Description

Job Description

Lehigh University College of Business invites applications for the position of Director of the Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication (RCBC). The Director will be an educator and administrator who will lead the innovative development and implementation of courses, programs, and services that support excellence in business communication. The Director will be a collaborative leader who shares Lehigh's passion for transforming undergraduate students into young professionals ready to effectively deliver evidence-based, persuasive communications across a variety of complex, often data-intensive business situations.

The position rank is either Teaching Assistant Professor, Teaching Associate Professor, or Professor of Practice, depending on the candidate's experience and teaching record. This is a renewable, fixed-term, non-tenure-track, full-time, twelve-month-per-year position. The initial term of appointment is three years.

While the position is not tenurable, Teaching Assistant Professors who develop excellent records in the areas of teaching and service are expected to become eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Teaching Associate Professor, and ultimately to the rank of Teaching Full Professor. Similarly, Professors of Practice who develop excellent records in the areas of teaching and service are expected to become eligible for consideration for promotion to the rank of Senior Professor of Practice.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, the Director will:

- Coordinate, teach, and assess two business communications courses in the undergraduate business core curriculum, i.e., BUS 003: Business Communications and BUS 203: Business Communications II.

- Engage in the redesign, piloting, and implementation of a new curriculum including teacher development in collaboration with other college faculty/staff.

- Collaborate with faculty who teach prerequisites to the business communications sequence and with professional development staff in the Undergraduate Programs Office to ensure integration with the core curriculum and professional development experiences of all business students.

- Teach up to 24 credits each academic year, with a release of 6 credit hours per year for Director duties; correspondingly, a total of 6 classes of 1.5 credit hours each will be taught per semester.

- Lead and oversee processes and programs to support the application, reinforcement, and continuous improvement of undergraduates' business communications skills beyond business communication courses, including both curricular support (e.g., coordination of assessment rubrics for use by business faculty in core and major courses) and co-curricular programming (e.g., develop and conduct workshops, seminars, coaching case competition teams, case competitions, etc.).

- Manage operations and budget for the Rauch Center for Business Communication, including hiring and oversight of faculty to teach the business communications core course sequence, and oversight of the state-of-the-art equipment and recording (podcast) studio in the new Business Innovation Building, opened March 2023.

- Serve as a member of the Associate Dean's leadership team in the College of Business Undergraduate Programs Office.

- Represent the College of Business to constituencies internal and external to Lehigh and promote communication-related program accomplishments to external audiences in a variety of venues.

- Participate in professional networks and associations external to Lehigh to promote the College of Business, engage in the exchange of best practices, and gain ongoing professional development. The Director will also network and conduct ongoing benchmarking/research to lead best practices with regard to business communications and pedagogy.

About Lehigh

The College of Business is home to approximately 1,700 undergraduates including two interdisciplinary programs with the Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and one interdisciplinary program with the College of Health. Lehigh's College of Business' undergraduate programs are consistently ranked among the nation's finest, ranking 26th in Poets & Quants 2025 ratings for the best business programs for undergraduates.

Founded in 1865, Lehigh University has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research. Recognized among the nation's highly ranked research universities, Lehigh offers a rigorous academic community for over 7,500 students. Lehigh University has some 5,800 undergraduates, 1,800 graduate students, and nearly 600 full-time faculty members. Lehigh University is located in Bethlehem, PA, a vibrant and historic area. Over 840,000 people live in the Lehigh Valley, which is in close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia.

Qualifications

Candidates must possess a master's or doctorate in business communications, strategic communication, organizational communication or related field by the date of employment. The candidate must demonstrate very strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills and be able to provide evidence of teaching effectiveness and innovative curriculum development in business communications in higher education settings.

The candidate must demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of constituencies in a higher education setting, including faculty, staff, administration and students. We are seeking a leader who can set a clear direction for the program and bring fresh, innovative approaches to teaching business communications courses. A successful candidate will lead with a strategic point of view, including planning that integrates various perspectives, garnering consensus, and implementing for results; leverage contemporary technology, including but not limited to generative artificial intelligence, to accomplish communication purposes; oversee and allocate resources; network/interact with diverse teams to achieve desired results, including forming and sustaining effective partnerships with key constituencies.

Application Instructions

Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, applications should be received online by March 27.

Candidates should submit the following materials:

1) Cover letter

2) Curriculum Vitae / Resume

3) Teaching statement that describes instructional philosophy and courses that the candidate has experience teaching, and would want to develop, along with evidence of effectiveness in teaching/curriculum development/training.

4) Names and contact information for three references.

Inquiries should be addressed to Associate Dean Naomi Rothman, PhD, College of Business, nbr211@lehigh.edu

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Lehigh University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital or familial status, national origin (including shared ancestry), pregnancy or related conditions, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Lehigh University is committed to a culturally and intellectually diverse academic community and is especially interested in candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching and/or service, to this mission. Lehigh University provides competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including domestic partner benefits, and supports faculty members' work/life balance.

Online Application

https://apply.interfolio.com/181513