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SMU 26-27 - #50898 Assistant or Associate Professor of Practice in CCPA - Public Relations and Strategic Communication

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Position Number: 9838774
Location: Dallas, United States
Position Type: Communications - Public Relations and Advertising

SMU 26-27 - #50898 Assistant or Associate Professor of Practice in CCPA - Public Relations and Strategic Communication
Meadows School of the Arts

Location: Dallas
Open Date: Sep 18, 2026

Description:
SMU's Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs is searching for a Public Relations and Strategic Communication Professor. More specifically, we're looking for someone who has actually done the work, built the strategy, taken the 2 a.m. call, and knows the difference between a good pitch and a great one. Our CCPA faculty are award-winning practitioners, researchers, and communicators who show up for students the way great mentors showed up for them. If that sounds like you, we want to talk.

What You'll Bring You've spent real years in the field, agency, corporate, in-house, nonprofit, wherever the work happens. You've built PR strategies that moved the needle on reputation and visibility. You know media relations from the inside: pitching, placement, and what to do when a story you didn't want breaks anyway. You've led crisis response when the stakes were real. And now you're ready to translate that instinct into something teachable.

What You'll Do Teach a full course load across our undergraduate PR and strategic communication curriculum. It includes courses like Newswriting for PR, Principles of Public Relations, Crisis Management, Principles of Digital Communication & Social Media, plus opportunities to shape special topics courses around your own expertise. Mentor students who are hungry to learn both what is in the book and the things that a textbook can't teach them. Bring your professional network into the classroom, whether that's guest speakers, internship pipelines, or simply war stories that make the theory click.

This is a Professional and Teaching faculty position. The typical teaching load for this position is a 4/4. While it is not eligible for tenure, it has a three-tier promotion path. Professional and Teaching faculty's primary responsibility is teaching. Creative work and research are not expected, though they may be rewarded.

Qualifications:
Required Qualifications

Meaningful, hands-on professional experience in public relations or a closely related field
Demonstrated potential for excellence in undergraduate teaching
Ability to teach across a range of PR courses, from foundational writing to strategy and ethics
Strong interpersonal and written communication skills across a culturally diverse student and colleague community
B.A. in Communications, PR, Journalism, or related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience integrating digital strategy, social analytics, or emerging communications technology into teaching or practice
Advanced degree in Communications, PR, Journalism, or related discipline
PRSA membership, APR accreditation, or equivalent professional credentialing
A track record of mentoring early-career professionals or students
An active professional network you're excited to open up to students

Application Instructions:
To apply, visit <a href=""https://apptrkr.com/9838774"">https://apply.interfolio.com/191544

Applicants should submit the following materials via Interfolio:

* A formal letter of application detailing how your experience overlaps with the divisions' strengths and interest in teaching;

* A C.V. or professional resume;

* A list of three references with contact information (references will not be contacted without the applicant's knowledge).

For priority consideration, applications should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on October 31, 2026. Applications must be submitted electronically via Interfolio at the following link: https://apply.interfolio.com/191544. Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.

Questions may be directed to the search chair, Stacia Philips at sphilips@smu.edu.

Why SMU, Why Dallas? Dallas is one of the most dynamic media and corporate communications markets in the country, and our students benefit from being embedded in it. You'll join a department that's actively investing in its future, with a faculty culture built on genuinely liking each other, not just tolerating each other.

SMU, a private nonsectarian university of roughly 12,000 students, is an inclusive and

intellectually diverse community of teachers and scholars that values diverse research

and creative agendas and is dedicated to academic excellence. The Dallas/Fort Worth

metroplex is a culturally rich arts and global business center, offering exceptional

museums, diverse cultural attractions and a vibrant economy.

The Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, housed within Meadows School of the Arts, is home to nearly 200 majors across degree specializations in Organizational Communication, Public Relations & Strategic Communication and Public Affairs & Political Communication.

SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.