Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies--Sustainability, Health and Wellness

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The University and Department
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

 Liberal Studies Department

 ​​​​The Liberal Studies Department in the College of Education and Integrative Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin Fall 2020. Interdisciplinary candidates with co-specializations in the natural sciences and social sciences or the natural sciences and the humanities with a focus on health, sustainability, and/or wellness are encouraged to apply.

At Cal Poly Pomona we cultivate success through a diverse culture of experiential learning, discovery, and innovation. Our faculty embraces the Teacher-Scholar model. We demonstrate academic quality, relevance, and excellence through our teaching, learning, scholarship, and creative activities with student centered faculty in an evidence-based culture. Cal Poly Pomona is committed to being the model for an inclusive polytechnic university that inspires creativity and innovation, embraces local and global challenges, and transforms lives.

The University: Cal Poly Pomona is one of two polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system. Our ethnically diverse student population of approximately 22,000 enrolls in 52 baccalaureate, 26 master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, presented by 1,200 faculty. We recruit students increasingly from throughout California and beyond. The students are success and career focused and extremely diverse. We are proud of our status as a Hispanic Serving Institution. We have a strong commitment to supporting scholarship, research, and student achievement. Our scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W. K. Kellogg, is located about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in one of the most dynamic economic and cultural regions in the country, and within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains, and desert. The university is committed to diversifying its faculty and staff and has made educational equity one of its highest priorities. The mission of the university is to advance learning and knowledge by linking theory and practice in all disciplines, and to prepare students for lifelong learning, leadership, and careers in a changing, multicultural world. We are highly recognized and ranked among the nation’s top universities. https://www.cpp.edu/~aboutcpp/why- cpp/well-ranked.shtml

The Department: The Liberal Studies major is the undergraduate major for elementary educators in California. Thus, candidates will provide an interdisciplinary education for undergraduate teacher candidates and General Studies students, who pursue a liberal arts-based degree in disciplines related to their future educational paths or careers in fields such as law enforcement, social work, counseling and advising, and health care. Instruction will focus on developing students’ proficiencies in critical thinking, writing and speaking, and interdisciplinary thinking, among other skills and dispositions characteristic of a liberal arts degree. High in priority is the synthesis of arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences knowledge to grapple with and resolve society’s issues relevant to the program’s three organizing themes (social responsibility/social justice, sustainability, wellness/wellbeing). Diverse research approaches are welcome, including those related to animal and plant studies, behavioral health and wellness, the built environment, climate change, critical race studies, the digital environmental humanities, ecocriticism, ecofeminism, environmental justice, Indigenous and postcolonial environmentalisms, medical anthropology or sociology, public health, queer ecologies, and socio-environmental systems.

The Position
The Position:  Working with a multidisciplinary faculty, the successful candidate will teach Liberal Studies or interdisciplinary core courses, particularly a survey course in the natural sciences with a focus on health, sustainability, and/or wellness. Candidates will provide Liberal Studies students with a strong foundation in natural science knowledge, taught through a student-centered, active learning, and experiential pedagogy (e.g., inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and service-learning). The successful candidate will be expected to provide departmental leadership in curriculum, teaching, assessment, and university or CSU initiatives, sometimes related to natural science, and eventually, to parlay these areas to fulfill university service commitments. The candidate is also expected to advise and mentor Liberal Studies students in both options regarding academic success strategies and resources, and graduate study, career planning and decision making. The position requires teaching experience at the undergraduate or post-baccalaureate level and evidence of professional and scholarly productivity commensurate with assistant professor status. Applicants whose scholarship includes co-specialization in the natural sciences and social sciences or the natural sciences and the humanities with a health, sustainability, and/or wellness perspective are particularly encouraged to apply. Diverse research approaches are welcome, including those related to animal and plant studies, behavioral health and wellness, the built environment, climate change, critical race studies, the digital environmental humanities, ecocriticism, ecofeminism, environmental justice, Indigenous and postcolonial environmentalisms, medical anthropology or sociology, public health, queer ecologies, and socio-environmental systems.

Minimum Qualifications:

·      An earned doctorate in a humanities or social science discipline or a related interdisciplinary field that addresses health, sustainability, and/or wellness awarded from an accredited university at time of offer

·      Evidence of scholarly or creative work (conference presentations, publications, grant development)

·      Experience with or potential for teaching interdisciplinary courses with a student-centered, active learning, and experiential pedagogical approach (e.g., inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and service-learning).

·      University/College-level teaching experience at the undergraduate or post-baccalaureate level, which could include Teaching Assistantships.

 Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

·       An earned bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in a natural science discipline, such as biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, physics, or related field of study from an accredited university

·       Demonstrated success in interdisciplinary teaching across the natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences using student engagement techniques and interactive pedagogies

·       Scholarship or teaching experience related to social responsibility/social justice in connection to health, sustainability, and/or wellness

·       Demonstrated collegiality and collaboration within a department, cohort or professional organization

·       Experience collaborating with faculty in other departments, colleges, student groups, and/or community-based organizations to share disciplinary expertise

·       Demonstrated strong ability or desire to incorporate educational technology and open source tools and platforms

·       Experience with mentoring undergraduate research projects and/or interdisciplinary scholarship

·       Experience advising and mentoring socially diverse students

·       K-12 teaching experience

Application Procedure: A completed application will consist of:

·      a cover letter of no more than two pages, single-spaced that describes the candidate’s teaching and research experience and interests that directly address the duties and qualifications articulated in the position description;

·       a curriculum vitae comprised of at least those elements specified on the application form including the names, titles, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three individuals who can speak to the candidate’s potential for success in this position

·      a Student Success Statement about your teaching or other experiences, successes, and challenges in working with a diverse student population, citing specific examples when possible (no more than two pages, single-spaced);

·      two recent (within three years) letters of recommendation that speak to applicant’s previous and/or potential teaching, scholarship or leadership (one of which may be from individuals in the reference list); finalists will be required to submit a third letter of recommendation

·      a completed application form; and

·      transcripts for all university degrees earned (an official transcript for doctoral degree will be required of finalists)

The position is open until filled. First consideration will be given to completed applications received no later than November 18, 2019. Early response is encouraged. Please submit an application using this link: http://apply.interfolio.com/70060

Please address all inquiries to:

Faculty Search Committee c/o Kimberly Deitrick Liberal Studies Department California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Pomona, CA 91768

Phone: (909) 869-3567

The University:  Cal Poly Pomona is one of two polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system. Our ethnically diverse student population of approximately 22,000 enrolls in 52 baccalaureate, 26 master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, presented by 1,200 faculty. We recruit students increasingly from throughout California and beyond. The students are success and career focused and extremely diverse. We are proud of our status as a Hispanic Serving Institution. We have a strong commitment to supporting scholarship, research, and student achievement. Our scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W. K. Kellogg, is located about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in one of the most dynamic economic and cultural regions in the country, and within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains, and desert. The university is committed to diversifying its faculty and staff and has made educational equity one of its highest priorities. The mission of the university is to advance learning and knowledge by linking theory and practice in all disciplines, and to prepare students for lifelong learning, leadership, and careers in a changing, multicultural world.

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. The University seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives and ways of knowing and learning.  Cal Poly Pomona subscribes to all state and federal regulations and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, and covered veteran status.''  The University hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. As required by the Clery Disclosure Act, the university’s annual security report is available at ''http://www.cpp.edu/~police/annual-security-report.shtml. The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.