Project Manager

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

ID: 7110176 (Ref.No. BSU33219)
Posted: September 9, 2022
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

Job Description

The Project Manager will support the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication’s (SJSC) innovative project ecology curricular initiative. The project manager will manage, monitor, facilitate, coordinate, assess, develop, and promote faculty-led student projects, including research projects. In collaboration with the School’s director, Emerging Media Design and Development Center director, and Unified Research Laboratory coordinator; the Project Manager will develop long-term, ongoing, and mutually beneficial project partnerships with internal university and external community partners to support the advancement of a project-based curriculum in School.

The position will reside in and support the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development (EMDD), where the majority of project teams currently exist. Additionally, for the SJSC, the project manager will manage the project curricular innovation initiative and manage the Unified Research Lab (URL).

The School of Journalism and Strategic Communication (SJSC) at Ball State University offers undergraduate and graduate majors in journalism, emerging media design and development, and strategic communication. The Center for Emerging Media Design and Development is the SJSC's interdisciplinary storytelling lab that combines human-computer interaction, usability and user experience, design thinking, and transmedia storytelling to develop innovative projects. The SJSC is also home to the Unified Research Lab where faculty and graduate students collaborate on eye tracking, virtual reality, psychophysiology, and gaming research.

Job Function:

The Project Manager will support the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication’s (SJSC) innovative project ecology curricular initiative. The project manager will manage, monitor, facilitate, coordinate, assess, develop, and promote faculty-led student projects, including research projects. In collaboration with the School’s director, Emerging Media Design and Development Center director, and Unified Research Laboratory coordinator; the Project Manager will develop long-term, ongoing, and mutually beneficial project partnerships with internal university and external community partners to support the advancement of a project-based curriculum in School.

The position will reside in and support the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development (EMDD), where the majority of project teams currently exist. Additionally, for the SJSC, the project manager will manage the project curricular innovation initiative and manage the Unified Research Lab (URL).

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in journalism, mass communication, public relations, strategic communications, marketing, journalism graphics or related field from an accredited institution.

Minimum Experience:

Experience with project management and media writing or graphic design or cross-platform storytelling.

Preferred Experience:

Experience in grant writing; experience in event planning and coordination; experience working in commercial and academic environments; experience authoring IRB-approved research protocols; experience in web content development and web content management systems.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Serve as the project manager for the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication’s (SJSC) innovative project ecology curricular initiative.
  • Participate in the planning of research projects; organize research projects and undertake or delegate project management tasks as needed; provide oversight and management of resources and personnel.
  • Liaise with University Marketing and Communications to ensure message and communication process alignment; work with the SJSC Director, EMDD Director, URL coordinator, and faculty/personnel in the creation of communications strategies to promote projects; liaise with other University personnel and partners as appropriate.
  • Provide support with research participant recruitment; work closely with the Ball State University Institutional Review Board to ensure research project compliance with policies and regulations governing human subjects’ research.
  • Provide support with recruiting students for the EMDD master’s degree program; facilitate graduate assistant assignments.
  • Perform coordination and monitoring responsibilities including gathering data, materials and financial information for projects and for other reports to the university administration; Develop and implement distribution plans for white papers, reports and other outputs; ensure the SJSC, EMDD Director, URL coordinator, and faculty/personnel are kept apprised of research project developments.
  • Provide oversight and coordinate relevant content on the SJSC, EMDD, and URL web pages, including sourcing and producing original content.
  • Attend appropriate internal and external events as SJSC representative.
  • Serve as liaison for arranging campus visits for project clients, prospective students and other visitors.
  • Collaborate in the identification and writing of grant proposals for research and creative projects.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.


At Ball State University, we recognize inclusive excellence as an integral endeavor to fulfill our University’s mission and our strategic plan. We recruit, support, and retain a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff. We encourage and reward diversity of thought. We promote a work environment that encourages and rewards innovation and creativity. We pledge to keep Inclusive Excellence at the highest level of institutional importance and as a foundation in all that we strive to do. Our over-arching goal for Inclusive Excellence is to adopt a university-wide Inclusive Excellence approach to academic, administrative support, and service functions of the university. We believe Inclusive Excellence must be infused in every step we take.