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Associate Professor/Professor- School of Advertising and Public Relations, Full Time - The University of Tennessee Tombras  School of Advertising and Public Relations seeks to fill the Charles Tombras, Sr. Endowed Professor, to begin August 1, 2022, at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

We seek a scholar whose research, teaching, and service in the fields of advertising or public relations advance the School and College's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as address underrepresentation in the academic fields and industries. The newly endowed Charles Tombras, Sr. Professorship is held by a faculty member who actively recruits students of color, generates industry reports and outreach to promote DEI in higher education and the industry, and champions the efforts of the Tombras School. Many of these efforts will center around flagship high schools across the state of Tennessee. Funding will be earmarked for the Tombras Professor to travel to actively recruit underrepresented students from historically black colleges and universities as well as other schools. The Tombras Professor is also expected to generate and distribute multi-media reports on the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industries and to have innovative approaches to DEI initiatives.

The Tombras Professor will develop and implement "Tombras Touchpoints," a series of innovative, visible, and impactful initiatives of the Tombras School to demonstrate its commitment to DEI, which is integral to growing the School and positioning it as a leading advertising and public relations academic unit in the country. These initiatives also align with a central goal of the strategic vision of the University of Tennessee, "conducting research that makes lives and life better" to "advance the frontiers of knowledge to create a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future through world-class research, scholarship, and creative work." Interdisciplinary collaborations across the College and University will be central to this pursuit as well.

The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations

Housed in the College of Communication and Information, the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations made history in 2022 as the first named school at the University of Tennessee and honors the legacy of Charles Tombras and the indelible imprint the Tombras Agency and he have made on the industry. The partnership of a leading academic unit in the disciplines of advertising and public relations with a world-class agency presents unbridled opportunity for the Tombras Professor. The Tombras School funds student scholarships, professional development opportunities, initiatives to increase the diversity of the work force by attracting more diverse students into the majors, and continuing education for faculty and staff. The Tombras School is housed in a modern, showcase space in the College of Communication and Information.

The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations is home to 14 full-time faculty members who engage in quantitative and qualitative research with the goal of advancing advertising and public relations theory and informing practice. Plans are in place to add 4-6 new tenure-line faculty positions in the coming years. The Tombras School offers coursework at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The School includes approximately 425 undergraduate majors and 35 M.S. and doctoral students. Visit the websites for the College and School for more information.

The College of Communication and Information

The College of Communication and Information (CCI) consists of four schools: Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, Information Sciences, and Journalism and Electronic Media. CCI has approximately 1,300 undergraduate majors (across five undergraduate majors in advertising, public relations, communication studies, information sciences, and journalism and electronic media) and approximately 420 graduate students (including a College-wide M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in communication & information and an M.S. degree in information sciences). The College's Center for Information and Communication Studies (CICS) provides a wide array of support services for CCI faculty interested in pursuing sponsored research. The Center involves dozens of researchers across various disciplines and agencies to focus the array of talent in CCI, the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and other research institutions in the pursuit and conduct of sponsored research. College-wide research facilities include: the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center, the Scripps Convergence Lab, a User Experience Lab, and a Message Effects/Focus Group Lab.

The University of Tennessee and Knoxville

The University of Tennessee is the state of Tennessee's flagship university and its only public Carnegie Research 1 institution. As a land-grant university and as Volunteers, serving the state and nation are key to its mission. UT enrolls approximately 30,000 students at its Knoxville campus. Demographically, 24% of all students identify as non-white, 24% identify as first-generation students, and 29% are Pell-eligible. The University culture is guided by adherence to core values that define the Volunteer spirit and include: seeking knowledge, leading with innovation and integrity, advancing diversity and inclusion, engaging locally and globally, and embracing responsible stewardship of resources.

Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Knoxville has a metropolitan statistical area population of more than 850,000 people. This moderate-sized city has a vibrant nightlife that includes numerous theaters and museums, a symphony orchestra and an opera company, traditional bluegrass music, world-class restaurants, many cultural festivals and a downtown market square. Surrounded by 8 lakes and the Tennessee River, the Knoxville area boasts wonderful year-round water activities, including boating, fishing, and swimming that make for scenic and breathtaking views of the area. Knoxville is also home to many leading corporations, including Discovery Inc.'s National Operating Center, Regal Cinemas, TVA, Ruby Tuesday, Pilot Flying J, Bush Brothers & Company, and Alcoa. It also has a number of prominent advertising/public relations firms and is the fifth largest video production center in the United States.

A Ph.D. at the time of the appointment in communications with a concentration in advertising, public relations, equivalent, or other relevant fields and evidence of excellence in teaching and research commensurate with appointment at a Carnegie classified Research 1 University are required. Professional experience is preferred. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the potential to attract external research funding. Responsibilities include maintaining an active program of research, teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses, and performing service to the school, college, university, and discipline, consistent with the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The salary for the position is competitive and commensurate with experience.

The Tombras Professor will report in the customary   fashion and take an active role in the activities and programs of the Tombras School and the College of Communication and Information.

Strong candidates for the Charles Tombras,  Sr. Endowed Professorship will possess:

• Evidence of commitment to DEI in the fields of advertising and/or public relations in teaching, research, and service.
• A record of innovative and extraordinary outreach and other efforts to increase the diversity of the academic fields.
• Evidence of a continued record of exemplary academic and professional service.
• Evidence of exceptional achievement at the national and international levels that enhances the stature of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, the College of Communication and Information, and the University of Tennessee.
• A strong record of research, publication and scholarly achievement. Research that addresses structural inequities is preferred.
• A scholarly record sufficiently consistent in quantity and quality to warrant the expectation of continued performance and contributions at an outstanding level.

To apply, please submit via Interfolio a letter of application, curriculum vita or resume, and the names and contact information of at least three references. Submit applications on Interfolio. Please email adpr@utk.edu with any questions, using the subject line: Charles Tombras Sr. Professorship.

Review of applications begins April 10, 2022, and continues until the position is filled.

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Equity and Diversity, 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, telephone 865-974-2498. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Office of Equity and Diversity.