Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice and Director, Center for Community Media
Governors State University

Description

The Center for Community Media (CCM) seeks an experienced leader to serve as the Center's director in a three-year visiting assistant professor appointment. The director will work with a cohesive and collaborative faculty steering committee, a program committee, and an advisory board of industry experts. The successful candidate will have administrative experience in a media, arts, and/or cultural space and can demonstrate how their experience prepares them to provide continuity during this period of growth at the CCM. Special consideration will be given to candidates with proficiency in Spanish. The director will support the Center in achieving the unit goals set by faculty unit leads, be a servant-leader, and a flexible mentor, with a collaborative mind-set for making connections across campus and in the community. The director is expected to teach up to 9 credit hours in the Media Studies program. This is a 12- month position.

Mission and Purpose of the Center for Community Media

The Center for Community Media (CCM) is a faculty-led, student-driven production, teaching and research center that aims to promote, develop, foster and support community access broadcasting to serve the digital information needs of the campus and Southland communities. Launched in 2021, the CCM is the ?rst teaching and research center at Governors State University to achieve approval (5-year temporary status) from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The CCM produces educational and local public service media with a focus on listening to and telling the compelling stories that connect local experience to state, national, and global issues. The CCM develops and coordinates activities in three units: The Student Media Institute (SMI), Media Across the Curriculum (MAC), and the Media Research Institute (MRI). The SMI hosts three student-run and faculty-advised programs: 1. GSU TV is a monthly television program reporting on news, sports, and culture that airs on Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV); 2. The Phoenix Digital News site publishes campus and community news; and 3. Radio Jaguar is a campus and community radio station that launched in November 2023. MAC brings media literacy projects into classrooms across the university and hosts the annual First Voice student storytelling competition. Finally, the MRI offers a competitive academic year- long Fellowship for faculty and staff to promote and support research projects that integrate or investigate media. The emphasis is on developing projects seeking external funding and innovative applications.

Required and Preferred Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• M.A. in a relevant field, plus 7-10 years of professional practice in a media related field (audio, video, or print journalism)
• Familiar with faculty needs and processes
• Experience teaching non-production courses in Media Studies or related field Experience working with student media

Preferred Qualifications:

• MFA or PhD in related field
• Experience working with students and supervising student workers Experience leading and collaborating with faculty
• Knowledge of fundraising in an academic setting Experience working with advisory boards
• Experience with marketing and establishing a social media presence Experience with television or radio production or journalism

Supplemental Information

Please attach the following documents:

• Cover Letter*
• CV or Resume
• Transcripts
• List of Three Professional References with current contact information.

*Please indicate in your one to two-page cover letter how your experience has prepared you to successfully direct a multimedia teaching, research, and production center on a public regional campus like Governors State University.

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