DIRECTOR / STUDENT MEDIA

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, the Director of Student Media provides administrative leadership, fiscal management, and strategic planning for the department. The Director advises students who lead Central Michigan Life (CM Life) by centering student learning, engagement, development, and academic success in their daily practice. As such, the Director provides professional and technical advice on journalism, law, marketing, advertising, and production. Further, the Director advises students on the development of Student Media, acting as an advocate for journalists and aiding students who wish to exercise their First Amendment free speech rights. The Director leads a dynamic team of full-time and student staff using a humanistic approach that fosters a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring that students feel supported and empowered to achieve their journalistic pursuits. The Director is responsible for the administrative and organizational aspects of Student Media, working with students and staff to ensure the cultivation of high-quality media, publications, and marketing materials.

The Director also serves as a liaison between the Student Media Board of Directors, CM Life, and the Division of University Engagement and Student Affairs to advocate that Student Media sustains access to freedom of speech and access to field-based professional expertise. The role involves collaboration with campus and external partners to support student development, engagement, and mentoring. With an entrepreneurial spirit, the Director is responsible for securing and maintaining external funding through advertising and other development-related initiatives. Additionally, the Director serves as the institutional representative on various university committees, promoting student learning, self-authorship, and the development of voice. This role facilitates and supports professional development opportunities for full-time staff, which includes professional association involvement, training programs, and one-on-one staff evaluation/coaching.

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in the field of journalism, mass media, communications, or other related fields.
Five years of practical journalism work experience, which includes at least two years of managerial
expertise.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and efficiently with staff and clients possessing widely varied backgrounds, specifically news, editorial, advertising, retail business and printing.
Demonstrated capacity to maintain confidentiality and a clear delineation of duties.
Prior experience with student development, community engagement, and advising.
Demonstrated positive interpersonal skills.
Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with other university and external partners, while remaining approachable and accessible to a wide audience.
Leverage highly effective and engaging verbal and written communication skills.
Experience with publishing assessment reports, briefs, and presentations.
Knowledge of computer programs and operations.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and travel as necessary.
Ability to perform the essential functions and requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Master’s degree, preferably in the field of journalism, mass media, communications, or other related fields.
Demonstrated ability to develop empathetic rapport with students engaged in the development and production of student media.
Demonstrated capacity to develop and sustain diverse sources of revenue.

Provide professional and technical journalism, business, and publishing advice to students.
Advise students on ethics, professionalism and craft.
Develop and manage the annual budget, setting appropriate targets for revenue and expenses.
Develop and implement operational policies and procedures associated with Student Media.
Supervise Student Media full-time and student staff on production matters.
Lead hands-on training for student leaders and incoming staff, including reporting, writing, interviewing, editing and multimedia interviews.
In partnership with the Student Media Board of Directors and other alumni, advise students on career- and employment-related opportunities.
Develop and maintain strong alumni relations with Student Media graduates.
Function as a liaison between Student Media activities and broader, external communities.
Function as a liaison between Student Media activities and units across the University.
Remain informed of the bylaws and policies established by the Student Media Board of Director – updated August 2025 – while engaging their professional expertise and considering their guidance when making decisions.
Maintain a meeting cadence with the Student Media Board, which includes collaborative agenda-setting, notetaking, and generating action items around participatory student/alumni engagement.
Function as an ombuds for people with grievances against any Student Media content.
Maintain and establish working relationships with professional journalists in Michigan.
Maintain relationships with national professional journalism organizations such as Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press.
Maintain relationships with state professional journalism organizations such as Michigan Press Association, Michigan Collegiate Press Association, Michigan Community College Press Association and others as needed.
Participate in all relevant contests as entrant and/or judge.
Attending and participating in the divisional meetings and activities, such as Director’s Counsel meetings, committees, and all-staff retreats and training sessions.
Advise students on a broad range of topics, such as academic and career pursuits, student success, and concerns.
Partner with the School of Communication, Journalism and Media faculty and staff to support student recruitment and retention efforts, while promoting degree fields and career paths supported by the school.
Other duties as assigned.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

Central Michigan Life (CM Life) is the award-winning, student-led news organization serving the Central Michigan University community since its founding in 1919. Operating as a publication independent from Central Michigan University, CM Life provides daily digital coverage and a monthly and special print editions, delivering breaking news, investigative reporting, features, sports, opinion content, and multimedia storytelling.

Recognized as one of the top collegiate media outlets in the country, Central Michigan Life has earned hundreds of national, regional, and state awards for journalistic excellence. These honors include multiple Pinnacle Awards from the College Media Association, Pacemaker Awards, and top placements in the Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. CM Life staff have also received individual accolades in writing, photography, design, and multimedia storytelling, further establishing the organization as a training ground for the next generation of media professionals.

With a mission to inform, engage, and empower the campus and surrounding community, CM Life provides a dynamic, real-world learning environment where students gain hands-on experience in journalism, advertising, photography, design, video production, and digital media strategy.

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position. Please submit application by February 13 for the best consideration.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

This position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials by February 13, 2026.

CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

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CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.

CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:

Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu