Assistant or Associate Professor

Department: Political Science

Rank: Assistant or Associate Professor

Specialization: Public Administration

Search Number: 23-002

Located in historic New Haven, a city rich in art and culture, Southern Connecticut State University is diverse and student-centered university dedicated to academic excellence, access, and service for the public good.  Southern provides a supportive and welcoming environment for all members of its community through a campus-wide commitment to social justice and antiracism. Southern embraces the demographic diversity of the surrounding area by identifying as the social justice and anti-racist institution of Connecticut. SCSU is an innovative, student-centric university, located less than three miles from downtown New Haven, with easy access to New York and Boston.

Brief Description of Duties/Responsibilities

In furthering the university’s mission for service for the public good, the Political Science Department will serve as home to a new Masters in Public Administration program. The program is multidisciplinary drawing on expertise in the School of Business and from several departments in addition to Political Science; Recreation, Tourism, and Sport Management; Environment, Geography, and Marine Sciences; Public Health, and Social Work. A core feature of the new masters is management of nonprofit organizations in addition to government organizations. The curriculum takes an applied approach to the mastery of the skills necessary to public administrators.

We seek to hire the inaugural coordinator of this new program, who will also be a member of the Political Science Department, a department that is well-known for its collegiality. The department actively mentors its new faculty and provides resources to members (for both research and teaching) that are in addition to resources provided by the university. The department places a premium on quality teaching. We are committed to our students and actively mentor them. We are proud that the first student within the Connecticut State College and University system named as a Rhodes Scholar and as a Truman Scholar was a major in our program. The political science department offers a BS, BA and BS with certification as well as a Masters in Political Science. Currently the department has about 110 undergraduate majors. The department also has a well-established internship program for both undergraduate and graduate students, which will serve as the foundation of the MPA internship requirement.  The successful candidate will establish and coordinate internships in addition to actively recruiting and retaining students in the new program.

We believe that this is an exciting opportunity for the new coordinator to develop a program that will provide opportunities for diverse populations to flourish professionally as they provide public service to the region. The new coordinator will develop community contacts for student recruitment and internship development, will advise students, and will teach core courses within the program. The position is tenure track with the potential for appointment at the Assistant or Associate Professor level, depending on experience.

Required qualifications

• Earned doctorate in Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Affairs, or related field Demonstrated ability to coordinate and manage a program Demonstrated proficiency at cross-disciplinary collaboration Teaching experience in a higher education setting Record of research related to public administration

Preferred qualifications 

• Work experience in public administration or nonprofit management.  Demonstrated effectiveness in working with diverse populations Teaching experience among a graduate population Teaching experience on subjects related to public administration and public policy Ability to effectively teach across modalities, including web-based instruction and in-person Publication record of scholarship related to public administration

Application Process:

Please submit as a single pdf document: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, graduate and undergraduate transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable; official transcripts are required before hire), statement of teaching philosophy that addresses teaching interests, a 3-5-page research plan and three letters of recommendation. All application materials should be submitted electronically to MPA Search Chair at MPAsearch1@southernct.edu. Please request references to include your name in the subject line when they email their recommendation to this address.

Best consideration will be given to completed applications received by Friday, November 4, 2022. The position will remain open until filled. 

Southern Connecticut State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The University seeks to enhance the diversity of its faculty and staff. People of color, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.