Position Description

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor in Residence based at the Waterbury regional campus. This is a full-time, 9-month, non-tenure track appointment with an expected start date of August 23, 2023.  The position is renewable annually based on satisfactory performance evaluations and comes with a competitive salary and benefits package.  The position is part of an initiative, begun in the fall of 2020, to offer the Allied Health Sciences major at UConn’s regional Waterbury campus.   

Located in the heart of Waterbury’s revitalized downtown, UConn Waterbury offers its 1500+ undergraduate students the individual attention of a small college along with the benefits of a highly ranked public R1 research university. The urban setting allows for a variety of experiential learning opportunities and partnerships with a vast network of area health partners. Combining academic excellence and extensive community involvement, UConn Waterbury strives to promote the personal growth of students of all ages and economic circumstances through intellectual achievement, enhanced leadership skills, and workforce development.

Allied Health Sciences is one of eight departments in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). It is a large, vibrant, multidisciplinary department with 30 faculty, over 750 undergraduates (40% of whom are non-white), 30 post-baccalaureate students, and 30 graduate students.  The department offers an undergraduate major in Allied Health Sciences with multiple concentrations; three nationally-accredited professional programs; four post-baccalaureate programs, two master’s programs; and a PhD program in Health Promotion Sciences. The Department strives for inclusive excellence in attracting, retaining, and valuing talented people from all backgrounds.

The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources has developed and implemented a Strategic Vision to guide the development and focus of our teaching, research, and extension programs in the years 2020-2025. The successful candidate will be expected to make significant contributions to at least one of CAHNR’s five strategic initiatives

• Ensuring a vibrant agricultural industry and sustainable food supply  
• Enhancing health and well-being locally, nationally, and globally  
• Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through anti-racist approaches
• Designing sustainable landscapes across urban-rural interfaces  
• Advancing resilience and adaptation in a changing climate  

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.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will be based at the Waterbury regional campus as a full faculty member in the Department of Allied Health Sciences (AHS). This position is the third faculty hire who will reside on the Waterbury campus. The successful candidate will be expected to represent the department and major on the regional campus while working under the advisement of Department leadership based in Storrs. Periodic travel is required to the Storrs campus (e.g., monthly department meetings) and may be required to student placement sites in the Waterbury area. The successful candidate will function effectively as a team member with faculty and staff in AHS and other departments at Waterbury and with AHS faculty and staff in Storrs. Primary duties will include teaching multiple undergraduate courses and advising students. Some expected activities may require occasional evening, weekend, and summer hours.  Although this position offers a degree of academic freedom, the successful candidate will be expected to collaborate in a supportive work environment to meet deadlines and fluctuating schedule demands.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Teach the equivalent of five, 3-credit undergraduate courses each academic year.
• Provide comprehensive academic advising for undergraduate Allied Health Sciences majors (40-50 students) by helping them formulate career goals and plan academic coursework.
• Opportunity to assist in the development and maintenance of service learning/internships with area health and community agencies.
• Serve as a resource and maintain cooperative relationships with Department faculty and staff, and other University offices, making referrals as appropriate.
• Opportunities to assist in the development and maintenance of service learning/internships with area health and community agencies.
• Opportunities to assist in the Department’s recruitment of new students.
• Participate in professional development consistent with personal and professional goals.
• Serve on campus, Department, College, and/or University committees.
• Other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate will also be expected to support the Department’s efforts to:

• Recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups.
• Demonstrate through teaching and/or public engagement the value of diversity in the learning experience.
• Help develop student competency in addressing cultural, structural/systemic, and environmental factors that influence health.
• Use pedagogical techniques designed to meet the needs of diverse learning styles and intellectual interests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Doctorate in a health-related field or higher education; or terminal degree (Master’s or higher) in health-related field
• Experience in a health-related field or in higher education
• Teaching-related experience which demonstrates an ability to engage students effectively in small and large group settings
• Demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication and strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity through teaching and research

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Two years’ work experience in a health-related field.
• College-level teaching experience as an instructor of record, including background and expertise to teach a range of content in health-related science courses.
• Ability to build upon and/or expand the diverse curriculum within the Department of Allied Health Sciences (content area examples include but are not limited to: counseling and teaching in healthcare, management, healthcare systems, bioethics, social determinants of health, community-based health, and disability).
• Experience in advising or mentoring in a healthcare or higher education setting.
• Experience in connecting with leaders in clinical, community, and other agencies.
• Demonstrated success in engaging with diverse communities, including first-generation college students and underrepresented populations, and contributing to inclusive excellence, including working with those who have historically experienced barriers to achieving health and well-being due to characteristics linked to discrimination or exclusion.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a 9-month, full-time faculty position with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2023. It is a non-tenure track appointment that is promotion eligible to Associate Professor in Residence and Professor in Residence.  It is renewable annually and may lead to successive multi-year contracts.  The successful candidate’s primary academic appointment will be at the Waterbury campus. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

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/23770 and submit the following application materials:

• A cover letter,
• Curriculum vitae,
• Teaching and advising statement (including teaching/advising philosophy, teaching/advising experience, commitment to effective learning, concepts for new course development, etc.);
• 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.);
• Three letters of recommendation.

Only applications submitted via Academic Jobs Online will be accepted. To ensure full consideration, applications should be received no later than January 6, 2023. Inquiries should be sent to the search committee chair, Tamara Kaliszewski, MSHS, PA. (Tamara.Kaliszewski@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.