photo of Moody College of Communication sign

Dean, Moody College of Communication

The Opportunity

The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) invites applications for the position of Dean of the Moody College of Communication, one of the world’s premier institutions for the study of communication. Moody’s programs reflect the full spectrum of the field—from persuasive communication and public engagement to human interaction and hearing, from journalism and media innovation to film, television, and emerging digital forms. Across these areas, the College educates the next generation of leaders, creators, researchers, instructors, and clinicians, supported by faculty whose work shapes both scholarship and practice. For students, Moody embodies an uncommon integration of theory and practice–they may pitch an advertising campaign, report for The Daily Texan, create original film and media work, collaborate with faculty on research, produce a live NCAA athletic event, or support clients through the Speech and Hearing Center.

With roots dating to 1899, Moody College has evolved alongside the transformation of media in the United States and around the world. Established as the School of Communication in 1965, becoming a College in 1979, and renamed in 2013 following a transformative gift from the Moody Foundation, Moody reflects more than a century of leadership in communication education and research.

Located in Austin—one of the world’s most vibrant centers for technology, film, music, and digital innovation—Moody benefits from deep connections to industry and a culture of creativity. As part of UT-Austin, the College produces innovative research and prepares students to communicate with purpose, integrity, and influence in a complex and evolving global landscape.

The search welcomes candidates with distinguished academic and/or professional backgrounds who can lead highly-ranked programs in an R1 research university.

Leadership Overview 

The Dean of the Moody College of Communication serves as the College’s chief academic and administrative officer and provides the strategic, intellectual, and operational leadership and vision for research and teaching excellence. Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Dean guides a large and multifaceted academic enterprise that includes internationally recognized departments, distinguished research centers, strong undergraduate and graduate programs, and deep partnerships across the university, the state, the nation, and the world. 

The Dean is responsible for equipping all faculty, students, and staff to thrive; recruiting and retaining outstanding scholars and educators; and ensuring that academic programs meet the highest standards of rigor, relevance, and innovation. The Dean oversees the College’s budget and operations; helps develop new academic initiatives; and strengthens the infrastructure required for high-impact research, high-quality teaching, and student success. Current direct reports include the five school directors and department chairs, senior academic and administrative leaders, the chief development officer, the chief marketing and communications officer, the executive director for innovation and partnerships, leadership for KUT/KUTX and UT’s Los Angeles (UTLA) and New York (UTNY) campuses, and the assistant dean/chief business officer. The Dean also oversees other selected centers, institutes, and programs.

As the external representative of the College, the Dean serves as an ambassador to state leaders and agencies, alumni, donors, and industry, non-profit, and government partners.  The Dean leads in securing philanthropic support and in expanding the College’s visibility, influence, and contributions to Texas and the nation. 

Major Priorities and Characteristics Sought in the Next Dean

Visionary Leadership

The successful candidate will bring visionary leadership grounded in a sophisticated understanding of the rapidly evolving communication landscape across multiple domains. This leader will navigate advances in artificial intelligence, shifts in global media ecosystems, and changing models of teaching, learning, and credentialing. The Dean should understand artificial intelligence and emerging platforms in both strategic and ethical terms and develop a strategy that integrates academic rigor, creative innovation, experiential learning, and technological fluency, ensuring that Moody helps shape the future of communication and its role within higher education and industry.

Industry-Facing Expertise and Academic Commitment

The successful candidate will bring a strong commitment to academic excellence and industry engagement. This may include distinction in scholarly research or professional accomplishment in fields such as media, speech and hearing science, communication, or communication-related technology. The Dean will engage with industry leaders while also championing rigorous scholarship and teaching excellence. This leader will also strengthen pathways from the classroom to careers—ensuring that students graduate with the skills, experiences, and professional networks needed to thrive in a dynamic and competitive marketplace. 

Commitment to Student Success and Career Readiness

The successful candidate will be committed to student success and preparing graduates for meaningful careers. This leader will champion student interests and expanding opportunities for experiential learning, internships, and industry-connected experiences. The Dean will support the development of curricula and co-curricular initiatives that equip students with both foundational knowledge and adaptable skills, including critical thinking, communication, and technological fluency. This next leader will also be charged with oversight for UT’s New York and Los Angeles campuses (UTNY and UTLA) and should develop a vision for fully leveraging those sites for excellence in student learning and career preparation.

