Assistant Professor, English (Creative Writing)

The Department of English at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing, specializing in fiction.  This position will begin ideally in the spring semester of 2025. Applicants possessing or expecting MFAs or PhDs in English no later than January 1, 2025, are invited to apply.

Desired secondary areas include: speculative/genre fiction; screenwriting; poetry; creative nonfiction; ethnic literatures; administrative experience; and/or editorial/publishing experience. The faculty member who joins the department will teach intermediate and advanced undergraduate courses (primarily to students pursuing a Minor in Creative Writing), graduate seminars (primarily to students in UNR’s residential MFA program in creative writing) and Core Curriculum classes. 

Faculty who teach and mentor graduate students and engage in creative activity typically have a 2/2 load. The English Department supports interdisciplinary work and offers undergraduate degrees in literature, writing, and linguistics, as well as MA, MFA, and PhD degrees.

Required Qualifications

• MFA or PhD in English in hand by January 1, 2025.
• An active record of fiction publication with prominent journals/presses.
• Demonstrated excellence/promise as a successful teacher in creative writing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Speculative/genre fiction; screenwriting; poetry; creative nonfiction; ethnic literatures; administrative experience; and editing/publishing.
• Evidence of attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, teaching, and/or service.

Compensation Grade/Rank

Assistant Professor

Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.

To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit: Salary Schedules and select Academic Faculty (9- month).

Remarkable Retirement

Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 17.50% contribution is generously matched by the University.  With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada. 

Perks of working at UNR

• Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
• Sick leave and life insurance – Faculty Benefits
• E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers annual or semester memberships and spouse/domestic partner membership options.  E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
• Reno is proud to be a University town! Many local businesses offer discounts to WolfCard holders
• Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
• Several Diversity Committees and Affinity Groups focusing on campus-wide diversity initiatives to ensure we are working to create a diverse and welcoming campus climate. Diversity Groups
• Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
• No state income tax!

Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner.  Faculty Grant-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program

Department Information

The Department of English, housed in the College of Liberal Arts, offers a diverse range of fields of study including literature, language and linguistics, professional and public writing, and creative writing. We also offer a minor in cinema and media studies. Our graduate programs include PhD concentrations in literature and Rhetoric & Writing Studies, an MFA in creative writing, and MA degrees in literature, RWS, and Public Engagement. The department houses the Core Writing program for the university and maintains close relationships with other core and affiliate programs including Core Humanities and the Department of Gender, Race, and Identity Studies.

Additional information about the Department can be found at https://www.unr.edu/english

College and University Information

The University of Nevada, Reno is a public Research 1 land-grant institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education with a student population of approximately 21,000, including over 3,000 graduate students. We are a comprehensive, doctoral university that has been designated as a Carnegie R1 institution with very high research activity and a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Nearly half of our students are students of color, and we are an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. In accordance with the University's land grant tier-one research institution mission, our faculty are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service in a pluralistic environment.

The University has dynamic intellectual, artistic and sports life and a close relationship to the city of Reno, an emerging tech and innovation hub with a diverse population and a rich cultural history that hosts an active art, music and festival scene. Known for its proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Reno is a vibrant, diverse and growing city located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, about 200 miles east of San Francisco, about 100 miles east of Sacramento and 30 miles north of the state capital, Carson City. Combined with the neighboring city of Sparks, the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area has a population of more than 500,000. Reno is only 30-45 minutes from Lake Tahoe and major ski resorts and is rated one of the top locations in the United States for living and outdoor recreation. It has an international airport with direct flights to many U.S. transportation hubs and to Mexico. For more information about the city and the surrounding area, please visit www.cityofreno.com and www.visitrenotahoe.com.

The College and the University of Nevada, Reno recognize that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. We are an inclusive and engaged community and recognize the added value that students, faculty and staff from different backgrounds bring to the education experience. We believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity and inclusivity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees, and our community.

The College additionally hosts a number of affinity groups, a College Diversity Committee, in addition to department Diversity committees and honorific awards to support DEI efforts. Many of the Diversity and Equity general education courses (CO10) are offered by the college. The College also houses the Department of Gender, Race, and Identity, the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies, and the School of Social Research and Justice Studies. The College offers many engaging community events that further support these efforts. Finally, we play an active role in addressing racism, bias, and inequities in society and at the local level. For examples of the innovative and unique ways we work to dismantle racism, visit our Diversity, Research and Engagement website. The College emphasizes inquiry, discovery, and openness to new ideas and perspectives and supports major scholarly research and creative activity in the humanities, social sciences, and arts.

The University of Nevada, Reno is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Contact Information for this position

Search Chair: Prof. Christopher Coake, cjcoake@unr.edu, (775) 682-6385

Search Coordinator: Yasmin Khan, Administrative Assistant, yasmink@unr.edu, (775) 682-6377

Required Attachment(s)

Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at jobs@unr.edu.

Please attach the following documents to your application:

1)  A complete Curriculum Vita

2)  Cover letter outlining qualifications, experience, publication plans, and teaching experience

3)  Three letters of reference

4)  A brief statement (one page maximum) about how you would contribute toward our mission of creating a culturally inclusive environment in the role for which you are applying.

5) A creative writing sample of 20-25 pp.

Posting Close Date

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply immediately.  Applications must be received by 11:59pm on August 30th. This posting will close at 12:00am on September 1st, 2024.