Dear Colleagues—
As committee chair, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Professional and Public Writing at URI is hiring a Chairperson. Anyone who is interested can write to me with questions about the job. They can also write to Leah Heilig (leah_heilig), Jeremiah Dyehouse (jdyehouse), Adrienne Daly (ajdaly), and Kamila A’Vant (kavant) with questions about working at URI and living in Rhode Island.
Tenure Track Associate or Full Professor, Chair
The Department of Professional and Public Writing (WRT) in Harrington School of Communication and Media (HCSM) in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island (URI) is seeking a Department Chairperson. This individual will have a robust and significant program of relevant research as well as demonstrated excellence in curricular innovation, committee or program management, inclusive mentoring and teaching, and a sustained, proactive commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and collaborative working and learning environment.
The ideal candidate for this position will lead WRT in expanding its undergraduate and graduate programs and strengthening concentrations in professional writing, public and advocacy writing, science writing, technical writing, and user-experience design. WRT is an independent writing department with 10 full-time faculty and 25-30 part-time faculty, administratively housed within The Harrington School of Communication and Media and The College of Arts and Sciences. The Harrington School is home to programs in communication studies, digital media, film/media, journalism, library and information studies, public relations, sports media and communication, and professional and public writing.
This appointment, starting in fall of 2025, will be at the rank of a Tenure-track Associate or Full Professor. The chairperson will teach a 1/1 load during fall and spring semesters and receive recontracting in the summer months.
WRT is committed to diversity, access, and inclusion and seeks to compose more diverse and equitable futures. As such, we particularly welcome candidates from groups that are historically underrepresented, marginalized, and/or excluded in the field who can engage students with different perspectives. Candidates will demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity to enhance a sense of belonging and academic success among student writers from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
The University of Rhode Island is conveniently located near the state’s famous beaches, one mile from an Amtrak station connecting to Boston and New York City, 20 miles from T.F. Green International Airport, and 30 miles from Providence, Rhode Island.
Duties and Responsibilities:
● Lead WRT in strengthening and expanding its undergraduate and graduate programs.
● Collaborate with WRT and Harrington faculty, Harrington School leadership, and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office to coordinate curricular, administrative, and personnel management dimensions of the department.
● Mentor, nurture, and evaluate junior and senior faculty, teaching professors, and part-time instructors.
● Teach, advise, and undertake curriculum development as well as committee service.
● Maintain momentum as a scholar through ongoing research in the field of relevance.
● Establish and institutionalize external relationships with program alumni, industry, and civic entities.
● Nurture field-relevant experiential learning opportunities for students.
● Promote program visibility on campus, in the region, and beyond into the nation and world.
● Foster a culture of grant-driven innovation in scholarship, teaching, and outreach.
Required Qualifications:
1. Ph.D. in Technical and Professional Communication, Writing Studies, Rhetoric, Composition, or related field.
2. Experience as an associate or full professor.
3. Demonstrated strong theoretical background and record of past and ongoing publication record in technical and professional communication, writing studies, user-experience design, and/or rhetoric.
4. Demonstrated administrative effectiveness to promoting a just, equitable, and inclusive educational and working environment.
5. Demonstrated strength in classroom teaching, academic advising, and inclusive pedagogy for a diverse student population.
6. Record of successful curriculum revision and development, including creation, proposal, and implementation of new courses.
7. Sustained fidelity to campus and professional service and/or outreach over the span of the career.
8. Demonstrated strong oral communication skills.
9. Demonstrated proficiency with written communication skills.
10. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups/populations.
Preferred Qualifications:
1. Prior and successful leadership of an academic program or department.
2. Experience securing external funding for research or research-based outreach endeavors.
3. Prior and successful experience identifying and engaging community partners to build sustainable relationships that afford teaching, research, and service opportunities for students and faculty.
Applications submitted by December 1 will receive fullest consideration. Applications are being accepted online at https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/14300
Stephanie West-Puckett, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Professional and Public Writing Department
Director of First-Year Writing
Harrington School of Communication and Media
321 Roosevelt Hall
University of Rhode Island
Pronouns: she/they
The University of Rhode Island occupies the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic People.