Job Description

Position Title

Journalism Assistant Professor

Description of Position

The Communication Studies and Journalism (CSJ) Department at Contra Costa College seeks a full-time, tenure-track journalism professor starting in the spring 2021 semester. In addition to teaching, this professor will also serve as the faculty advisor for The Advocate/cccadvocate.com. The Advocate is a multiple award-winning student-run publication, which has been in continuous production since March 1950. Student journalists have gone on to win national awards at the college and professional level, including several Pulitzer Prizes. The successful candidate will demonstrate a passionate commitment to First Amendment freedoms; a bedrock knowledge of journalistic practices, reportorial skills, and ethics; and an ability to recruit, motivate, and retain student journalists.

In addition to Journalism classes, the successful candidate for this position may be required teach other classes in the CSJ Department, such as Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Critical Thinking and Persuasion, Forensics, or Debate. Possession of the minimum qualifications to teach Speech or English classes is, therefore, a highly desirable qualification.

Serving predominately Latinx students and African American students, Contra Costa College is situated in a socioeconomically diverse, resilient and culturally vibrant community. As a proud Hispanic Serving Institution, we seek candidates who embrace our community, our student population, and our central work: strengthening West County by meeting our students where they are and helping them get to where they want to be. We seek a colleague who operates with a growth mindset, a strength-based approach centered on students, and an unflinching commitment to equity, especially concerning the elimination of barriers to college access, success, and completion. The ideal candidate will be eager to help construct and maintain a culture of continuous improvement in instructional effectiveness, student service, and leadership.

Diversity Statement

It is the District’s policy to ensure that all qualified applicants for employment and employees have full and equal access to employment opportunity, and are not subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of the District on the basis of ethnic group identity, race, color, ancestry, religion, marital status, sex, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, parental status, citizenship or because an individual is perceived to have one or more of these characteristics or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Inquiries

Contra Costa College
President’s Office
Phone: 510-215-3841

Recruitment Type

Faculty

Location

Contra Costa College

Posting Number

F00724

# of Openings

1

Yearly Salary Range / Hourly Range

$65,088 - $99,876

Position Status

Tenure- Track

EEO Job Category

Faculty & Other Instructional Staff

Employee Group

Full-Time Faculty

Department

C3008-Journalism/Graphics/Media Comm

Discipline

Journalism

Duties and Responsibilities

In addition to contractual duties, all full-time faculty are expected to participate actively in their disciplines, department activities, and the general intellectual life and governance of the college. Part of the teaching assignment may be in the evening and/or online. Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
1. advancing equitable student learning through dedicated, exemplary instruction in accordance with established course outlines;
2. participating in the assessment of student learning outcomes for courses and programs; developing and implementing student learning outcomes assessment processes for courses and programs;
3. collaborating in the development and revision of curriculum and in program review;
4. engaging in department program improvement initiatives;
5. participating in department, division, and college committees;
6. participating in professional development activities, both departmental and college-wide;
7. maintaining current knowledge in the subject matter area and effective teaching/ learning strategies;
8. maintaining appropriate standards of professional conduct and ethics;
9. informing students of course requirements, evaluation procedures and attendance requirements;
10. preparing and grading class assignments and examinations and informing students of their academic progress;
11. maintaining attendance, scholastic, and personnel records and submitting them according to published deadlines;
12. posting and holding sufficient and regular office hours in accordance with prevailing policy;
13. participating in College’s shared governance processes.

Minimum Qualification-Education/Experience

Master’s in journalism OR communication with a specialization in journalism

OR

Bachelor’s 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

Desirable Qualifications

1. Possession of minimum qualifications to teach Communication Studies (possess a Master’s in speech, speech broadcasting, telecommunications, rhetoric, communication, communication studies, speech communication or organizational communication OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in drama/ theater arts, mass communication, or English OR the equivalent) OR to teach English (possess a Master’s in English, literature, comparative literature, or composition OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in linguistics, TESL, speech, education with a specialization in reading, creative writing or journalism OR the equivalent)
2. Experience as a faculty advisor for a student publication
3. Experience working in the print and web based journalism industry, including but not limited to reporting, writing, editing and news production for print and/or web-based/multimedia platforms.
4. Teaching and professional experience in multimedia, broadcast, and digital journalism, reporting and on-air performing and reporting.
5. Knowledge of and/or training in news production, journalistic theory and skills, ethics, law, web-based/social media, communication theory, or other relevant subjects.
6. Demonstrated willingness to work with students both in and outside of class, potentially including travel to regional, state, and national conventions.
7. Experience teaching a variety of journalism courses—both face-to-face and online/hybrid—including multimedia/podcasting courses, at the community college level
8. Demonstrated sensitivity to issues of diversity, and ability to motivate and teach community college students of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders, cultures, and learning styles, as well as students with disabilities or varied levels of academic preparation.

