Assistant Professor (Communication Studies)

Position Title: Assistant Professor (Communication Studies)

Department: Communication Studies

Campus Location: Washburn University

The screening committee will review all eligible applications submitted by November 13, 2024.

Position Summary: Washburn University invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Communication Studies, to begin August 1, 2025. This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position.

The selected candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to pursuing teaching excellence at Washburn University, including a dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage students from all backgrounds.

Washburn University is a student-centered public institution with a diverse population. Washburn is a 2024 best college to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. Located in the heart of Topeka, we are proud to be a cornerstone of the community. Our mission is to provide opportunities for our students to realize their full potential; we can’t do it without our dedicated faculty and staff. Join us at Washburn, and you will be part of a long tradition of excellence.

The Communication Studies Department offers a University Core required course, a popular minor and two majors (BA in Communication Studies and B.Ed. in Speech and Theatre), and an inter-disciplinary MA in Communication and Leadership in conjunction with our renowned Aleshire Center for Leadership and Community Engagement. Our department also features a nationally-ranked Lincoln-Douglas debate team and a regionally-competitive Mock Trial program. Faculty members are collaborative, interdisciplinary, and friendly, and emphasize the importance of both campus and community involvement in the forms of community service, original student research projects, and internships at various organizations throughout the Topeka area.

Washburn employs more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka. We strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation.

Essential Functions:
• Fulfill teaching expectations associated with a tenure-track appointment. Teach 12 hours per semester (either in-person or online, according to departmental needs) or an equivalent full workload as outlined in the faculty handbook.
• Teach and develop undergraduate classes and seminars as assigned and as dependent upon department needs, which may include Introduction to Communication Studies, Public Speaking, and some combination of the following classes consistent with the candidate’s training and interests: Interpersonal Communication, Health Communication, Organizational Communication, Gender Communication, Sexual Communication, Communication and Social Movements, Persuasive Speaking, Persuasion, Political Communication, Communication in Teams and Groups, Crisis Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Interviewing, and Intercultural Communication.
• Advise and mentor undergraduate communication studies students.
• Fulfill service expectations associated with a tenure-track appointment by engaging in service activities in the department, university, and profession. Specific needs in our department include 1) advising student organizations, 2) organizing department events, 3) serving as department assessment liaison, and/or 4) serving as Concurrent Enrollment Program Liaison to area high schools.
• Fulfill expectations associated with a tenure-track appointment for scholarship.
• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in Communication Studies or a closely related field (i.e., Speech Communication, Communication, Rhetoric, etc.); ABD applicants will be considered if the Ph.D. will be completed by August 1, 2026.
• Experience teaching at the university level.
• Demonstrated dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage students from all backgrounds.
• Official transcripts required at time of hire

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience teaching such courses as Public Speaking, Introduction to Communication Studies (or equivalent), Interpersonal Communication, Health Communication, and/or Organizational Communication.
• Experience and demonstrated success with online and/or hybrid teaching modalities.
• Demonstrated record of academic service.
• Evidence of teaching-centered professional development.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
• Please upload the following items as a PDF to the “additional document” field via the electronic application: a letter of interest, statement of teaching philosophy, and evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as student or peer evaluations). Contact information for three current professional references will be collected as part of the application form.
• If you have questions about the position, please contact Dr. Carson Kay, Chair of the Search Committee: carson.kay@washburn.edu.

Background Check Required