Faculty Excellence, Recruitment, and a Thriving Academic Community

The successful candidate will be committed to building and sustaining an exceptional faculty community across Moody College’s wide-ranging fields. This leader will recruit and retain outstanding scholars, teachers, creators, clinicians, staff, and professionals, and will ensure that faculty and staff can flourish in their work. The Dean will foster a culture of transparency, collaboration, and respect, strengthening shared purpose across the College’s diverse units and areas of excellence. By investing in people, communicating with clarity, and supporting professional growth, the Dean will help Moody continue to attract top talent and deepen its standing as one of the world’s leading colleges of communication. 

Resource Development, External Relations, and Organizational Leadership

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong capacity for fundraising, external relations, and financial stewardship in support of the College’s mission and strategic priorities. As UT completes a successful $7 billion “What Starts Here” campaign (of which more than $263 million has been committed so far to Moody) and begins preparing for the next campaign, the Dean will lead in cultivating relationships with donors, alumni, industry partners, and the broader community, and securing investments that enhance faculty excellence, student opportunities, interdisciplinary innovation, and the College’s public impact. 

The successful candidate will oversee a budget of $77 million, as well as personnel and administrative functions while ensuring alignment with the College’s strategic priorities. The Dean will promote transparency, accountability, and data-informed decision-making, and will work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and university leadership. 

Support for Intellectual Freedom, Pluralism, and Academic Integrity

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to intellectual freedom and the highest standards of academic integrity. This leader will cultivate an environment where rigorous scholarship, creative expression, clinical practice, and professional work can thrive. The Dean will champion a culture of intellectual pluralism, diverse viewpoints, and respectful dialogue, recognizing that the strength of a public research university—and of disciplines such as journalism, media, and communication sciences—lies in the free exchange of ideas and perspectives, and that innovation requires thoughtful risk-taking. Given the College’s significant public-facing impact, the Dean will also uphold and reinforce principles of accuracy, ethics, and trust in the creation and dissemination of knowledge and content. This will ensure that teaching, research, and creative work are conducted with integrity, accountability, and a shared responsibility to both the academic community and the broader public.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities and Collaborations Across the 40 Acres

The successful candidate will embrace the interdisciplinary opportunities that define both Moody College and The University of Texas at Austin. This leader will foster meaningful collaboration across the “40 Acres,” building partnerships with schools and colleges spanning technology, business, public affairs, education, fine arts, medicine, and the health sciences. The Dean will encourage initiatives that integrate communication with fields such as data science, public policy, entrepreneurship, business, sports, and human health, recognizing the increasingly interconnected nature of knowledge and practice. 

Qualifications and Experience

The search committee understands that no single candidate may have all of these ideal qualifications, but prefers candidates with a meaningful plurality of the following experiences and abilities:

  • Academic or professional qualifications in one or more of the College’s fields, including a terminal degree and/or an outstanding record of academic or professional achievement, with impact commensurate with appointment as a full professor with tenure
  • Understanding of research-intensive academic culture, including tenure, promotion, sponsored research, and faculty governance
  • A strong record of motivational leadership and effective management in a large, complex organization, with the ability to lead across scholarly, professional, and clinical domains
  • Intellectual depth and strategic thinking; the capacity to translate ideas into actions with meaningful impact 
  • Demonstrated success in establishing a vision and executing a strategic plan, experience with the alignment of resources with strategic goals
  • A global outlook, with a strong commitment to realizing the potential contributions of the Moody College of Communication to strengthening strategic engagement with local, national, and international communities and with partners in industry and government
  • A strong record of promoting community within communication disciplines/professions as well as a commitment to intellectual/viewpoint diversity
  • A strong record of success in recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performance professionals, whether in an academic or industry setting 
  • Demonstrated experience building meaningful relationships with philanthropists, institutional grant-makers, and industry partners, as well as success in securing gifts and/or establishing significant partnerships
  • Financial acumen and a record of fiduciary transparency and accountability
  • Exceptional communication and relationship skills and the ability to be an effective spokesperson and strong advocate for the College and University
  • Demonstrated support for traditional, emerging, and converging technologies and the development of cutting-edge curricula and research programs; capacity to navigate emerging technologies–especially AI and platform shifts–with strategic and ethical judgment

Located in Austin, Texas—one of the nation’s most dynamic centers for creative industries, live music, and technological innovation—the Moody College of Communication offers students exceptional opportunities for hands-on learning in a rapidly changing communication environment. As part of The University of Texas at Austin, one of the world’s leading public research universities, Moody connects students and faculty to a broad interdisciplinary community and to the in-demand skills, experiences, and professional pathways that define communication careers today and bring a view to the future. 

