Assistant Professor of Writing Studies & Director of WAC/WID & STEM Initiatives at the Writing Cente

The Department of English at Old Dominion University invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor of Writing Studies to teach courses (2/2 teaching load) and serve as the Director of WAC/WID & STEM Initiatives for the Writing Center and General Education Program. This 10-month appointment begins July 25, 2024, and includes it opportunities for summer teaching and/or administrative work.

This position will expand ongoing WAC/WID efforts of the Writing Center and support the English General Education Program’s efforts to foster dynamic transfer from 200-level research-based general education composition courses into the major-level writing intensive courses. The successful candidate will have opportunities to teach courses in Composition and Writing Studies for the general education program, the English major, and the graduate programs. The position will yield exciting possibilities for collaborative research. Though we are excited to learn about each candidate’s vision for the position, we foresee the successful candidate’s role will include the following:

• collaborating with the Director of the Writing Center to provide programming and resources for faculty across campus, particularly STEM faculty, train tutors to respond more effectively to STEM genres, and help recruit and train writers from across the disciplines to work in the writing center;
• contributing to our program and department’s our ongoing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts through providing leadership and creating professional development opportunities that support the newly revised 200-level research-based general education composition courses;
• facilitating communication among teachers of the 200-level composition courses and the major-level writing intensive courses across campus to encourage vertical and dynamic transfer; and
• working with the Associate Chair of Writing Studies and the Directors of the Writing Center, Writing Placement & Support, and General Education Composition and Literature, to continue to respond to student and faculty needs and improve our programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. A completed Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition, Writing Studies, or a related field by July 24, 2024.
2. Experience in college-level tutoring and teaching first-year writing or composition, using teaching practices informed by current writing studies pedagogy and scholarship.
3. Leadership experience related to Writing Centers, writing programs, and/or WAC/WID initiatives (this includes Graduate Assistant WPA roles).
4. A research agenda related to Writing Centers, writing programs, WAC/WID initiatives, and STEM writing (this includes published scholarship, grants, dissertations, and conference presentations).
5. Evidence of commitment to collaboration, teamwork, and team-building (this includes participation in campus initiatives, professional organizations, committees, scholarship, and problem-solving with colleagues).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience as a director, co-director, assistant director, or graduate assistant director of writing center, writing program, WAC/WID program, or related program.
• A record of scholarship and/or administrative decision-making intended to support and foster diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility.
• Experience tutoring or mentoring graduate students working on thesis and dissertation projects.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit materials at https://jobs.odu.edu/postings/19660 and attach the following with their online application:

1. A cover letter that addresses how the candidate meets the minimum and preferred qualifications of the position. The statement should clearly articulate the candidate’s leadership experience in writing programs/centers/WAC/WID initiatives and research related to one or more of these areas.
2. A curriculum vitae that includes the courses the candidate has taught and any tutoring experience.
3. A 1-2 page statement of teaching philosophy that includes concrete examples of integration of writing studies scholarship into one’s teaching of composition.
4. A 1-2 page statement that provides concrete examples of integration of diversity and accessibility into pedagogy and/or administrative work. The committee hopes to learn from the diversity statement how the applicant supports and would work with diverse students and faculty members as an educator, researcher and program administrator.
5. Unofficial graduate transcripts.
6. Contact information for 3 references. If your application progresses in the search, the application site will request confidential recommendation letters from these references.

Candidates invited for campus interviews will be asked to do a research presentation and teaching demonstration.

Applications must be submitted by January 16, 2024 for full consideration. The position will remain open until it is filled.

About the Department: The Department of English has an accomplished, diverse faculty and student body committed to equality, social justice, and transformative policies and practices. It offers a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English as well as a MFA program. The department also delivers courses in ODU’s General Education program, the Perry Honors College, Interdisciplinary Studies program, and ODU Global. All programs offer onsite and online delivery modalities.

Incoming faculty will be provided with mentoring, professional development funds, and opportunities to connect with faculty across the university. Additionally, ODU has a rich network of identity-based groups, all of which provide opportunities for formal or informal networking, support, and mentorship.

About ODU: Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, is Virginia’s forward-focused public doctoral research university with more than 23,000 students, a top R1 research ranking, rigorous academics, an energetic residential community and initiatives that contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia’s economy.

It is the policy of Old Dominion University to provide equal employment, educational and social opportunities for all persons, without regard to race (or traits historically associated with race including hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), national origin, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation or genetic information. Individuals from minoritized communities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.