"Academic Coordinator I - School of Journalism"

Position Overview

Salary range: The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by step at appointment. See the following table for the salary scale for this position: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/policy-covered-july-2025-scales/t36-i.pdf The current full-time annual base salary range for the Academic Coordinator I position is $64,228 - $122,272. 'Off-scale' salaries, which yield compensation that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start: March 1, 2026

Position duration: August 30, 2027

Application Window

Open date: January 6, 2026

Next review date: Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

The School of Journalism is recruiting for a Director of Special Academic Programs (Academic Coordinator I). This position will be responsible for coordinating the School's summer undergraduate minor, overseeing the undergraduate program overall, helping with coordination of the California Newsroom Fellowship program, and managing other special academic programs.

50% of this position will be dedicated to managing the Undergraduate Minor. The Director (AC) will work with the Undergraduate Advisor and Journalism Staff to manage the undergraduate minor program over Summer 2026 and Summer 2027. The AC will manage all of the academic administration for the program, which includes: working with the Associate Dean to review applicants and participate in interviews; helping to manage Academic Student Employees (ASEs); working with Summer Sessions to advertise classes and participate in workshops or other trainings; leading orientation and training for summer lecturers; and assisting summer lecturers with a variety of academic matters, including curriculum planning, evaluating exceptional student requests, training instructors on the Learning Management Software (known as bCourses), handling classroom incidents or referring to the appropriate campus departments, facilitating incomplete grades resolution, facilitating grade appeals process including informal resolution, and assisting with DSP exam proctoring.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

Program Administration & Student Management:

• Oversee the day-to-day management of the minor, including student enrollment, scholarship arrangements, and information dissemination.
• Serve as the primary liaison for curriculum planning, working with the executive and curriculum committees to ensure core and elective course availability.
• Lead program promotion, managing communications, and maintaining the website.

Summer Session Management:

• Serve as the key lead for Summer Sessions, managing hiring, class coordination, and reporting.
• Collaborate closely with the Undergraduate Advisor, Journalism staff, AP Analyst, and Student Services team to meet hiring deadlines for instructors and Academic Student Employees (ASE).
• The AC will work through August 30, 2027 to see the completion of summer session appointments and help instructors with final grade submissions & final offboarding.

Expansion & Access:

• Drive significant expansion of enrollment for the minor.
• Explore establishing the minor as a system-wide offering accessible to other UC students.
• Develop a professional pipeline, including pre-college course offerings for high school students.
• Work to establish a 4+1 BA/MJ degree to facilitate access to graduate-level Journalism education.
• Explore expanding the minor into a full undergraduate major.
• Curriculum & Content: Act as a crucial thought partner to continuously update the curriculum, ensuring it reflects new technologies and political realities within the rapidly evolving journalism industry.

Faculty Engagement:

• Help maintain and increase engagement with the teaching faculty, including Berkeley Senate professors and journalists from top newsrooms.

25% of this position will be dedicated to supporting the California News Fellowship program. The AC will have a central role in the Fellowship Program and its integration with the wider curriculum. Responsibilities include managing the admissions and selection process, such as reviewing applications and participating in the selection of each new cohort. The AC will also review the annual operations handbook to identify development opportunities. Crucially, the AC acts as a system overseer for the fellowship, bridging training opportunities with the graduate curriculum. The AC will be a key thought partner and leader in creating a partnership between the fellowship and the undergraduate minor program, exploring collaborations like joint projects and developing shared training opportunities.

25% of this position will be dedicated to managing the School's other special academic programs which includes the Business Journalism Certificate Program, and the Masters of Journalism/Masters Public Health. The AC would take ownership of these programs and would manage the coordination of all of our special graduate programs as needed across the curriculum.

Possibility of reappointment may be considered based on performance and need of the School.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent international degree.

Preferred qualifications

• Professional background in journalism profession or journalism-adjacent fields.
• Demonstrated administrative experience, preferably in higher education settings.
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgement and make difficult decisions, including addressing instructor performance issues in a fair and professional manner.
• Capacity to engage in conflict resolution and problem solving, particularly in situations involving classroom challenges, student concerns.
• Strong organization and program management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to present confidently to students, faculty or other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership, with a track record of accountability, integrity, and collaborative decision-making.
• Proficiency with technology systems used in academic program delivery, including learning management systems (Canvas preferred).
• Familiarity with curriculum development and academic policy within journalism or related disciplines.
• Experience in academic coordination within a university environment.
• Capacity to design, implement, and communicate program policies and procedures effectively.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter - Please describe your experience as it relates to this position, specifically work done in an academic setting.

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Job Location

Berkeley, CA