Director First-Year Composition Program

Position Description

Norfolk State University’s Department of English and Foreign Languages seeks candidates with a specialization in first-year composition for a tenure-track or tenured appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor of English beginning July 2024. This position carries year-round (12-month) administrative and teaching responsibilities.

Review of applications will begin on November 10, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

Responsibilities  

The successful candidate’s duties will include the following:  

  • Serve as Director of NSU’s First-Year Composition Program. Work closely with first-year composition faculty to develop curricula, new course content, and new assignment designs. Provide instructor training and support; assist with ongoing assessment of and research on the first-year writing program; maintain and update LMS course templates for ENG 101 and ENG 102; serve on department committees focused on teaching and program administration, and teach undergraduate writing courses. 
  • Teaching responsibilities will include classes in the general education core as well as required and elective classes for the major. 
  • Active engagement in research, scholarship, and/or grantsmanship. Participation in ongoing accreditation activities. Attendance at departmental meetings, collegial engagement with faculty, holding office hours, and meeting university deadlines. Advising and mentoring students and participating in recruitment activities. 

 Minimum Qualifications     

  1. An earned Ph.D. degree in English with a specialization in rhetoric, composition, or writing studies.
  2. Demonstrated record of scholarly research and/or publications in relevant subfields.
  3. Demonstrated commitment to serving diverse and/or underrepresented student populations.

Preferred Qualifications

  1. Experience in writing program administration and demonstrated commitment to the teaching and administration of first-year composition.           
  2. Experience and commitment to excellence in teaching and scholarly activity at the university level with knowledge in areas of specialization in a discipline as stated above.
  3. Considerable practice with face-to-face and online teaching and commitment to distance learning and online course delivery modalities. 
  4. Demonstrated ability to communicate with a diverse student body, both verbally and in writing.
  5. Strong interpersonal and communication skills with all staff levels.

Application Process:

A complete packet is required for employment consideration.

Qualified applicants should submit the following materials via the State of Virginia Jobs website at https://www.jobs.virginia.gov/jobs/533a79b0-7573-4866-8f78-2d9bd0791490 :

  1. Cover letter explaining the candidate’s qualifications for the position
  2. Curriculum vitae
  3. One-page diversity statement: Applicants are required to submit a narrative statement describing their commitment to working effectively with faculty, staff, and students in a multicultural/multiethnic campus environment with a substantial population of students who are among the first generation of their family to attend a college or university.
  4. One-page statement of teaching & management philosophy.
  5. Completed state application.

Candidates who are selected to be interviewed will be asked to provide the following additional materials:

  1. Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts 
  2. Three letters of recommendation 

EEO Statement

NSU is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons and applicants, without regard to age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, genetic information, race, religion, sexual orientation, sex (including pregnancy) or veteran status. NSU encourages and invites minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply.

Diversity Statement

Norfolk State University is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for all students regardless of background. Candidates must include a diversity statement that reflects their commitment to diversity and inclusion and details their experience working in diversity initiatives and/or with students from underrepresented groups.

About the Department

The Department of English and Foreign Languages at Norfolk State University offers programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Secondary Education Endorsement, and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Creative Writing Concentration. Department members have recently published works of creative writing and literary analysis and have accompanied students on a study abroad program to London. English faculty also maintain a local chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, and host a creative writing festival once a year, the William Carroll Writers’ Festival. The Department also offers courses in Arabic, French, Spanish, and Public Speaking as part of the general education requirements. The department is particularly interested in candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for all students regardless of their background.

About Norfolk State University

Norfolk State University is a comprehensive urban public, doctoral granting institution committed to transforming students’ lives through exemplary teaching, research, and service. The University is a top ranked Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with nationally recognized STEM programs in addition to diverse and robust programs in business, education, liberal arts, and social work. It enrolls 6,000 students in over thirty undergraduate and nineteen online and in-person graduate programs. The University garners over $20M in annual grant expenditures, has as an NCAA Division I athletic program with fifteen sports and eleven MEAC conference championships in last three years, and a coveted marching band invitation for participation in the 2023 Rose Parade.

 

About the City of Norfolk

Norfolk is one of seven cities that make up the Hampton Roads Region. With a population of about two million, Hampton Roads is the 33rd largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the nation, the 8th largest metro area in the Southeast, and the 2nd largest between Atlanta and Washington, DC. It is home to the world's largest naval base, the Port of Virginia, one of the world's leading maritime gateways, and NATO’s only North American headquarters (NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation). By virtue of its strategic location, it is a cosmopolitan area with many minority groups from every corner of the world. Norfolk has big-city amenities and attractions of arts and culture, as well as cuisines of the Eastern Seaboard. In addition, the region boasts accessible parks, riverfronts, beaches, and numerous festivals, all favorable for weekend getaways.


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