Communication Studies Professor - Tenure Track

Priority Consideration Date: May 11, 2025
Located in the scenic Puget Sound area with Mount Rainier in the distance, Tacoma is the third largest city in Washington State with a thriving and diverse community of over 200,000 residents. Tacoma Community College (TCC) was built on the ancestral territory of Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Puyallup and Squaxin Island Tribes. The 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty forcibly removed them to Reservations to make way for colonizers; we recognize the privilege of utilizing this land has come at great cost. We honor the resilience of the Puyallup and Squaxin Island people, who still live here, defend their rights, and contribute greatly to the well-being of our community. Our institution aims to increase partnerships and community ties with the local indigenous populations. Moreover, TCC stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the Black community by further strengthening collaboration with the Black Student Union as well as community entities such as the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, the Tacoma Urban League, and local black-owned businesses. In addition, we strongly support the Stop Asian Hate movement and have an active Asian Pacific Islander Student Club as well as an Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Coalition. TCC is committed to developing more culturally responsive curricula by infusing and incorporating more educational content focused on the lives, experiences, and contributions of Native, Black, Asian, and other marginalized communities. We continually strive to become an anti-racist institution.

To grow our workforce, we are seeking creative, collaborative faculty who are reflective of the diverse community we serve. Tacoma Community College is a public Associate- and Bachelor's-granting institution that serves a student-body of approximately 10,000 students. Our students are 48% students of color, 60% female, and have a median age of 26. We embrace our identity as a community college. Our faculty are engaged in innovative work to improve student retention and program completion, and community success. According to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, TCC ranks high on measures of active learning and academic challenge, thanks to our creative and scholarly faculty.

We are specifically focusing on improved support for traditionally marginalized populations, including Black/African- American, Indigenous, People of Color, Dreamers, justice-involved, immigrants and refugees, Veterans, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and the LGBTQIA2+ community. To this end, TCC seeks applicants who:

• Value intellectual curiosity and innovative teaching
• Welcome difference and model respectful interaction with others
• Recognize and honor the important role that diversity brings to an educational community
• Have experience teaching or doing research in Native/Indigenous communities.
• Are committed to educating a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population
• Are committed to teaching in a community college setting
• Care deeply about student success
• Intentionally support and promote efforts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Honor TCC's mission promoting equitable access to educational opportunities
• Reflect the diversity of our community

Position Summary
This position is responsible for preparing and teaching Communication Studies courses at Tacoma Community College (TCC). These may include course content in media literacy, intercultural communication, communication in the digital sphere, communication in workforce contexts, relational communication, and other topics. This position supports the ongoing programs of Tacoma Community College and the Communication Studies department. The College strongly encourages applications from candidates who are committed to the College's mission to: Create meaningful learning, advance equity, and strengthen student and community success.

The Communication Studies Program at Tacoma Community College is committed to the following:

• Supporting the needs of learners with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including but not limited to: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), justice-involved, LGBTQIA+, international, veterans, and dual-enrolled students.
• Creating and providing an effective communication curriculum that is equity-based, anti-racist, trauma-informed, culturally affirming, and student-centered.
• Actively evolving our practices in response to emerging trends in Communication Studies and higher education including navigating divisive rhetoric.
• Continuous improvement through assessment of student achievement of outcomes.
• Interrogating historical practices that oppress underrepresented populations.
• Creating a communication curriculum that engages and develops the communication skills of neurodivergent students and those with visible and invisible disabilities.
• Designing and integrating effective, non-traditional communication assignments to assess student learning, ensure learning outcomes are being met, and inform broader continuous improvement efforts.
• Developing and implementing actionable, effective, and culturally affirming strategies for reducing equity gaps in communication-centered courses.
• Redefining communication studies so that its processes and practices are more relevant to contemporary educational and work environments.
• Providing effective support for communication in professional, technical, and transfer pathways.
• Providing affordable course content such as Open Education Resources (OER)

• Prepare and teach Communication Studies courses to support a variety of career and academic pathways in all modalities including face-to-face, hybrid, and online.
• Assess student learning and use data to improve teaching and learning.
• Participate in the development and review of curriculum that is reflective of the communities we serve and represents underrepresented and non-dominant voices.
• Maintain current knowledge in the field of communication studies, effective andragogy, and related disciplines.
• Engage in continuous professional growth as it relates to the role of teaching and learning with an emphasis on equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist practices.
• Serve on college committees and participate in department, division, and college activities normally assigned to full-time faculty.
• Advise students.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Communication Studies, Media Studies, Speech Communication, or related field from an accredited college or university. TCC is particularly interested in meeting candidates with a background and/or expertise in a variety of related and non-traditional areas of study, including but not limited to, media studies, digital communication, communication and culture, business communication, interpersonal dynamics, and media literacy.
• 1 year of experience teaching in higher education

Conditions of Employment

• Successful completion of a criminal history background check prior to employment

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate

• Ethics and integrity, and sound professional judgment.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity-centered and anti-racist practices
• Versatility: competence and willingness to teach a variety of courses throughout the Communication Studies program.
• Knowledge of the scholarship of teaching and learning that supports effective curriculum and design choices for the campus population
• Experience using educational technologies and learning management systems

Application Materials

1. Tacoma Community College online application.
2. Resume and cover letter describing how your educational background and experience align with the responsibilities and qualifications.
3. Copies of transcripts for all colleges and universities attended (official transcripts will be required for the successful candidate).
4. DIVERSITY STATEMENT - Tacoma Community College desires candidates who have two or more of the following characteristics:
   • Knowledge of the challenges faced by minoritized students (historically marginalized or excluded) and a demonstrated commitment to addressing disparities within an institutional setting.
   • Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to, teaching, mentoring, or providing services to support the academic success of minoritized students.
   • Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to incorporating culturally relevant and inclusive classroom practices into teaching and mentorship.
   • Personal connection to the College's strategic goal of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as the ability to draw on your own positionality to enrich the student experience.

Terms of Employment:
This is a full-time, tenure track faculty position beginning September 1, 2025 and contracted on an annual basis. Placement on the faculty salary schedule will commensurate with educational background and experience per the 2024 Faculty Negotiated Agreement(Download PDF reader) (Article 4.00 Academic Employee Compensation). The salary range for this position is $68,000 - 80,000. Tacoma Community College offers a comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance. Life and long- term disability insurance plans; sick and personal leave; reduced tuition for the employee; and retirement benefits are also provided. For more information, please visit our employment page/employment benefits: https://www.tacomacc.edu/about/employment/. A collective bargaining agreement exist and membership in the TCC Federation of Teachers or payment of a service fee and is available anytime upon hire. Evening and off campus assignments may be a part of the instructional load. Flexibility is required to meet the needs of the department. Degrees must be from accredited colleges or universities recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and verified by National Clearinghouse. International degrees will be verified for U.S. equivalency.