Job Open Date:

10/01/2020

Job Close Date:

10/29/2020

Open Until Filled

No

Employment Begins:

Spring 2021

# of Months

10

Employee Benefits

Membership in State Teachers Retirement System (STRS)
District-paid benefits (employee contributes 6%) for employee and dependents/domestic partners include:
- Medical (Anthem Blue Cross or Kaiser) insurance including chiropractic services
- Dental and vision
- Flexible spending (125) plan
- Life and long-term disability insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Deferred compensation (403b and 457)
- Sabbatical Leave

Additional Benefits: The District also offers eligible faculty employees, travel assistance plan, retiree benefits, and employee discounts on health memberships.

Newly hired employees may notify the respective union (Local 1 or United Faculty) if they opt to join and/or authorize payment to the union. If the newly hired employee authorizes payment to the union then the following fees apply: Local 1 has a one-time initiation fee of $45.00 and monthly contribution of 1% of gross pay +$1. United Faculty has an agency fee of .55% of gross pay plus $2.50.

How to Apply

1. Interested applicants must submit all of the application materials online to be considered for this position. We do not accept hand-delivered, e-mailed, faxed or postal mailed application packets.
2. It is your responsibility to ensure that all application materials are received on or before the closing date. Our application deadline time is 11:59pm on the specified closing date.
3. You should submit an unofficial transcript for screening purposes. If you do not have electronic version of the transcript required for the position, you can have it scanned by a Staples, Office Max or Office Depot, etc. All applicants will have an opportunity to upload transcripts when completing our online application process. You should be prepared to provide an official transcripts prior to employment start date should the position be offered.
4. If you do not possess the required educational degrees and are applying under the equivalency process, you bear the responsibility of submitting the District’s Equivalency Application. Equivalency applications with supporting documentation should be submitted when 1) degrees are not in exact discipline required; 2) degree is in progress; 3) degrees were earned at a college or university outside of the United States. All applicants will have an opportunity to upload an equivalency form for evaluation by a college equivalency committee when completing our online application process.
5. Applicants with foreign degrees must provide official certification of equivalency to United States degrees. An approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) agency must evaluate your course work. All applicants will have an opportunity to upload a foreign degree evaluation for review of by a college equivalency committee when completing our online application process. Please read more details in the Foreign Degree and Credit Statement section of the job announcement.
6. Documents uploaded online must be the actual documents to be considered for review. Do not upload a “placeholder” document. Applications with placeholder documents are considered incomplete and will be rejected. Only upload the required documents, other materials can be presented if you are selected for an interview.
7. All application materials become the property of the district and will not be returned or duplicated.

Selection Process

Modified Selection Process: To maintain the health and safety of everyone, the district will conduct the selection process in a virtual manner due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, at this time, we must forgo arranging in-person meetings. You should expect that if you are selected to interview, the campus will contact you to schedule a zoom meeting.

Applications will be screened to ensure the applicant meets the minimum qualifications as stated in the job announcement.
1. The applications, cover letters, answers to required supplemental questions, resumes, unofficial college transcripts, and other supporting materials submitted by all qualified applicants will be reviewed by a screening committee. Those who are deemed to possess the highest degree of desirable qualifications will be invited to the college at their own expense.
2. During the campus visit, each applicant will be interviewed and may be asked to conduct a demonstration appropriate to the discipline. Selected interviewees may be invited to present an entire lecture in front of a class. Responses to the interview questions and demonstration will be rated by the interview committee.
3. Based upon the overall rating, a small number of applicants will be invited at their own expense to the campus for an interview with the college president and vice president of instruction.
4. After consultation with the interview committee, the college president will make the final recommendation for employment to the chancellor and the governing board of the Contra Costa Community College District.
5. Upon hire, the successful candidate must meet the conditions of employment. Finalists must provide verification of transcripts. TB test, physical examination, fingerprinting/conviction clearance and proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States.

