Assistant/Associate Professor of Social Work and Family Studies

The Department of Social Work and Family Studies at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Social Work and Family Studies at the Assistant or Associate Professor level to begin August 2023. The successful candidate will be expected to teach six courses a year in both our social work and family studies curricula, particularly content related to families, social policy and research methods. The candidate will have demonstrated capacity to contribute to both department and college-wide antiracism, equity and inclusion work. The position may include administrative responsibilities as the BSW program director or the family studies director. Each of those roles would come with administrative release time.

Qualifications:

The position requires a doctoral degree in social work, family studies or related field in hand by start date of the appointment; an MSW with two years of post-MSW practice experience is strongly preferred. The candidate must have either their doctoral or their masters degree in social work.

About the Department:

Our rigorous bachelor of social work program’s mission is to, “prepare liberally educated professional social workers to ethically serve diverse populations and promote a lifelong commitment to a just global community.” We pride ourselves on graduating students ready to engage in true generalist social work practice across all system levels. Our family studies concentration allows students to explore both the theory and research related to families and then apply that learning through an experiential component. Students graduating with the concentration apply it in a wide variety of contexts including mental health care, law, medicine and education. We are a small department with a strong focus on mutual support and collegiality. For more information about the department, visit https://wp.stolaf.edu/socialwork/.

Diversity:

At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion. We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply:

A complete application includes:
1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Diversity statement (200-500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.
4. Statement of Teaching Philosophy: Describe your core ideas/philosophy for effective teaching in social work and family studies (one page or less)
5. Statement of Research and Interest: Describe your research agenda including your intention for disseminating your scholarly work and the potential for involving undergraduate students in your research agenda (one page or less)
6. The contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship (St. Olaf solicits letters directly after an initial round of screening.)

Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in December. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Melissa Mendez, Search Committee Chair, at tt2023swfs@stolaf.edu.

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff employees. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, restored, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package including a 9% company retirement match, company monthly contributions to a retirement healthcare account, company contributions to eligible employee’s health savings account, significant tuition discount (up to 80% off) at ACM and ELCA colleges and universities for employee’s children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of benefit offerings, see the summary of the benefits program here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire. 

St. Olaf College requires all employees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination, as defined by the CDC. A reasonable accommodation may apply because of a disability or sincerely held religious belief. Compliance with St. Olaf's COVID-19 policy is a condition of employment. Under current guidelines, "up to date" means two boosters for people 50+ and one booster for most people under age 50. If and when this guidance changes, employees will be required to get additional boosters as indicated by CDC guidelines.

A link to our DEI page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356