(15/01/2022) Job Market: Arizona State University – Open Rank Position in Sports Media

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University invites applications for an open-rank, full-time, tenured or tenure-track professor of sports media to teach and conduct research in this vital area.

Applicants must have a relevant Ph.D. at the time of appointment. The ideal candidate will have a professional background in sports journalism, sports marketing, or sports media production and the ability to teach related skills courses as well as conceptual, theoretical and methodological material at the undergraduate and graduate level, both in immersion settings and online.

Candidates should demonstrate a strong research agenda focused on advancing knowledge within the discipline. Scholars specializing in quantitative, qualitative, critical, historical or mixed methods will all be considered.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Teach immersion and online courses in sports journalism and/or sports marketing (depending on the candidate’s areas of specialization) at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Course assignments may include doctoral seminars in mass communication theory or methods, as well as skills training for undergraduate and graduate students in sports media production, ethical issues in sports media, sports media production, sports reporting, and others. The candidate hired will be expected to contribute to the development of new courses and degree programs in sports media, and to supervise student theses, applied projects and dissertations;
• Research commensurate with the demands of a top R1 institution, with a demonstrated record of publishing in premiere scholarly journals, academic edited volumes, and participation in disciplinary conferences;
• Service according to rank, potentially to include serving on standing and/or ad hoc committees at the school and university level, service to the profession, and community outreach;
• Established or potential for thought leadership in their area(s) of specialization within the broader field of sports media.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in a relevant discipline (sports journalism, sports marketing, mass communication, journalism, strategic communication, or similar)

Desired qualifications:

• At least five years’ experience in sports journalism, strategic sports communications, or public relations with an emphasis on sports
• Experience teaching in both immersion (face-to-face classroom) and online environments
• Ability to teach both skills and conceptual courses in sports journalism, production, and/or marketing at the undergraduate and/or master’s level
• Ability to teach courses in mass communication theory and methods at the doctoral level
• Record of scholarly publications and evidence of an active research agenda

About the Cronkite School

The Cronkite School is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier journalism programs. Rooted in the time-honored values that characterize its namesake—accuracy, responsibility, objectivity, integrity—the school fosters journalistic excellence and ethics among students as they master the professional skills they need to succeed in the digital media world of today and tomorrow.

Located on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in the heart of the nation’s fifth-largest city, the School has 70 full-time faculty members, more than 100 full-time professional staff and annual resources of more than $40 million.

Nearly 2,500 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students are enrolled at Cronkite, preparing for careers in journalism, strategic media and related communications fields. Of the undergraduate residential student population, more than 60 percent come from out-of-state and more than 37 percent are students of color. The retention rate consistently exceeds 90 percent, and Cronkite students regularly lead the country in national journalism competitions.

The school champions a “teaching hospital” model of journalism education, for which it has received international acclaim. Cronkite offers 15 different full-immersion professional programs in which students work in intensive, real-world settings under the guidance of top-flight professionals and in collaboration with research faculty. The programs enable students to put into practice what they have learned in the classroom, producing news, information and community engagement on critical issues for the state, region and nation.

The Cronkite faculty is made up of award-winning professional journalists, strategic communications specialists and world-class media scholars. Cronkite professors include five Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, digital media thought leaders, top TV producers and correspondents, major metropolitan newspaper editors and strategic communications experts.

About Arizona State University

ASU is one of the largest and most innovative public research universities in the country, undertaking a bold reinvention of higher education as a New American University. With four campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area, it serves more than 127,000 students on campus and online. For the past six years, it has been ranked No. 1 for innovation by U.S. News & World Report.

In the last decade, ASU has developed numerous new programs and units that bridge disciplinary boundaries to enable the exploration and discovery of new knowledge, while developing practical solutions to serve Arizona and the world at large. The university has strong and simultaneous commitments to educational access, excellence, and impact, and assumes significant responsibility for the cultural, social and economic vitality of its surrounding communities.

Application

Materials must include:

1. A cover letter stating qualifications
2. Curriculum vitae or resume
3. Contact information (name, address, email, telephone number) for three professional references;
4. A diversity statement that addresses their experience and commitment to social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion over the course of their careers and outlines how they would advance DEI goals at the Cronkite School. The statement should be no longer than 500 words.

The applicant’s name should appear in each uploaded file name. Cover letters may be addressed to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Dawn Gilpin. Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee chair at: kathleen.burke@asu.edu.

Application deadline is January 15, 2021. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

Applicants must apply online at: https://apptrkr.com/2691224

A background search is required for employment.

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. More information can be found at https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html  and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements – Under the recent executive order issued by President Biden requiring all employees of federal contractors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, ASU expects all employees, including new hires, to be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation. Proof of vaccination will be required by December 8, 2021. For questions about medical or religious accommodations, please visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s webpage.

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf.  You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.