Search for Endowed Chair of Broadcasting

The TCF Department is seeking to fill the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting.

The chair position requires an individual who is dedicated to the highest standards of broadcasting and, through her/his leadership qualities, be able to instill in students the highest goals of excellence. The chair holder shall help promote the overall value of Broadcast Education to civic leadership and public service.

The next holder of the Reagan Chair will be expected to continue in the manner of the current holder; i.e., teach at both the graduate and undergraduate level, conduct research, seek external research funding, and engage in a broad range of service activities. Only candidates with a Ph.D. will be considered for the chair position.

Minimum & Preferred Qualifications: The Telecommunication and Film Department of The University of Alabama announces an opening for The Reagan Chair of Broadcasting upon the retirement of internationally known scholar Dr. Jennings Bryant in the summer of 2010.

The department is seeking applicants from distinguished scholars in the broadcasting/telecommunication field for this tenure-track position. Rank is commensurate with the successful candidate’s curriculum vitae. The chair position requires an individual who is dedicated to the highest standards of broadcasting and, through her/his leadership qualities, be able to instill in students the highest goals of excellence. The chair holder shall help promote the overall value of Broadcast Education to civic leadership and public service.

The next holder of the Reagan Chair will be expected to teach at both the graduate and undergraduate level, conduct programmatic research, obtain extramural support for research, and engage in a broad range of service activities.

Naturally, only candidates with a Ph.D. in communication or a commensurate field will be considered for the chair position. Salary is comparable to that offered to other endowed chair holders. The successful candidate will assume the chair August 16, 2011.

The Reagan Chair of Broadcasting was established in 1983 with the first holder being Dr. Don LeDuc in 1984. The just retired occupier of the chair, Dr. Jennings Bryant, is the second person to hold the chair beginning in 1987.

Established in 1940, the Department has approximately 510 students in its undergraduate and masters programs. It is one of five academic units in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, which includes an interdepartmental doctoral program ranked seventh nationally and the Institute for Communication and Information Research that includes a survey lab, a psychophysiology lab, a focus group lab, a child media lab, a content analysis lab and a theatre. The College operates the professional production facilities of the state’s Center for Public Television and Radio, award-winning Alabama Public Radio, student radio station WVUA-FM, and Tuscaloosa’s primary commercial television stations, low powered commercial WVUA-7 and full powered commercial WUOA-TV that serves the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa DMA through broadcast and DirecTV and Dish Network.

The University of Alabama, established in 1831 in Tuscaloosa, is currently rated seventh among public universities in the nation by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity as reported in Forbes. It has approximately 30,000 students, including 4,500 graduate students in over 120 masters and doctoral programs and a Carnegie classification of “Doctoral/Research Universities Extensive.” Tuscaloosa is a university-oriented community of nearly 100,000 located about fifty minutes southwest of Birmingham, in the nation’s 40th television market. It is a short drive from the Smoky Mountains, Gulf Coast beaches, New Orleans, Nashville, and Atlanta. Additional information about the Department, the College and the University, is available at www.tcf.ua.edu. Telephone inquiries (205-348-8653) and e-mail szhou{at}ua.edu are welcome.

To apply, please log onto http://hr.ua.edu/employment/, go to faculty positions and complete the information requested for the Reagan chair position. Questions may be addressed to: Dr. Shuhua Zhou, Telecommunication and Film Department, University of Alabama, Box 870152, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0152.

Screening of applications begins December 1; however, applications will be accepted until search is completed.

UA is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.