Professor and Chair, English

The Department of English in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) seeks an innovative leader and skilled administrator and scholar to serve as the next Department Chair, with a concurrent appointment as tenured professor. Appointment will be located at the Tempe campus with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2024. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The faculty of the ASU Department of English are internationally recognized for research and teaching excellence, interdisciplinary collaborations, and innovative public engagement. The English Department’s approximately 65 tenured and tenure track faculty, 26 career track faculty, and 70 instructors explore language and meaning-making throughout the globe and in all media, and are organized into the fields of creative writing; English education; film and media studies; linguistics and applied linguistics/TESOL; literature; and writing, rhetorics and literacies. Collectively these areas offer three undergraduate degrees (a BA in English with four distinct concentrations, a BA in Film and Media Studies, and a BA in Culture, Technology, and Environment), six master’s degrees, and two PhDs (a PhD in English with three distinct concentrations and a PhD in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics). More than 2,000 students pursue undergraduate degrees in the Department of English through in-person and online curricula. Approximately 33% of our undergraduate students are BIPOC students, 45% are Pell grant eligible, and 33% are the first in their families to attend a university, and our five fully online programs serve a large population of students who might otherwise not participate in university education. The English Department also houses the university’s Writing Programs, which serve more than 20,000 students each year in online, hybrid, and in-person composition courses as well as acting as a site of research and inquiry. In addition, nearly 30 staff members serve in support of the department’s mission; several of these staff report directly to the Chair.

The Chair will provide dynamic, collaborative administrative leadership and an academic vision that resonates with the design aspirations of the “New American University” (https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/) in these ways:

• Promotes excellence in graduate and undergraduate programs
• Provides informed leadership in fiscal planning and management
• Stewards and grows the department’s online programs
• Recruits, develops, and retains exceptional faculty and staff
• Develops and builds interdisciplinary research and teaching programs
• Supports and leads efforts to advance ASU's commitment to inclusive excellence
• Fosters community and donor relations
• Works closely with the department's director of Writing Programs.

The Chair of the English Department works closely with a team of humanities leaders that includes the dean of the humanities, the director of the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, the director of the School of International Letters and Cultures, and the directors of fourteen centers and initiatives (including the Institute for Humanities Research, the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands, and the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies).

Minimum Qualifications:

• A PhD in English or a related or relevant field
• A scholarly record commensurate with the rank of tenured Full Professor in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU
• A record of relevant administrative experience and evidence of effective leadership, performing significant and effective financial planning and oversight (i.e., group/center leader; department chair/director)
• Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students and communities to advance the ASU Charter.

Desired Qualifications:

• Visionary leadership in a multi-faceted academic environment
• Demonstrated experience with program development in research and education
• Demonstrated commitment to teaching and academic innovation and transdisciplinary collaborations
• Demonstrated commitment to fundraising, grant development, and fostering interactions among multiple stakeholders including private sector, research, and community organizations
• The capacity to engage faculty members across a broad range of disciplines
• Evidence of excellent communication and organizational skills
• Demonstrated success in fostering a culture of collegiality and transparency among a large and diverse faculty and staff
• Record of experience promoting, managing, or developing online humanities curricula.

Application Instructions

This is a paperless search. To apply, please submit to apply.interfolio.com/129004:

• a cover letter outlining how you meet the above qualifications and your vision for leading a transdisciplinary academic unit such as the English Department,
• a curriculum vitae,
• contact information including emails for three references. References may be contacted at a later stage of the search and only with the candidate’s approval.

Review of applications will begin September 15, 2023, and if the position is not filled, reviews will occur every week thereafter until the search is closed. Cover letter can be addressed to Professor Ron Broglio and Professor Catherine O’Donnell, Search Committee Co-Chairs. Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee co-chairs at ron.broglio@asu.edu and codonnell@asu.edu .

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.