INTRODUCTION

The Department of English at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a total of four one-year renewable Assistant Professor in Residence positions in the First-Year Writing (FYW) Program, with three appointments located at UConn's Stamford campus and one appointment located at UConn's Avery Point campus.  These are nine-month, non-tenure-track positions with the possibility of multi-year contracts and completion of required yearly contracts. All positions have a start date of August 23, 2022.

Ideal candidates will bring to this position an engaged understanding of recent composition practices, pedagogies, and approaches, as well as experience teaching a diverse range of students who will be entering both traditional and emergent interdisciplinary areas of study on the regional campuses. In addition to a background in composition, writing studies, active learning, Universal Design for Learning, multimodal composition, and working with multilingual students, the candidate must demonstrate engagement with recent developments in writing, rhetoric, and composition at the post-secondary level.

Each FYW instructor will teach courses and perform light advising duties as part of a multi-campus writing program. Three of those hired will fulfill defined administrative roles for the campus Writing Center or the First-Year Writing program. For those who take on these roles, the teaching load will be adjusted to include an administrative assignment equivalent to one course per semester. FYW instructors participate in professional development provided by the University and the FYW program.

As FYW instructors, the successful candidates will facilitate the transition at the regional campuses to a revised First-Year Writing curriculum that is founded on an inquiry-based approach to reading, writing, and composing. In our courses, students move through the intellectual tasks of composing to develop contextually sensitive multimodal projects in response to shared and discovered texts. Instructors in FYW at UConn enact pedagogies that foster active and accessible learning in a diverse and inclusive environment.

We are especially interested in attracting and hiring candidates who represent the diversity of the student body, as well as those with a demonstrated and ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

UConn Stamford is an urban campus at the center of one of Fairfield County's robust business communities, just 45 minutes from New York, which gives students ample opportunities for internships and careers. The campus serves 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students, including many first-generation college students. It offers 14 undergraduate majors, including business administration, digital media and design, computer science, and history.

UConn Avery Point, a land and sea grant institution, offers all the benefits of a prestigious public research university in a small, liberal arts college setting. Avery Point provides specialized programs relevant to the campus’s coastal site and delivers an exceptional education in more traditional areas of study. On-campus partners such as the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, Connecticut Sea Grant, and the Mystic Aquarium provide opportunities for specialized programs that take advantage of its 72-acre, waterfront location and make available opportunities for collaboration both in and out of the classroom.

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. in rhetoric/composition, English, or a closely related field by the start date of employment.
• Evidence of a strong commitment to undergraduate education in writing studies.
• Experience teaching college-level writing with some graduate coursework in rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and/or second language acquisition through writing.
• Evidence of deep commitment to supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity in a higher education setting.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Evidence of engagement with current trends and best practices in writing studies and college-level writing.
• Experience teaching composition in English to students at a college or university using both in-person formats and remote learning/online platforms.

APPOINTMENT TERMS 

These are full-time, nine-month, non-tenure-line positions. Those who are assigned administrative responsibilities in either FYW or the Writing Center will have the equivalent of one course per semester release to fulfill these duties (teach five courses per academic year). Other full-time FYW instructors have a one-course-equivalent release for "light advising duties" (teach six courses per academic year) at regional campuses. Instructors holding these appointments report directly to the Director of First-Year Writing and the English Department Head. The positions, which begin on August 23, 2022, may be renewed annually and may lead to long-term, multi-year contracts.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/21669 and submit the following application materials:

• A cover letter,
• Curriculum vitae,
• Writing sample,
• Commitment to diversity statement (including broadening participation, integrating multicultural experiences in instruction and research and pedagogical techniques to meet the needs of diverse learning styles, etc.),
• Brief portfolio of teaching materials (e.g., syllabi, assignment prompts),
• Three letters of reference.

Review of applications will begin immediately. For full consideration, online applications should be received no later than June 1, 2022. The first round of interviews will take place either in person or virtually on June 13, 2022. For further information, please feel free to review the First-Year Writing Program website:  https://fyw.uconn.edu/. 

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

This position will be filled subject the budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.