The college comprises five departments and schools (as well as an interdisciplinary degree in Communication and Leadership):

  1. Department of Communication Studies
  2. Department of Radio-Television-Film
  3. Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
  4. School of Journalism and Media
  5. Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations

Across these units, Moody faculty are widely recognized for excellence in research, teaching, creative work, clinical training, and professional practice. The College also offers a four-year undergraduate honors program that connects classroom learning with research, service, and leadership development. 

Moody’s departments and schools consistently earn national and global recognition: 

Rankings for Moody programs

#1 Public University in Communication and Media Studies in the U.S., QS, 2025
#3 Worldwide in Communication and Media Studies, QS, 2025
#1 Public Film School, The Hollywood Reporter, 2025
#1 BS in Advertising, Best Accredited Colleges, 2023
#2 Public Relations and Advertising, Best Accredited Colleges, 2023
#5 Best Journalism Schools, PrepScholar, 2025
#13 Graduate Speech-Language Pathology, U.S. News & World Report, 2026
#18 Doctor of Audiology, U.S. News & World Report, 2026

Moody is also home to the award-winning public radio stations KUT and KUTX and to Texas Student Media, including The Daily Texan student newspaper. These enterprises generate revenue to cover their operating costs. Their leadership is part of the Dean’s senior staff. They bring attention to the college, create experiential-learning opportunities for students, and add to Moody’s unique breadth.

In addition to its five academic units and one interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program, Moody is home to 14 centers, institutes, and programs that work in areas including civic life, global change, health communication, immersive technologies, journalism, media ethics, speech and hearing, sports communication, and stuttering. Together they foster interdisciplinary collaboration, serve the community, and connect Moody faculty and students with partners across the university and beyond. 

Its newest building, the G.B. Dealey Center for New Media, builds on these strengths and promotes new models for communication research and education. The college also maintains deep connections to various industries through its talented faculty, strong alumni base, and industry partnerships, including its locations in Los Angeles (UTLA) and New York (UTNY). Moody’s impact extends through a global alumni community of more than 58,000, including Oscar, Pulitzer, and Emmy winners.

Moody enrolls approximately 4,500 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students and employs 91 tenured/tenure-track faculty and 125 professional-track faculty, in addition to a staff of approximately 350. Moody awards more than 1,000 undergraduate bachelor’s degrees and 100 graduate degrees each year. Degrees offered span bachelor, master’s, and doctoral levels and include seven undergraduate degrees, 13 undergraduate minors, and 17 graduate degrees, along with master’s degree programs that do not receive state formula funding.

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the premier universities in the world. 

Founded in 1883, it is the state’s flagship university.  UT’s main campus spans 431 acres with 55,000 students, 4,700 faculty members and more than 10,000 staff members.  

The University leads in many fields, including energy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, entrepreneurship and national security. It is one of just four universities to have at least 50 of its graduate programs rank in the top 10 in the United States. UT is among the top producers of doctoral degrees in the nation, and its alumni and faculty include Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. In total, UT offers more than 150 undergraduate degree programs and 230 graduate programs across 17 colleges and schools in the sciences, arts, humanities and professions. 

Rankings and Research by the Numbers 

  • No. 1 among Texas public universities, U.S. News & World Report 
  • No. 7 among American public universities, U.S. News & World Report 
  • 76 graduate and undergraduate programs in the top 10, U.S. News 
  • No. 3 in the world for most patents granted (UT System-wide), National Academy of Inventors 
  • No. 1 in the nation for National Science Foundation (NSF) funding
  • $1.14 billion in research expenditures (FY2024) 
  • 1,291 patents issued in the last 10 years 
  • 4,660 externally sponsored research projects 

The University’s holdings comprise more than 170 million objects, including a Gutenberg Bible and other rare books, manuscripts, photographs, artworks and artifacts from natural history to pop culture in eight museums and 12 libraries. The Lyndon B.  Johnson Presidential Library was the first presidential library to be located on a university campus.  

Over the past decade, the campus has undergone a significant modernization and expansion of its research, academic and community spaces. Recent projects added new state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech labs and dynamic collaboration spaces that are transforming the student and faculty experience. The University’s large and diverse student body, storied history, strong and supportive community and rich tradition have given rise to a proud alumni base of more than 600,000. Among UT’s many well-known  alumni are Michael Dell, Laura Bush, Jenna Bush Hager, Jeb Bush, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Durant, Wes Anderson, Robert Rodriguez, Renee Zellweger, Owen Wilson, Glen Powell, Marcia Gay Harden, Sanya Richards Ross, Sam Rayburn, James Baker, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Brené Brown, Jim Allison, Rex Tillerson, Bill Moyers and  Walter Cronkite, as well as current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas alumni include founders or co-founders of Dell Computers, American Airlines, 7-Eleven, National Instruments, CarMax and iHeartRadio. 

