Lecturer/ Speech (Individual Events) Coach

The ability and willingness to maintain a valid driver's license, to successfully complete Appalachian State's Multi-Passenger Vehicle Driver Approval Process and to drive a van to tournaments is required.

The Department of Communication employs 41 full-time faculty members dedicated to teaching more than 1,000 students who major in advertising, communication studies, electronic media/broadcasting, digital journalism, and public relations. The department is also home to multiple award-winning student organizations and student-run media outlets, which are open to all students on campus: The Appalachian news organization, AppTV, The Peel Literature and Arts Review, Second Story Media, a student-run communication agency, WASU-FM radio, and the university's intercollegiate debate team. Departmental staff members who report to the chair include three full-time media advisors and an engineer who manages the production equipment and studios used in the department.

Learn more at https://communication.appstate.edu

The Department of Communication at Appalachian State University welcomes applications for the position of Lecturer/Speech (Individual Events) Coach. The position will begin August 2026. The successful applicant will teach courses in the Department of Communication (including Thinking Through Communication and Public Speaking) and will coach a competitive, intercollegiate speech team, which is part of our forensics program that also includes a competitive debate team. Responsibilities also include advising students and serving on departmental committees. A Master's degree in Communication or related field and knowledge of intercollegiate forensics is required. Preference will be given to candidates with experience coaching and/or competing in individual events. Experience with, or understanding of, intercollegiate debate is also preferred.

The Forensics program focuses on assisting students in maximizing their learning and achieving their full potential as speakers. Duties of the Speech (IE) Coach include organizing and conducting team meetings, practice rounds and coaching sessions; traveling to tournaments as a supervisor, coach and judge; organizing recruitment and on-campus showcase events; promoting the team results; and other duties as determined by the Director of Forensics and the Department Chair.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Teaching courses in the Department of Communication, including Public Speaking and Thinking Through Communication

2) Serving as an academic advisor to students

3) Serving on departmental committees

4) Holding office hours as required by Appalachian State University

5) Attending speech team meetings, and running them as needed

6) Conducting and organizing practice rounds during the week as needed

7) Running and organizing coaching sessions during the week as needed

8) Running and organizing speech drills throughout the week

9) Maintaining and organizing relevant folders on the team Google Drive

10) Attending Speech/Debate tournaments as needed

11) Leading and supervising team travel

12) Assisting with topic preparation at tournaments

13) Fulfilling judging obligation at tournaments

14) Observing team members and offering post-round critique as available

15) Assisting students with needs that arise over the course of a tournament

16) Acting as a responsible party for handling inter-team conflict, or other issues that require leadership intervention

17) Organizing recruitment events

18) Organizing on-campus events that showcase the skills utilized in speech competition

19) Reporting the results of tournaments to the appropriate promotional outlets

20) Handling other duties as determined by the Director of Forensics and the Chair of the Department of Communication

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate's salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.

A completed application will include:

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.