Journalism And Communication Full-Time Tenure Track Instructor

Salary: $64,582.00 - $99,924.00 Annually
Location : and DE, CA
Job Type: Full Time - 10 Months/ 100% FTE
Job Number: FY2324-00132
Division: Instruction
Department: Language & Communications
Opening Date: 01/09/2024
Closing Date: 3/3/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
Job Description Summary
DEFINITION
The Languages and Communications division at Cuesta College is seeking a Full-time Tenure TrackJournalism and Digital Communication and Communication instructor. While the successful candidate's primary responsibility will be leading our Journalism and digital communication program, the successful candidate will also teach Journalism and digital communication courses and courses in communication studies and mass communication, or in all three, and serve as advisor for our college newspaper, The Cuestonian.com. The position requires strategic intention to reinvigorate the Journalism and digital communication program using a multimedia approach.
Cuesta College is looking for a strong leader to provide vision in growing the Journalism and digital communication program by modifying and developing curriculum for the journalism AAT (Associate in Arts for Transfer) and related certificate programs responsive to student demand and the needs of our local community and college. Program leadership also involves promoting the Journalism and digital communication program, recruiting students, and providing in-person supervision of our journalism lab.
Cuesta College serves and values students from diverse backgrounds and populations. Therefore, it is imperative that our faculty, staff, and administrators demonstrate an understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for, the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, and beliefs, as well as gender and sexual identities and abilities of all constituents within our Cuesta community. The successful candidate will share Cuesta College's commitment to closing equity gaps.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Languages and Communication division seeks candidates who value mentorship and working in a collegial, collaborative environment guided by a commitment to help all students achieve their educational goals and to become global citizens and socially responsible leaders. When you join our Cuesta College Languages & Communications team, you can expect to be part of an innovative and collaborative community. All departments strongly encourage collaboration across disciplines to create integrated and interdisciplinary learning experiences; for the Journalism and Communication departments, this involves collaborating with related areas in programs such as Art (digital photography, graphic design, graphic layout design, web & UX design) and Film/TV and electronic media (especially, writing for electronic media).
ABOUT THE COLLEGE
Where You Will Work Serving all of San Luis Obispo County, Cuesta College has provided comprehensive associate degree offerings, certificates, and community programs to the region since 1964. The main campus is located along scenic highway 1, west of San Luis Obispo and east of the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. Cuesta College has a North County Campus in Paso Robles, and South County Center, in Arroyo Grande.
Who We AreEquity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to our culture and the work we do. Cuesta College is proud to be a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) committed to racial and socio-economic diversity as it reflects our communities and student populations. We actively seek to attract candidates who share this commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. As part of the Cuesta College team, you can expect to be part of a collaborative community of faculty, classified professionals, administrators, students, and community partners advancing educational excellence with intentional support services leading to student success and completion.
Additional information about the college can be found at
The college planning documents can be found at
Our Student Equity Action Plan can be found at
https://www.cuesta.edu/about/info/student-equity-initiatives/equity/index.html
We offer comprehensive benefit options. Information about benefits can be found at
Essential Functions & Qualifications
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Lead the Journalism and digital communication program with strategic intent to reinvigorate, grow, and innovate within a multimedia context; includes focus on the journalism AAT (Associate in Arts for Transfer degree), multimedia certificate, exploration of other certificates, and multimedia collaboration across disciplines with digital art and Film/TV electronic media;
  
• Explore the potential of adding Public Relations courses to the Journalism & Digital Communication Department and potentially develop curriculum in Public Relations;
  
• Collaborate with Cuesta College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo stakeholders to articulate courses in support of a pathway of transfer to Cal Poly for the Journalism AAT such that all courses articulate; explore other partnerships with Cal Poly's journalism program;
  
• Promote the Journalism and digital communication program to the college and local community;

• Recruit students into the Journalism and digital communication program;
  
• Serve as the faculty advisor to our student newspaper, The Cuestonian.com, advising the student newspaper staff, coordinating the student editorial team, managing the Cuestonian.com WordPress site, and overseeing the multimedia design and production of the online newspaper;
  
• Oversee use of the Journalism lab, SLO campus. This involves providing on site supervision when students are using the lab and holding hybrid courses in the lab;
  
• Liaise with our local community about internships, certificate programs, job opportunities, and curriculum needs;
  
• Pursue partnerships and internships with local media outlets and organizations;
  
• Convene the annual meeting of the Journalism and digital communication program advisory board;
  
• Develop Career Technical Education (CTE) Strong Workforce Program (SWP) and Perkins grants; serve as grant project lead coordinating distribution of funds, purchasing, expenditures, tracking, and reporting;
  
• Work with division chair for Foundation requests and/or funds specific to Journalism and digital; communication. Oversee Foundation funds specific to the Journalism and digital communication program;
  
• Research and write program review of the Journalism and Digital communication program;
  
• Collaborate with division chair on Journalism and digital communication course scheduling;
  
• Collaborate with related programs such as Digital/Graphic art and Film/TV and electronic media;
  
• Evaluate faculty, primarily in Journalism and digital communication, but may include faculty in communication, mass communication, or other division disciplines;
  
• Serve on college committees and taskforces;
  
• Perform other duties as needed depending on the changing circumstances of the Journalism and digital communication program and/or mass communication and/or communication studies programs.

TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position requires in-person and online instruction, including hybrid synchronous/asynchronous and in-person/online modalities;
  
• Teaching assignments may include both day and evening hours at the San Luis Obispo campus, Paso Robles campus, Arroyo Grande Center and synchronously online;

• Teach courses in the Journalism and digital communications program;
  
• Teach courses in Communication Studies and/or in Mass Communications;
  
• Given the needs of the department to offer online and hybrid courses, all full-time Language & Communication division faculty are expected to attain Distance Education Certification; attain distance education certification in the Fall 2024 semester prior to the start of Journalism's 15 week courses;
  
• Assess student learning outcomes;
  
• Maintain current knowledge in the discipline(s), including the use of new technology for news gathering and platforms for dissemination, theories of mass communication, multimedia foundational knowledge and skills, and current and emerging creative software program use;
  
• Equip students with media literacy and Communication skills including identifying and evaluating news sources, conducting interviews, verifying, and attributing information, and using multimedia tools in story creation and production;
  
• Foster in students an awareness and understanding of ethical integrity and first amendment rights and responsibilities as a basis for sound news judgments and editorial decisions;
  
• Include DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) in instruction and advising potentially ranging from sensitivity to newsroom diversity, covering the whole community, using diverse sources, outreach to underrepresented community members, and creating accessible/inclusive publishing (video captions, digital formatting, etc.);
  
• Stay up to date with the evolving uses and types of social media with regards to journalistic storytelling, information dissemination, data visualization, and any area related to Journalism and digital communication and public relations;
  
• Follow developments in AI with respect to journalism, multimedia, and Communication.

QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience:
Required:
-Master's in journalism or communication with specialization in journalism from an accredited institution;
OR
-Bachelor's from an accredited institution in either of the above
AND
Master's in English, history, communication, literature, composition, comparative literature, any social science, business, business administration, marketing, graphics or photography.
OR
-The equivalent. (Candidates applying on the basis of equivalency must submit all materials requested for an equivalency judgment. For directions on what is an acceptable equivalency argument please review the requirements listed on the or see further information on Equivalency Petition Process Information below.).
OR
-A valid Community College credential in the discipline (If received prior to 1990, as the credential is no longer being issued).
Required:
-Sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students.
Desirable:

• Teaching experience in the discipline(s), community college level preferred;
  
• Awareness of the philosophy and objectives of California Community Colleges;

• Meets the following journalism minimum qualifications that overlap with communication studies: master's in communication with specialization in journalism or master's in communication and bachelor's in journalism;
  
• Experience leading a journalism program, providing vision with a multimedia context, planning strategically, program, event, and course promoting, recruiting students, and working collaboratively with local media and other community partners;
  
• Proven ability to teach journalism courses and mass communication and/or communication studies courses based on current practices and theories in online, in-person, and hybrid modalities;
  
• Recent professional experience in the web-based digital journalism industry, including but not limited to, reporting, writing, editing, and multimedia news production for web based platforms;
  
• Demonstrated experience of creating stories and teaching journalistic storytelling through some combination of text, images, sound, video, and graphics for various types of media platforms;
  
• Knowledge of Journalism and public relations curriculum;
  
• Experience obtaining and managing Strong Workforce Program (SWP) and Perkins grants for CTE (Career Technical Education) funds;
  
• Familiarity working with advisory committees;
  
• Cross discipline collaborative experience (for example with digital art related programs and film/tv, electronic media programs);

• Experience running a college journalism lab;
  
• Experience as a faculty advisor for a student news publication;
  
• Ability to use hardware and software to create professional multimedia content;
  
• Demonstrated ability to create in and teach WordPress.

Additional Information
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO APPLY
Candidates will be required to submit all documents listed below when applying for this position. When uploading documents, PDF documents are preferred.

• Cover letter (500 words maximum);
• Resume;
• Teaching Philosophy/Diversity Statement;
• Syllabus created by the candidate for one lower division college level journalism or mass communication course;
• Professional Reference List;
• Unofficial transcripts.

Cover Letter Instructions

• Limit number of words to 500 maximum;

• Address ability to lead a journalism program;
  
• Include academic and professional experience related to the Journalism/Communication position;
  
• Consider past experiences that have prepared you for the position;
  
• Consider unique contributions to be made to the college.

Resume/CV Instructions
Include all relevant education, training, professional experience in the field, teaching experience (including courses taught), and other work experience.
Teaching Philosophy/Diversity Statement Instructions

• Limit number of words to 500 maximum;
  
• Include your teaching philosophy as it pertains to Journalism and Communication, including your approach to DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) sensitivity and teaching a diverse student body, and your values, beliefs and/or goals;
  
• Consider how the Cuesta College Mission Statement connects to your philosophy;
  
• Consider your exp...