Assistant Professor, Fiction Writing

Assistant Professor, Fiction Writing

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

CLA-3810

Position:

The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track, 9-month Assistant Professor position in fiction writing in the Department of English, beginning August 2025.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have a terminal degree in creative writing (MFA or PhD) or related field, and a strong record of high-quality fiction publications or promise thereof and demonstrated excellence as a teacher. Expertise in other areas related to professional writing, such as editing, magazine production, freelance writing, or other types of creative writing is desirable.

Responsibilities:

3/3 courseload ranging from introductory level to classes in our graduate professional writing program, and rotations teaching Editing the Literary Magazine; advise 10-15 undergraduates. Applicants will need to demonstrate the potential for strong research, excellent teaching, and service aligned with the college’s expected outcomes of impact, innovation, and engagement toward R2 status and the university’s new strategic plan.  

Department:

The Department of English serves all students at the university through extensive general education offerings that strive to improve writing skills, expand liberal learning, and focus critical and analytic thinking. In addition, the English major supports the university’s areas of emphasis in teacher education, public and private sector development and service, and liberal education. The department’s graduate program in professional writing, unique in Maryland and paralleled by only six other programs nationwide, graduates writers who meet the needs of government and social and commercial organizations that rely on expert and efficient writing.

Towson University:

Towson University (www.towson.edu) was founded in 1866, is recognized by U. S. News and World Reports as one of the top public universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, is Baltimore's largest university, and is the largest public, comprehensive institution in the University of Maryland System. TU enrolls almost 19,000 undergraduates and over 3,000 graduate students across six academic colleges (business, education, fine arts, health professions, liberal arts, science & mathematics), has over 865 full-time faculty, and offers more than 65 bachelor's, 45 master's, and 5 doctoral programs. Our centrally located campus sits on 330 rolling green acres and is 10 miles north of Baltimore, 45 miles north of Washington D.C., and 95 miles south of Philadelphia.

Application Process:

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled, with priority given to applications received by November 1, 2024. To apply, send cover letter and cv; statement of teaching philosophy; sample syllabus; and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages.

Address letter and materials to: Dr. Erin Fehskens, Chair, Department of English.

Click here to apply. Please note that the search number for which you have applied is CLA-3810.

A Criminal Background Investigation is required for the hired candidate and the results may impact employment.

The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the University System of Maryland (USM) has strongly encouraged full COVID vaccination and up-to-date booster shots (when eligible) for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM as both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety.

Please be sure to visit the Applicant Data Form to complete a voluntary on-line form. All data collected are for internal, state, and/or federal reporting and will not be used for other purposes.

Towson University is an equal opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, as detailed in “A More Inclusive TU: Advancing Equity and Diversity (2020 – 25).” TU is a national leader in inclusive excellence, the only institution in Maryland with zero achievement gap, and 68% growth in minority enrollment over the past 5 years. We encourage applications from a variety of (dis)abilities, cultural, ethnic, race, sex, gender identity/expressions, national origins, ages, veteran status, color, religious, socio-economic, sexual orientations and belief background.