The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma seeks outstanding candidates for an Associate or Full Professor position in Public Relations with a research focus, beginning Spring 2025 for Fall 2025.

The college prides itself on the outstanding professional preparation of students grounded in personal interactions with faculty and extraordinary opportunities to connect with industry professionals regionally, nationally, and internationally. Courses designed to be experiential in nature provide students with hands-on experience in developing strategies and plans and creating communications assets for outside clients.

The selected candidate will have a robust research agenda aligned with the OU Research Strategic Framework (https://www.ou.edu/research-norman/strategic-framework) and will teach undergraduate and graduate-level classes and develop and deliver courses in the areas of their expertise, including but not limited to economic, political, social issues and trends, consumer behavior, corporate social responsibility, reputation management, and public relations theory.

The candidate will be expected to help teach core classes in the curriculum including public relations research, public relations writing, public relations ethics, contemporary problems in public relations, and public relations campaigns. Candidate should conduct research and teach elective courses in one or more of the following: community development/engagement, CSR, reputation/relationship, risk, and/or issues management; nonprofit/health; consumer culture/lifestyle/entertainment, and science/technology/digital/computational public relations.

Research reflecting science, risk and technology communication, AI-generated methodologies, data science, digital PR with computational social science focus, media and technology, environmental and ecological communication, and/or science and health communication in public relations, health crisis, and/or public policy is strongly preferred. The ability to work in cross-disciplinary settings across programs such as health and medical sciences, business/marketing, information science, sociology, psychology, and/or international studies is also strongly preferred. Candidates should also have the ability to build connections with area professionals, businesses, and alumni. Evidence of external grant seeking and securing is a must.

The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was founded in 2000, after a generous gift from the family of Edward L. Gaylord, owner of the Oklahoma Publishing Company. The Gaylord College is one of the leading centers of mass communication teaching and scholarship in the United States. The College has a state-of-the-art Gaylord Hall completed in 2004 and expanded in 2009. New faculty will take an active part in the growth of the College through superior teaching, innovative curriculum development, and notable research or creative activity. They will join a highly engaged journalism faculty that includes leading scholars and innovative practitioners. The College offers the BA, MA, and Ph.D. in journalism, advertising and public relations, and media arts and a master’s (MPW) degree in professional writing.

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Carnegie-R1 comprehensive public research university known for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, serving the educational, cultural, economic and health-care needs of the state, region, and nation from three campuses: Norman, Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and the Schusterman Center in Tulsa. OU enrolls over 32,000 students and has more than 2800 full-time faculty members in 21 colleges. The city of Norman – with outstanding schools, amenities, and a low cost of living – is a perennial contender on the “Best Places to Live” rankings. Visit soonerway.ou.edu for more information.

Candidates should have an earned doctorate in public relations/related areas. Professional experience in public relations or related field desired. Candidates must demonstrate evidence of robust prior success and excellence in all three areas of research, teaching, and service as well as a current, ongoing, cutting-edge research program with clear evidence of or potential for external funding and/or cross-disciplinary research collaboration. Advanced assistant professors with a robust research agenda and demonstrated evidence of securing external funds are encouraged to apply for the associate professor tenure-track position.

Applications for the search will be reviewed beginning October 30, 2024, and will be accepted until the position is filled.  Applicants should provide: 1) a cover letter describing their qualifications and their vision and plans for this position, 2) a curriculum vitae, 3) a one-page research statement, 4) names, addresses, phone numbers, and email of at least three references, and 5) 2-3 samples of most recent publications that reflect the current research program. For specific questions about the position and application process, please contact search committee chair Dr. Katerina Tsetsura (tsetsura@ou.edu). Applications should be submitted online via http://apply.interfolio.com/153865.