.Assistant Professor of Communications & Theater/ Drama Advisor.

Position Summary

Current Pierce College Tenured and Permanent Status Faculty Priority Deadline is 1 week before the posted closing date. For more details, please see :

Join our Racial Equity-Centered College!

Pierce College District is student-centered and mission-driven to ensure that all our students thrive and reach their fullest potential. As an institution committed to antiracism, we are action-oriented and intentional in dismantling every systemic barrier that prevents Black and Brown student excellence and liberation.

As Pierce College deepens its commitment to racial equity, it is of the highest priority that we focus our tenure-track and permanent status faculty hiring process to seek faculty with the expertise to lead our institution in serving Black and Brown students. This cluster hire is an opportunity for the college community to continue to act upon our values but more importantly for the empowering of our students' self-efficacy, for cultivating sense of belonging, and for the diversity of our entire student body, especially Black and Brown students, being reflected in a position of power in the classroom. Learn more about Pierce's faculty cluster hire here :  .

We are excited to invite you to bring your lived experiences and authentic selves to contribute to discourse and action in supporting Black and Brown students.

About the Program

The Pierce College communications and theatre department is a growing department that serves students throughout performing arts and communication studies. Courses include journalism, mass media, public speaking, intercultural communications, organizational communication, acting, and stage craft which prepare students for success in their career pathways. The communications department is essential to our students’ successful completion within our certificate, associate, and new bachelor's degree programs.

The Communications / Drama department is fully engaged in the equity work of the college to serve our diverse community of learners to thrive in an evolving world. The shows and performances not only provide our students with the experience of performing diverse repertoire but also provides our community a space for expansive and inclusive artistic expression. The successful candidate will also be joining committed equity educators within the division and the college as we engage the arts to celebrate excellence in cultural expression while also interrogating past cultural inequities.

This position will lead the vision and execution of theatrical performances at the college. A successful candidate will collaborate with artists in the community, students across the district, and colleagues across the campuses to produce a diverse spectrum of performances with a focus on Black and Brown excellence. This position will be responsible for requesting and managing the student activities theatre budget and resources on an annual basis.

About Pierce College

Pierce College is an innovative community college striving to re-envision our institution through an antiracist framework to advance equity in student engagement and learning. We value student learning experiences that foster inclusion and intercultural engagement in the classroom and that expand into our local and global communities. Faculty, staff, and administrators work collaboratively to lead initiatives that advance equitable student success : from closing areas of inequity to building guided career pathways. The college serves over 15,000 students in basic skills, transfer, and professional technical programs. Through continuous efforts, we have improved retention rates by 17% and graduation rates by 89%. This year, Pierce was again named a top community college by several national organizations.

Pierce College employees and students live and work in various communities that offer the diverse cultural and environmental benefits of rural, suburban, and urban lifestyles in the Pacific Northwest. As part of the community and technical college system in Washington State, the District includes Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Pierce College Puyallup, Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as well as other extended learning sites.

Essential Functions

Designing and teaching a variety of courses in the department, acting and theater production in particular,in a manner that promotes Black and Brown excellence

Planning and producing 6 student performances each year across the district and hiring guest artists and collaborators on productions

Collaborating across the college with marketing, student activities, instruction, finance, campus facilities etc to support routine student performances

Creating race-conscious course assessments and evaluations, assessing data, and engaging in continuous improvement of courses based on that analysis in order to advance student achievement of outcomes, success in subsequent courses, and impact on retention, graduation, and successful transition to employment or further education;

Continuously innovating inclusive pedagogy and active learning experiences (campus, online, hybrid) in response to assessment and evidence / data analysis;

Demonstrating cultural humility and intercultural engagement, including an awareness and understanding of historically marginalized populations, and the creation of an educational environmentthat affirms the identities and communications of students of color;

Incorporating appropriate and engaging technology across modalities;

Creatively designing learning experiences that extend beyond delivering content and assist students in achieving course, program, and degree outcomes, including the college's five core abilities of Intercultural Engagement; Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking;Information Competency;Global Citizenship; and Effective Communication;

Contributing to a collaborative and innovative department, division, and institution;

Leading efforts to increase student success in performing arts, including closing areas of inequity, particularly with regard to race and ethnicity;

Teaching, advising, and mentoring students holistically from recruitment to completion and transition to employment or further education;

Engaging in shared governance including district-wide efforts to build an antiracist institution focused on action to advance access, retention, and success for our most marginalized and vulnerable students and employees;

Activelyengaging with cohort peers as part of the First-Year Faculty Cohort in the first year of the tenure process, which will provide opportunities to engage with practices that enable Black and Brown student excellence.

Qualifications

Graduate Degree in Drama, Performing Arts, Theater Management, Communication Studies, Performance Studies. Experience in theatre production

Application Process

To be considered for this position, applicants must include the following items in their application package :

WITHIN THE PROFILE AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS SECTION :

• References :   contact information for 3 professional references with name, relationship to candidate, address, email address, and telephone number. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted.
• Cover Letter (approx. 500 words) :   Letter of formal application that addresses how your experience and education qualifies you to perform the assigned responsibilities.
• Supplemental Question (approx. 500 words) :   Responses to the following : Provide specific examples how you fulfill a t least 2 of the following 4  criteria : ( 1) Have experience or have demonstrated commitment to teaching, mentoring and / or engaging in services for Black and Brown students; (2)  Have demonstrated knowledge of barriers for Black and Brown students and experience in addressing disproportionate impact at an institution; (3)  Have experience in or have demonstrated commitment in facilitating Black and Brown students’ navigating a higher education institution;  (4)  Have experience or have demonstrated commitment to integrating elements of culturally relevant and inclusive pedagogy.
• Please see :

ATTACHMENTS (2) :

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Terms of Employment

This position, which is contingent upon funding, is a full-time, tenure-track assignment of 174 contracted days per year with the tenure process starting in September 2025. Assignment may include district discipline / program coordination, as well as evening, hybrid, and / or online teaching. This is a District position with a "home" campus assignment. Initial placement of this position will be at the PUYALLUP  campus. Candidates will be working for a District Dean and will be required to attend district meetings as well as collaborate with colleagues across the district and across departments. This position requires regular and consistent attendance.

Salary & Benefits

Initial salary placement is based on the current full-time faculty salary schedule and is dependent upon education and experience. Salary placement for newly hired full-time faculty will be at one of five levels based upon qualifications including teaching experience and credentials. The five levels range from  $72,882 to $78,675 per 174-day academic year.  Opportunities for summer employment and other assignments are in addition to the base salary.   Theatre Advising comes with an additional stipend of $2,400 a year for the district.

While not guaranteed, full-time faculty may have the opportunity for additional income during the academic year and summer through additional teaching. These opportunities are based on a variety of considerations including : student needs, balanced schedules, faculty preference and other appropriate factors.

Full-time faculty may receive an annual COLA equal to that allocated by the state. Newly tenured faculty members will receive a $2,000 salary increase starting in the first year of their tenure.

Salary : $75,282 - $81,075