Knight Chair in Visual Journalism

Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia's oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education ( https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University's main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,000 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University's enrollment exceeds 40,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

The college is home to the National Press Photographers Association and administers the NPPA's annual Best of Photojournalism Competition. The college routinely partners with the NPPA on training programs for visual journalists in the field, and it is home to the Peabody Awards.

The college offers a variety of classes in photo and video journalism, and it operates multiple television news shows out of its broadcast studio, where students cover everything from politics to religion to sports. The college also has a multimedia laboratory news website that features student work with photos as well as short- and long-form videos.

The college's faculty members conduct research exploring a range of topics and issues in visual journalism, including: how images are made, selected, and interpreted; how visual journalists define themselves as they seek legitimacy and job security; and the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented journalists, including those who work in the visual space.

The college also houses several entities that would be well positioned to collaborate with the Knight Chair in Visual Journalism, among them the Cox International Center, the New Media Institute, the Carmical Sports Media Institute, the Digital Media Attention and Cognition Lab, and the Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership.

In 2021, the college rescued a weekly newspaper, The Oglethorpe Echo, which today operates as a nonprofit news organization staffed by faculty and students. The Echo serves a rural county east of Athens and offers an ideal test bed for experimentation in visual journalism. Moreover, the Journalism Innovation Lab runs a partnership with the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters that places journalism students in local newsrooms and is another viable outlet for visual training and outreach.

In recent years, the college, through its Carmical Sports Media Institute, has partnered with The Associated Press to supplement the agency's on-the-ground written and visual coverage of the Summer Paralympic Games and the Women's World Cup, with work produced by credentialed student journalists published worldwide.

The college values diversity in experience, background, and research perspectives, and it is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for teaching and learning.

Screening of applications will begin September 16, 2024, and continue until the position is filled. Applicants must submit a CV/resume, links to work samples with explanations of their role in creating the samples, a list of three references, and a cover letter that includes a vision statement about the role of visual-journalism education and that addresses relevant experience and an ability to work with individuals from differing backgrounds. Questions may be addressed to Professor Vicki Michaelis, search committee chair, at vickim@uga.edu.

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.