Professor of Practice in Public Relations

Professor of Practice, Public Relations
Department of Mass Communication
College of Fine Arts and Communication
COFAC-3733

Position:
The College of Fine Arts and Communication invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure track, 9-month Professor of Practice position in Public Relations in the Department of Mass Communication beginning August 2024. The successful candidate must be committed to the university’s goal of inclusiveness and work effectively with persons of all races, genders, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations and religions. The appointment begins August 2024.

Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree in public relations, mass communication, or related field.
2. Demonstrated success or potential as a classroom teacher.
3. A minimum of five years of professional experiences and teaching experiences in public relations and strategic communication is highly desirable.

Responsibilities:

1. Faculty assigned an instructional workload of eight courses per academic year (4 courses per semester).
2. Teach two or more undergraduate courses in public relations among the following: Principles of Strategic Public Relations, Media Relations, Corporate Communication Management, PR Writing, or PR Campaigns. The ability to teach digital media tools is a plus.
3. Opportunities exist to teach other courses, including graduate courses, depending on the applicant’s area of specialty and the need of the department. Graduate teaching responsibilities include Practice of Public Relations and Organizational Communication, Managing Communication in a Diverse Society, Research Methods in Communication, Crisis Communication, Social Media and Content Strategy or others in the candidate’s area of expertise.
4. Undergraduate advising is part of teaching responsibilities. Service to the department, college, and university is expected.

The Department:
The department (https://www.towson.edu/cofac/departments/mass-communication/) offers an undergraduate major in Mass Communication with tracks in advertising, journalism, and strategic public relations. At the graduate level, the department offers a Master of Science in Communication Management. The department annually enrolls over 550 undergraduate and 50 graduate students served by 21 full-time faculty and over 20 part-time faculty.

Towson University:
Towson University (www.towson.edu) was founded in 1866, is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top public universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, is Baltimore’s largest university, and is the largest public, comprehensive institution in the University of Maryland System. TU enrolls over 19,000 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students across six academic colleges (business, education, fine arts, health professions, liberal arts, science & mathematics), has of 900 full-time faculty, and offers 65 bachelor’s 42 master’s, and 4 doctoral programs. Our centrally located campus sits on 330 rolling green acres and is 10 miles north of Baltimore, 45 miles north of Washington D.C., and 95 miles south of Philadelphia.

Application Process:
Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Please indicate the “position number” (COFAC-3733) in the subject line for all communications and applications.

For initial applications, submit:

• Cover letter / letter of application
• Curriculum vitae with a list of three references and contact information
• An unofficial copy of undergraduate and graduate transcripts.

Candidates who advance to the next stage of the process will be required to submit:

• A teaching effectiveness portfolio that includes your teaching philosophy, potential or demonstrated evidence of teaching effectiveness, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in teaching and service that will support TU and the department’s mission and identity
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts are required prior to hire.

Click here to apply. Please note that the search number for which you are applying is COFAC-3733. Questions regarding this position should be directed to the search committee chair at: PRsearch2024@towson.edu.

A Criminal Background Investigation is required for the hired candidate and the results may impact employment.

The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the University System of Maryland (USM) has strongly encouraged full COVID vaccination and up-to-date booster shots (when eligible) for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM as both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety.

Please be sure to visit the Applicant Data Form to complete a voluntary on-line applicant data form. The information you provide will inform the university’s affirmative action plan and is for statistical-related purposes only. The information will not be used for any other purpose.

Towson University is an equal opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, as detailed in A More Inclusive TU: Advancing Equity and Diversity (2020 – 25). TU is a national leader in inclusive excellence, the only institution in Maryland with zero achievement gap, and 68% growth in minority enrollment over the past 5 years. We encourage application from a variety of (dis)abilities, cultural, ethnic, race, sex, gender identity/expression, national origin, age, veteran status, color, religious, socio-economic, sexual orientation and belief backgrounds.