Executive Director

Search for the Executive Director

McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies

College of Arts & Sciences

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

The Position

The McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies (McGee Center) at Vanderbilt University seeks an experienced and visionary Executive Director to lead its mission of promoting media literacy and understanding the impact of news stories on society. Through a holistic approach, innovative research endeavors, and Vanderbilt's commitment to global impact and community engagement, the center envisions a future where media literacy becomes a cornerstone for informed and empowered citizenship in the 21st century.

The Executive Director will report to the Dean of Arts + Science or their designee, and will provide strategic leadership for all aspects of the McGee Center’s operations, oversee research initiatives, develop educational programs, and foster collaborations with internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the Executive Director will manage the renovation and expansion of existing campus media resources, including the Vanderbilt Television News Archive within the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. The McGee Center will lead the conversion of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive’s searchable metadata from summaries to full-text transcriptions, restoring the archive to its original purpose of providing the public with data-driven insight into the ways the news media shapes opinion.

The Vanderbilt University College of Arts + Science and the Vanderbilt Libraries are in an exciting time of transformation. With new leadership at the Chancellor, Provost, Dean of the College, and University Librarian levels, the McGee Center will be re-envisioning the future of research at Vanderbilt. Through radical collaboration, the center will deepen student and faculty engagement with the information, equip students for life-long information proficiency, increase faculty research impact, create more opportunities for interdisciplinary experimentation, and optimize access to media and resources, including marginalized and hidden histories and cultures outside of the mainstream.

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/vanderbilt-university-mcgee-applied-research-center-narrative-studies/executive. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Katie Rockman, Partner

Stephanie Simon, Senior Associate

Maria Connor, Managing Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller

Vanderbilt University has a strong institutional commitment to recruiting and retaining an academically and culturally diverse community of faculty. Minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups, in particular, are encouraged to apply. Vanderbilt is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

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