Assistant Professor

About This Role

The A.Q. Miller School of Media & Communication at Kansas State University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Organizational Communication. We seek a scholar whose research and teaching engage the future of work, the future of organizations, and the future of organizing—broadly conceived. The successful candidate will bring a forward-looking research agenda and teaching portfolio that examines how communication constitutes, transforms, and sustains organizing processes in an era of rapid change. We are especially interested in candidates whose scholarship intersects with one or more of the following: the communicative and organizational dimensions of emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, platform labor, digital collaboration); critical perspectives on the future of work and organizations; and community-engaged approaches to organizing and organizational change. Across these areas, we especially value candidates who build capacity for co-curricular learning activities, community partnerships, participatory research, and public scholarship. The successful candidate will contribute to a culture of shared accountability and a growth mindset and demonstrate the potential to advance Kansas State University’s Next-Gen K-State | Land-Grant University goals.

What is expected:

• Teach a variety of undergraduate courses in the Communication Studies curriculum, including organizational communication, communication and technology, and related electives, as well as develop new courses that reflect the candidate’s expertise in the future of work and organizing.
• Teach graduate-level courses in organizational communication theory, research methods, or special topics related to research interests in the School of Media & Communication graduate program and, upon admission, in the interdisciplinary Leadership Communication (LeadCOMM) doctoral program.
• Develop and sustain a vibrant, forward-looking research agenda that advances understanding of organizational communication in relation to the future of work, the future of organizations, and/or the future of organizing. The candidate’s research program should demonstrate a trajectory commensurate with school, college, and university expectations for tenure and promotion (e.g., a record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals such as Management Communication Quarterly, Human Relations, Organization Studies, Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Journal of Applied Communication Research, or comparable outlets).
• Advise graduate students and serve on thesis, project, and dissertation committees after attaining graduate faculty status at the master’s and doctoral levels.
• Apply for internal and extramural research grants individually or through multidisciplinary collaborations to support research and teaching where applicable.
• Engage in school, university, and community service, including leveraging scholarly expertise toward strategic institutional initiatives. Opportunities include service on leadership teams or boards of school-based centers and institutes such as the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD) and the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media, as well as engagement with college- and university-level strategic initiatives that advance institutional transformation.
• Contribute to building and sustaining a collegial, supportive intellectual community characterized by shared accountability, growth-mindset, and a commitment to collaborative faculty governance.

About Us

The A.Q. Miller School is a powerful media and communication destination on campus and online for education, research, and community engagement at Kansas State University. Students major in Advertising & Public Relations, Communication Studies, Digital Innovation in Media, or News & Sports Media; earn minors and certificates; or pursue an advanced degree that will prepare them for a scholarly or professional career. Our 30+ faculty and staff bring decades of experience in industry and education, and train tomorrow’s communicators to be critical thinkers, astute information consumers, and creative, ethical, and engaged leaders.

The A.Q. Miller School of Media & Communication at Kansas State University brings together journalism, mass communication, and communication studies faculty committed to building and sustaining a positive, thriving organizational culture grounded in innovation, storytelling, advocacy, and a shared focus on driving positive change and amplifying all voices.

The school has recently introduced a wide range of new degree programs, micro-credentials, certificates, and courses. Our faculty is deeply committed to Kansas State’s land-grant mission, as outlined in the Next-Gen Land Grant strategic plan, with a strong focus on our principles of community, and providing exceptional education and research for our student body. As the home of both the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy and the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media, the School actively encourages and rewards public-facing, community-engaged scholarships in our tenure and promotion process.

The school offers B.A. and B.S. degrees in Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, Digital Innovation in Media, and News and Sports Media, as well as master’s degrees in our graduate program. Our interdisciplinary doctoral program in Leadership Communication further exemplifies our commitment to graduate education. Faculty expertise spans health and risk communication, rural communication networks, media law, political communication, data analytics, media economics, emerging media, media criticism, organizational communication, and beyond.

For more information, visit https://www.k-state.edu/media-communication/about/

Worksite Description

This position is On-site.

All employees must reside in the United States when they begin working to comply with state law. K-State is unable to provide remote or hybrid work opportunities for residents of the state of Idaho.

What You'll Need to Succeed

Minimum Qualifications:

• A doctorate (Ph.D.) in communication, organizational communication, organizational studies, or a closely related field. ABD applicants with a strong research record, teaching experience, and the expectation of completing the doctoral degree by August 2026 will be considered. ABD candidates should outline plans and timelines for degree completion in their cover letter, and at least one referee should be able to confirm said timelines.
• Evidence of a programmatic research agenda, or a likely research trajectory sufficient to earn tenure and promotion, that engages the future of work, the future of organizations, and/or the future of organizing, with demonstrated interest in the communicative and organizational dimensions of emerging technologies, critical perspectives on the future of work and organizations, and/or community-engaged approaches to organizing and organizational change.
• Prior experience teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses in organizational communication or related areas.
• Interest in serving as graduate faculty at the M.A. level and in the Leadership Communication (LeadCOMM) doctoral program.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively as part of a dynamic and engaged faculty and staff team committed to a culture of shared accountability and growth-mindset.

The degree requirement is necessary for accreditation purposes and to ensure candidates possess the specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities that can only be attained through a formal educational program at this level.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in one or more of the following: technology and organizing (artificial intelligence, platform work, algorithmic management, digital collaboration), critical and/or speculative approaches to the future of work and organizations, or community-engaged organizational research.
• Research interests that complement and extend the current faculty research across programs in the A.Q. Miller School.
• Experience with or demonstrated commitment to community-engaged scholarship, public deliberation, or participatory research, with capacity to contribute to the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD) or similar initiatives.
• Evidence of, or demonstrated willingness to pursue, external funding for research activities.
• Commitment to mentoring and advising graduate students, including thesis and dissertation supervision.
• Experience with or commitment to building capacity for community partnerships, participatory research, public scholarship, and/or other forms of community-engaged inquiry.
• Commitment to fostering an intellectual community that values all perspectives, collaborative inquiry, and continuous professional development.

Sponsorship eligibility:

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship

How to Apply

Please submit the following documents:

1.  A cover letter outlining your qualifications in relation to this position, research agenda, teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching excellence and professional goals. We encourage applicants to discuss how their work engages with the future of work, organizations, and/or organizing, as well as their interest in contributing to a culture of shared accountability and a growth mindset.
2. A curriculum vitae that includes education and employment history contact information for three references; and any additional materials, including online links, that relate to teaching and professional productivity.

Application Window

Applications close on: April 1, 2026

Anticipated Hiring Pay Range

$70,000-$80,000 annually