CCIS – Assistant/Associate Professor, Renewable Contract, Public Relations and Entrepreneurship, Advertising and Public Relations- 530881

Department/Organization
207201 - Advertising and Public Relations

Rank
Assistant/Associate Professor

Position Summary
The Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Alabama is launching a new initiative to better support entrepreneurial activity by students and industry. To support this initiative, we are seeking to hire a renewable contract (non-tenure-track) assistant or associate professor in public relations and entrepreneurship. The ideal candidate will bring professional expertise in public relations, a commitment to preparing students to contribute to the creation, development, and growth of entrepreneurial ventures, and demonstrated innovative thinking in professional practice and the potential to bring that approach into the classroom. The start date for this position is August 2027.

Detailed Position Information
Relevant entrepreneurial experience may include:
● Working for a startup or other emerging venture or managing in-house communications at a high-growth or scale-up company.
● Serving startup or entrepreneurial clients through an agency or consultancy.
● Founding or helping build a public relations agency, independent consulting practice, or other business.
● Advising founders, franchisees, family businesses, or small business owners on reputation, stakeholder relationships, or business development communications, including launch and go-to-market messaging.
● Supporting communications needs of incubators, accelerators, university entrepreneurship programs, or commercialization initiatives.
● Helping launch nonprofit organizations or social enterprises.
● Developing new communications ventures, services, or agency practices within existing organizations.
● Managing investor, funding, and transition communications. This includes crowdfunding campaigns, pitch development, investor relations for early-stage companies, and M&A or exit communications.

These examples are illustrative, and applicants may demonstrate relevant entrepreneurial experience through other activities.

Depending on the candidate's experience and background, assigned classes could include, but are not limited to, the following:

● APR 241 Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations
● APR 280 Audience Analysis
● APR 290 Channels and Messaging
● APR 303 Public Relations Strategy
● APR 332 Public Relations Writing
● APR 423 Advertising and Public Relations Management
● APR 427 Public Relations Leadership
● APR 433 Public Relations Campaigns
● APR 451 Business for Strategic Communicators
● APR 452 Ethics and Professionalism

The faculty member will also be encouraged to develop new courses connecting public relations and entrepreneurship. These courses could address the communication needs of emerging ventures, the role of public relations in helping organizations grow, or the creation and management of an agency or independent practice.

The ability to work with student groups, such as the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), is also desired. The faculty member will be expected to develop a partnership with the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, The EDGE, and other entrepreneurship programs.

Applicants must demonstrate the ability to be an active and engaged member of a highly collaborative faculty team. The successful hire will teach four courses each fall and spring semester and may teach master's and doctoral courses, depending on academic qualifications.

Minimum Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications for consideration for assistant professor rank
● A terminal degree in public relations or a related field (Ph.D.) and at least three years of professional experience in public relations or a related field, including at least one year involving entrepreneurial communications activities.
● Proficiency in AP style
● Previous teaching experience is not required.

Minimum Qualifications for consideration for associate professor rank
● A terminal degree in public relations or a related field (Ph.D.) and at least 10 years of professional experience in public relations or a related field, including at least three years involving entrepreneurial communications activities.
● Proficiency in AP style
● Previous teaching experience is not required.

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications (for either rank) ● Five years or more of public relations experience in senior or leadership roles ● Three years or more of leadership-level entrepreneurial communications activities. ● Experience teaching college-level classes or experience leading employee training or workshops o We are especially interested in candidates who have used innovative, experiential approaches to teaching, such as client-based projects, design thinking, venture simulations, pitch development, and interdisciplinary collaboration, and who can help students develop the creativity, adaptability, and comfort with experimentation that entrepreneurial environments demand. ● Experience working with AI to assist with or create public relations communications.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
To apply, provide the following: 1. Cover letter highlighting your overall match for the position. 2. Resume or curriculum vitae. 3. Representative clients, employers, and industries, with a brief description of relevant entrepreneurial communications achievements or responsibilities 4. Names and contact information for three references. Applications submitted by Nov. 30, 2026, will receive full consideration, and review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Questions regarding the search should be directed to the search chair, Jay Waters, at ghwaters1@ua.edu.

About the Division/College/School
The College of Communication & Information Sciences has four academic units, approximately 110 full-time faculty members, and serves approximately 3,500 students across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including approximately 95 students in the college-wide Ph.D. program. The college’s Institute for Communication & Information Research (ICIR) is a premier research institute dedicated to addressing societal and cultural issues related to communication and information research. The ICIR collaborates with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and other entities to produce high-impact research that informs and improves our evolving communication and information landscape. The College is also home to the Public Opinion Lab, equipped with the Sprinklr data warehouse and custom data collection and management resources; a biometrics lab outfitted with state-of-the-art iMotions software and associated hardware; and the near-term development of an interactive VR/theater lab, among others. The college is also home to the Holle Center for Communication Arts, whose mission is guided by a commitment to advance narrative justice through innovative and arts-informed research, community engagement, and creative co-operation. The college also maintains the 40,000 square-foot Digital Media Center, which is home to Alabama Public Radio and WVUA 23, a full-power commercial television station serving a top-50 television market.

The Department of Advertising and Public Relations is one of four academic units in the College of Communication & Information Sciences. It houses a growing community of faculty, staff, and students with various research and professional interests. The department faculty engage in a variety of successful cross-campus collaborations and leadership roles. It is also home to The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations.

The advertising and public relations undergraduate programs are ACEJMC-accredited. Advertising majors have four options: a general major or a concentration in brand management, advertising creative, or integrated channel planning. Public relations majors have the option of a general or digital communication concentration. The graduate program awards a Master of Arts in advertising and public relations. The two-year residential program offers an individualized track and more specialized advertising, creative, and media strategy concentrations. The graduate program also provides distance-learning concentrations in digital communication and marketing communication management.

The department is home to the award-winning Minerva advertising portfolio program and the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. It has been listed by PRWeek magazine as one of the top five programs in the country and APR teams have been recognized in national student competitions including the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition, the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition, and the Washington Media Scholars Foundation Case Competition. Students gain extensive practical experience before graduation through multiple outlets, including work with the student-run Capstone Agency and industry clients such as NASCAR, the Country Music Association, Twitch, and Tervis.

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.

The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.

Advertised: 16 Oct 2026 Central Daylight Time
Applications close: 15 Dec 2026 Central Standard Time

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