Foreign Degree and Credit Statement

In accordance with the United Faculty Contract, Article 20.3.1.3.2, all foreign degrees and credits used to meet the minimum qualifications must be evaluated by an approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) agency www.naces.org prior to the implementation of the equivalency process. Please upload your evaluation with your application when you apply for this position. We cannot accept foreign degree evaluations after the closing date

ADA Accommodations:

Request For Reasonable Accommodation

Medical Verification

Candidates with legally defined disabilities may request reasonable accommodations by notifying the Human Resources Department by the deadline date. Candidates will be required to supply documentation supporting the need for the accommodation when the request is made. Please complete the forms provided in the links above and email to
slever@4cd.edu

Quick Link

http://www.4cdcareers.net/postings/7093

About Us

About the District
The mission of the Contra Costa Community College District is to transform lives by providing outstanding learning opportunities that nurture and empower all students to achieve their educational goals. The dedicated faculty, classified professionals and administrators in the District are committed to core values and action that promote excellence in learning and equitable student success. The District is committed to hiring and developing a diverse staff that understands that cultural diversity in the academic environment promotes academic excellence; fosters cultural, racial and human understanding; provides positive role models for all students; and creates an inclusive and supportive educational work environment for its students, employees, and the community it serves.

Located in Contra Costa County, in the beautiful and diverse San Francisco East Bay area, the District serves the 1 million residents of the County through education, business partnerships and service in the community. The District first opened its doors in 1949 and is the second oldest and eighth largest multi-college community college district in California. The District consists of three colleges and two centers; Contra Costa College in San Pablo; Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill; Los Medanos College in Pittsburg; and the centers in Brentwood and San Ramon. The District Office located in downtown Martinez, supports the mission and functions of the colleges.

As evidenced by the rich diversity in Contra Costa County, the District enrolls a highly diverse student population. Serving over 52,088 students a year, in 2017-18 fiscal year the demographic make-up of the students was 10% Black/African American; 17% Asian/Pacific Islander; 33% Hispanic/Latino; 29% White/Caucasian; and 11% Other.

The District actively encourages a diverse pool of applicants to serve the dynamic student population and work collaboratively with existing colleagues that are equally dynamic and diverse.

Contra Costa College
Contra Costa College is a dynamic, comprehensive community college with a diverse student population. The institution has served the communities of West Contra Costa County for more than 69 years. Most of the 10,500-plus students who attend the college come from local communities, but many also come from neighboring communities and from countries throughout the world. The college offers certificates and degree programs in 70 areas. It prepares students for immediate employment and for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Faculty and staff are proud to be affiliated with an institution that has a tradition of excellence and a reputation for educating students to live and work in a diverse global environment.

Diablo Valley College
DVC is committed to increasing student success. The college has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s most successful community colleges by offering incomparable transfer opportunities and exceptional career-technical programs. In both Pleasant Hill and San Ramon, a diverse student body engages with high-quality instruction and support services designed for excellence and equity in student learning. DVC’s career-technical programs keep pace with emerging technologies and skill requirements, while unparalleled transfer programs prepare students to be successful in four-year colleges and universities. DVC continuously ranks among the top transfer pathways to UC Berkeley.

Los Medanos College
Los Medanos College, opened in 1974, is the newest campus of the Contra Costa Community College District. The college prepares students to excel and succeed economically, socially and intellectually in an innovative, engaging and supportive learning environment. LMC provides quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of a rapidly-growing and changing East County while enhancing the quality of life of the diverse communities it serves. Los Medanos College is known for its transferable general education program and career technical programs strongly connected with local business and industry. The college serves approximately 10,000 students.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please respond to the required Supplemental Questions addressing the minimum and desirable qualifications. These supplemental questions are a required part of the application. They are designed to give you the opportunity to provide information about how you meet the desirable qualifications for the position. PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS, even if you repeat information provided elsewhere on the application. The information provided in your answers will be used to determine which individuals will be invited for an interview and teaching demonstration. First interviews are tentatively scheduled for the end of November; final interviews are tentatively scheduled for the beginning of December.
NOTE: The disciplines listed in the minimum qualifications are determined by the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. A PhD is considered to encompass a masters degree. Other than that, if the title(s) of your degree major(s) listed on your official transcripts or other documents from the degree-granting institutions are not an EXACT MATCH to the degrees listed below, please submit an equivalency form. Without it, your application will not be considered. You can copy and paste the following in your browser—https://www.contracosta.edu/faculty-resources/equivalency/—to obtain information on the equivalency process, as well as the equivalency form. The completed form can be uploaded in the attachment section of the application.