Associate Professor of the Practice - Social Welfare

Associate Professor of the Practice

University of Kansas School of Social Welfare

 

Position Overview

The University of Kansas (KU) School of Social Welfare (SSW) is seeking candidates for an associate professor of the practice position to teach social work across degree programs and campuses. This professor of the practice position will primarily teach in our MSW program at our Pittsburg State University (PSU) partnership site in Pittsburg, Kansas. Other teaching responsibilities will involve on-campus teaching at our Overland Park and Lawrence campuses. Qualified candidates may have the opportunity to teach in an online DSW program in the future. Our online courses are most often synchronous. Faculty candidates should have experience in and/or a desire to teach at the BSW and MSW levels across the School’s curriculum areas: social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities; social welfare policy; theories of change at all levels of social work; applied research; social / racial / economic / environmental justice, and/or electives in the area of the individual’s expertise (e.g. substance use, cultural diversity).

The associate professor of the practice for the School of Social Welfare is a non-tenure track faculty member who possesses the expertise and achievements to provide professional instruction. This is a 12-month position teaching eight to nine 3-credit-hour courses per year with 10% effort devoted to each course for a teaching total of 80-90% effort. The number of courses taught over a calendar year may vary to meet the service needs of the school. This position may also involve curricular development; organizing and planning course syllabi according to a standardized syllabi guide, textbook acquisition, and media/technology needs and equipment requests; planning and organizing courses; developing and organizing course management software; and/or mentoring graduate teaching assistants and adjunct instructors. Service duties, as described above, should not exceed 10-20% effort. This position is limited term and may be appointed for up to an initial three-year period with an opportunity for extension/renewal after a comprehensive review.

The KU SSW is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive educational environment for students, faculty, and staff. We also encourage our school community members to engage in service to the larger community to advance social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. The successful candidate will have a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, the university actively encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in higher education. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. prior to the start of the position.

As a nationally accredited School of Social Welfare within a comprehensive, premier research university we continually strive to innovate, transform, and educate through quality education, research advancement, and community engagement. The main campus of the KU School of Social Welfare is in Lawrence and offers BSW, MSW, and PhD degree programs. We plan to offer a DSW degree in the future. The KU Edwards Campus is in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, and offers BSW and MSW courses. The MSW program is also offered at our partnership site, Pittsburg State University.

Founded in 1865, the University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university that serves as a center for learning, scholarship, and creative endeavor. The University of Kansas is the only state university in Kansas to hold membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), a select group of 62 public and private research universities that represent excellence in graduate and professional education and the highest achievements in research internationally. The university enrolls more than 28,000 students, offers approximately 5,000 courses, more than 400 degree and certificate programs, and employs 2,800 faculty members, many of them at the top of their fields. In KU’s dynamic, cross-disciplinary research and learning environment, students exchange ideas, discover new ways of processing the world, and address society’s grand challenges.

In 2019, the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare and Pittsburg State University (PSU) developed a partnership to offer the MSW program in Pittsburg with the goal and intent to address the need to increase the number of master’s prepared social workers in rural areas of Kansas, particularly southeast Kansas. Since launching the program in fall 2019, the partnership has already proven its success by enrolling 44 MSW students. Advanced standing and specialist year courses are taught in a blended format with approximately half of the class sessions held at Pittsburg State University on Saturdays and the other half held online.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.  

 

Job Description

The anticipated workload is below. All faculty have the potential for their workload to shift in discussion with the Dean and in accordance with the SSW’s workload policy.

80-90% Teaching

  • Teach eight or nine 3-credit courses per year, primarily MSW courses in-person at the PSU campus, but also BSW and MSW courses at any campus and online DSW courses (if qualified).
  • Plan and organize assigned courses including syllabus preparation according to a standardized syllabus guide, textbook acquisition, media/technology needs and equipment requests, and maintaining the course web-based learning management system.
  • Administer exams and assignments including grading of assignments and reporting of course grades to the Office of the University Registrar.

10-20% Service

  • Participate in curriculum development when appropriate
  • Mentor graduate teaching assistants and adjunct faculty
  • Serve on student DSW committees, if qualified
  • Review BSW and MSW applications for admission
  • Serve as professional mentor to students
  • Participate in faculty and school business meetings
  • Serve on elected and appointed committees

 

Required Qualifications

  1. A Master's in social work degree from a CSWE-accredited program.
  2. Three years of post-MSW practice experience.
  3. Previous classroom teaching experience.   
  4. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  5. Demonstrated commitment to social work values of social justice, anti-racism, strengths-based practice, and empowerment.
  6. Demonstrated strong written and oral communication skills as demonstrated by application materials and interview process.
  7. Current social work licensure or eligibility for social work licensure.

Preferred Qualifications

  1. A PhD or DSW degree (which would allow the candidate to teach at the DSW level).
  2. Five or more years of post-MSW practice experience.
  3. Work experience within a social work academic context (accredited BSW and/or MSW degree programs).

 

Contact Information to Applicants

Meg Paceley, PhD
Associate Professor

Director, Toni Johnson Scholars for Racial & Social Justice

University of Kansas School of Social Welfare

785-865-2284

mpaceley@ku.edu

 

Additional Candidate Instruction

A complete application package will include:

  • Online application
  • Cover letter addressing: interest in the position; alignment between the applicant’s practice, values, and experiences and social work values; commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and anticipated contributions to KU and the SSW.
  • Curriculum vitae or resume
  • Teaching statement addressing: teaching philosophy with attention to DEI; evidence of responding to student feedback and evaluations; courses taught; interests in teaching at KU; experience with and/or interest in course design.
  • List of three professional references

Only complete application packages submitted online at http://employment.ku.edu/associate-professor-practice-social-welfare/20944br will be considered. In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant’s contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU’s mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application:

  • In your current and/or previous role, please provide an example outlining how you demonstrate your ongoing commitment to working with diverse groups/populations.

Review of applications will begin on February 9, 2022 and will continue as needed to collect a pool of qualified applicants. First-round interviews are tentatively scheduled to occur in February, 2022. To ensure consideration, applicants should apply before application review begins on February 9, 2022.

 

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY 9for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses)