educational institution offering 40 undergraduate majors, 5 master’s degree programs and a doctor of pharmacy program. More than one-half of its 3,100 students are from Louisiana, but it draws students from nearly all fifty states and 35 countries. Xavier is recognized as a national leader in the sciences and the liberal arts: • #1 in the nation in the number of African American graduates who go on to complete medical school (AAMC data 2019). • Among the nation’s top four colleges of pharmacy in graduating African Americans with Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) degrees. (2018) • #1 in the nation in awarding bachelor's degrees to African American students in the biological and biomedical sciences, the physical sciences, and physics. ...(2018) • #3 in the nation in the number of African American graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. in science and engineering disciplines. (2018) • The Department of Physics is #1 in the nation for awarding African Americans baccalaureate degrees in physics and the physical sciences, according to the American Institute of Physics. (2018) Xavier is consistently ranked by the American Chemical Society as one of the top 25 universities in the nation. • The 2020 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges named Xavier among its 300 “best and most interesting” four-year colleges and universities. • Xavier was also singled out as one of the nation’s 385 best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review in the 2020 edition of its annual “The Best 385 Colleges”. • College Consensus, a unique college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews, ranks Xavier as the nation’s #3 Historically Black Colleges and Universities) (2019). It also ranks Xavier as #3 among all Louisiana colleges. • College Factual ranks both Xavier’s biology and chemistry programs as program as No. 1 in Louisiana. (2019) • Your 2018 Guide to College Transfer lists Xavier as one of only 90 colleges and universities nationwide profiled as “transfer friendly” in this guide to the college transfer process by the Kaplan Educational Foundation. • The Student Loan Report ranks #Xavier 12 out of 800 Private schools who left graduates with the least amount of private student loan debt, a form of financial aid known for higher interest rates and less forgiving repayment programs. (2018) • Zippia.com named Xavier's Psychology Program as #1 in Louisiana. (2018) • Learn.org ranks Xavier Among the Top 50 STEM schools in the U.S. (2019) • The Edvocate ranks Xavier as the nation’s No. 3 Catholic University. (2019) • Zippia.com rates Xavier #1 in Louisiana in its 2019 report, “Best College in Each State for Getting a Job”.