IMPORTANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Upload Resume or Curriculum Vitae for automatic population of information to the application.The contact information, work experience, and education listed on your Resume/CV will be parsed and input into your Montclair application.Review information and double-check all fields containing information that the system parsed – the software is intelligent, but you need to verify that the data is accurate.In the “My Experience” section, you will find a Resume/CV upload option where you can submit your cover letter and all other supporting documents.

Note: If you have an expansive CV, we recommend that you apply manually and only include the positions you have held in the last ten (10) years. You will then be able to attach your Resume/CV, as well as all other supporting documentation in the "My Experience" section of your application.

Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University invites applications for a faculty member to serve as chair for the Department of Strategic Communication. Qualified candidates will have a distinguished record of teaching, research, and service that qualifies the for tenure on appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. This person will have the opportunity to lead an engaged and talented faculty in ensuring academic and co-curricular programs are contemporary and industry aligned while continuing to build the national reputation and distinctiveness of programs within the department. They will also lead the department in furthering critical interdisciplinary work both in the School and across the University. The department chair will provide leadership in supporting external engagement with industry and community, lead the department in best practices in a range of administrative functions, back innovative academic and public scholarship that informs the discipline, and champion new programs and curricula that prepares students for the collective future workplace.

This opportunity comes at an exciting time for the School, as it will officially become a separate College beginning July 1, 2025, creating new prospects for growth, innovation, and distinction. Four departments are being formed in the College from previously aligned academic areas, providing leadership opportunities and the imperative for departments to build important infrastructure, including service committees, assessment processes, and a range of administrative functions. The School currently enrolls approximately 2000 students and has experienced remarkable growth since its inauguration in 2012, with continued expansion anticipated both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The School has developed a robust curriculum across its comprehensive span of disciplines and also maintains several innovative co-curricular programs.

The Department of Strategic Communication will house two majors, Advertising and Social Media & Public Relations. The programs currently enroll over 319 majors and is experiencing rapid growth in both majors – particularly true as the Advertising major was only launched in 2022. While these are two separate majors, they share several common courses and a recognition of the synergies between the two disciplines in a highly integrated academic and professional landscape. The department will also house the School’s newly approved MA in Strategic Communication and Media, a highly innovative and fully online degree program that prepares graduates for careers in the contemporary professional landscape. The department also supports several key co-curricular programs, including Hawk Communications (the School’s strategic communications agency), PRSSA, and a newly forming Ad Club. The Department will also oversee participation in the Bateman PR competition, in which Montclair finished second nationally last year, and will also support future participation in the National Student Advertising Competition. Department faculty oversee the work of the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, which has garnered extensive global media coverage through its public scholarship of timely social issues using social media analytics tools

The ideal candidate will have an established record as a faculty member in one of the department’s disciplines. They should have a record of teaching, scholarship, and service that merits tenure at Montclair. They must have administrative experience, which could include serving as department chair, deputy chair, graduate director, assistant dean, and other leadership roles. The candidate must embrace the importance of responsibilities assigned to the chair, including efficient and equitable scheduling, faculty evaluation, assessment, student grievances, mentoring of junior faculty, student recruitment, and hiring and overseeing adjunct faculty. They must recognize the importance of resource management and prioritization. They should be excited to fully embrace the professional opportunities that come from a campus in the shadows of NYC, the center of the nation’s communication and media industries. Ideal candidates will support a thriving and positive environment where faculty work collaboratively towards student success, creative and scholarly initiatives, and department innovation. Candidates from all disciplines within the Department are welcomed to apply, and they must be keenly focused on the technologically evolutionary nature of these fields and ensuring academic programs prepare students for these career opportunities. Department chairs do maintain a teaching schedule, reduced for their administrative load, and receive additional compensation for their administrative responsibilities throughout the summer.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Candidates will hold a Ph.D. in communication, media, or an appropriately aligned discipline. Candidates must have a strong record of scholarly or creative work appropriate to tenure at the associate or full professor level at an R2 institution; a demonstrated history of being an engaged and committed classroom instructor who will work with a diverse student population; a history of building innovative curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities; and an ability to articulate a vision for a department in strategic communication that provides outstanding educational and career opportunities to a broad and aspiring student population. We appreciate candidates with a proven track record in securing external funding and developing partnerships. Candidates must have past academic administrative experience.

THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA:

Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of approximately 2000 students. Offering degrees in advertising, animation and visual effects, communication and media studies, film and television, journalism and digital media, social media and public relations, sports communication, and an MA in strategic communication and media, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. It maintains several critical strategic partnerships, including membership in NBCU Academy, the summer residency program for Ghetto Film School, and a highly collaborative partnership with WNBC/Telemundo 47. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications PR Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, a Los Angeles residential program, and News Lab, as well as the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication and the Center for Cooperative Media, the latter of which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local and collaborative journalism. Recent national recognitions for the School include an Edward R. Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and two College Television Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and several SVG Sports Media nominations.

Beginning July 1, 2025, the School will become a separate college, allowing it unique opportunities for new growth and innovation. The College will consist of four departments: Animation, Film, & Television; Communication and Media Studies; Journalism and Sports Media; and Strategic Communication. The College will continue the upward trajectory of the work of the School’s faculty, staff, and students, aspiring towards a model of inclusive excellence and national recognition across its departments, degrees, centers, and programs.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT:

Montclair State University is committed to establishing and maintaining a diverse campus community that is representative of the State of New Jersey through inclusive excellence and equal opportunity. Montclair State University's commitment to access and equity is designed to prepare each graduate to thrive as a global citizen.  As an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution we are working to support a campus-wide agenda to foster a community that both values and promotes the varied voices of our students, faculty, and staff. The University encourages candidates to apply who will contribute to the cultural tapestry of Montclair State University and who value teaching a diverse student population, many of whom are first generation students.

SALARY RANGE:       Commensurate with experience    

STARTING DATE:      September 1, 2025

   

REQUIRED MATERIALS: 

Cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and representative publications, which can be uploaded during the application process.

3 letters of recommendation, which can be sent to: scmsearchcom@montclair.edu 

APPLY BY:   The position is open until filled and application review begins immediately.

Department

School of Communication and Media

Position Type

Faculty

Contact Information:

For questions or concerns, please contact Human Resources' Workday Recruiting Support at 973-655-5000 (Option 2), or email talent@montclair.edu.

EEO/AA Statement

Montclair State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution with a strong commitment to diversity.

Additional information can be found on the website at 
www.montclair.edu/human-resources/about-us/eo-aa-and-diversity/

Title IX and 34 C.F.R. 106 Policy

Montclair State is required by Title IX and 34 C.F.R. 106 not to discriminate on the basis of sex or gender, and does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in the operation of education programs and activities.  The requirement to not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in the operation of education programs and activities extends to admission and employment. For further details, please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/human-resources/job-seekers/