In 2025, UT welcomed a new leadership team, with both the president and provost taking on their current roles. At his formal inauguration in October, President Jim Davis delivered a bold and hopeful vision for The University of Texas at Austin to sharpen its commitment to academic balance and renew public trust at a time when  higher education leaders face a turbulent national landscape.

President Jim Davis 
Jim Davis is the 31st President of The University of Texas at Austin and a lifelong Longhorn. He grew up in Austin and served his country with distinction as a cryptologist in the United States Navy. After his Navy service, President Davis earned his bachelor’s degree from UT and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Following a clerkship with the Supreme Court of Texas and a distinguished private law practice, he served as a Texas Deputy Attorney General, where he led the civil litigation division and advised the leadership of state agencies, including the University of Texas System and UT Austin. Since 2018, President Davis has served in several leadership positions at UT Austin and played central roles in a number of UT’s transformational projects. 

Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden 
Dr. William Inboden became executive vice president and provost in August 2025, leading the University’s academic mission and advancing excellence in research and teaching across campus. A distinguished scholar, institution-builder, and policymaker, he is a champion for student mentorship and has chaired or served on nearly 30 doctoral committees and advised more than 30 pre- and postdoctoral fellows. Most recently, Dr. Inboden directed the University of Florida’s Alexander Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education and previously spent 13 years at UT Austin as an award-winning faculty member and founding executive director of the Clements Center for National Security. He also previously served on the National Security Council staff at the White House and with the U.S. Department of State. He is the author of numerous works on diplomatic history and U.S. foreign policy.

Located at the edge of the picturesque Hill Country of Central Texas, Austin is the state capital and one of the nation’s most dynamic and fast-growing metropolitan areas. Widely recognized for its creative energy, entrepreneurial spirit, and distinctive cultural identity, Austin offers an environment in which innovation in technology, media, music, film, and storytelling intersect. The city is consistently acclaimed as a national center for creative talent and attracts artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, technologists, and makers from across the world.

Austin is home to major corporate headquarters, including Oracle, Dell Technologies, Whole Foods Market, and Tesla, and it has attracted significant operations from companies such as Amazon, AMD, Apple, and Google. The region has also become a significant center for startups, venture capital, and finance. At the same time, Austin has become a leading hub for creative and digital media, with strengths spanning advertising, social media, digital content, music and film technology, and app and software development. This combination of technological innovation and creative enterprise provides exceptional opportunities for collaboration, internships, and career pathways for Moody students and faculty.

The city is home to SXSW, one of the world’s premier gatherings for music, film, and innovative media, and to a vibrant film and production community supported by organizations such as the Austin Film Society, the Austin Film Commission, and the Texas Film Commission. With its strong journalism, media, music, film, and digital storytelling communities, Austin provides a living laboratory for communication study and practice and an exceptional setting for preparing students to lead in rapidly evolving creative and professional fields.

Nominations, applications, and inquiries are welcome. For immediate applications, please submit a CV, cover letter, and any other relevant information and materials to this link: https://stockexec.clockworkrecruiting.com/job_posts/399d1809-d690-4e62-99ac-77a69b7fa375

To nominate a potential candidate or for any other inquiries, please reach out to: UTMoody@stockexecsearch.com. The Stock Executive Search team involved in this search includes: 

  • Toby Stock, Founder & CEO 
  • Corrie Willson, Director of Operations and Growth 
  • Stephanie Robson, Consulting Associate

Faculty Members:

  • Courtney Byrd
    Dale and Tina Holder Endowed Chair in Stuttering Leadership, F.J. Heyne Centennial Professor in Communication, and Executive Director, Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research
  • Michael Mackert
    John B. McGovern Regents Professor in Health and Medical Science Communication, Director, Center for Health Communication and Professor, School of Advertising and Public Relations
  • Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud
    E.M. “Ted” Dealey Professor in the Business of Journalism, Communication Studies and the School of Journalism and Media (by courtesy) and Director, Center for Media Engagement

Deans Council Representative:

  • Ramón H Rivera-Servera (Chair)
    Dean, College of Fine Arts 

Advisory Council Representatives:

  • Wofford Denius
    Of Counsel, Eisner, LLP
  • Gordon Johndroe
    Principal, Trinity River Strategies
  • Marsha Jones
    Consultant, HillCo Partners

Tasha Beretvas, senior vice provost for Faculty Affairs, is an ex-officio member of the committee from the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Stock Executive Search will serve as the search consultants.