American Indian/Native American Studies, Assistant Professor

Tenure Track Faculty Position 

Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department (American Indian/Native American Studies) 

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences

Salary Range: $81,852-$83,076 Annual

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona invites applications for a tenure track faculty ASSISTANT PROFESSOR position in the Ethnic and Women's Studies Department in an area related to the study and/or promotion of American Indian/Native American Studies.

Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Since its founding in 1938, Cal Poly Pomona students have participated in an integrative experiential learning education that is inclusive, relevant, and values diverse perspectives and experiences. With a variety of degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional disciplines, the university is well known for its learn-by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model. 

The university is noted for its scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, which was once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg. We acknowledge that Cal Poly Pomona resides on the territorial and homelands of the Tongva and Tataavium people who are the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar. The university’s nearly 30,000 students are taught and mentored by the campus’s more than 1,400 faculty as part of 54 Baccalaureate and 29 Master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership. 

Highly regarded among its peer institutions, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 3 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top public regional universities in the west and was named the No. 28 best value college in the nation by Money Magazine. Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, stands as a national leader in promoting social mobility, and was placed among the 25 top institutions in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to minoritized students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.  

The Cal Poly Pomona campus is located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains and deserts. For additional information about the university, please visit www.cpp.edu, and for more about faculty life, please see YourLife@CPP.

Student Population.  California residents comprise the majority (96%) of applicants to undergraduate programs at Cal Poly Pomona – nearly half (49%) of new students were transfers in Fall 2020.  58% of Cal Poly Pomona students are first generation, 70% receive financial aid, and 44% qualify as Pell-eligible.  The university enrolls a diverse student body that identifies as 49% Latinx, 21% Asian, 15% White, 3% Black, 5% International, 3% two or more races, 3% unknown, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Native Pacific Islander and less than 1% Native American Indigenous. 39% of the student body were STEM majors with the top enrolled programs including psychology, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, biology and computer science.

Inclusive Excellence Criteria.  We aspire to be the model inclusive polytechnic university in the nation. We have a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and to educational experiences that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences needed to succeed and thrive in a diverse society. 

Tenure track faculty hires will demonstrate a commitment and record of contributions through their teaching, scholarship, or service to these inclusive excellence criteria (a minimum of two must be addressed in the Student Success Statement):

1. Integrates the values of equity and inclusivity into their teaching, scholarship and/or service contributions with diverse student populations;

2. Incorporates the contributions and struggles of historic ethnic minority groups and communities into their teaching, scholarly work, and/or service contributions;

3. Adopts teaching strategies that support the learning and success of students from diverse student populations;

4. Mentors and engages diverse student populations in discovery, scholarship, and creative activities;

5. Engages students in problem-based projects and learning that address the needs of diverse communities;

6. Possesses knowledge of challenges and barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline;

7. Mentors and assists diverse student populations interested in pursuing graduate education;

8. Engages in community-responsive action research or service with diverse student populations and communities;

9. Has experience in or demonstrates a commitment to adopting experiential learning activities and pedagogy with diverse student populations and communities; and

10. Has expertise in or demonstrated commitment to teaching, scholarship and/or service that contributes to access, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education.

College

College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences Mission and Vision:  We cultivate one's intellectual development, ethical reasoning, and aesthetic sensibility to support creative and critical thinking in a diverse world of competing challenges. We will be a supportive, engaged, and diverse community of teachers, learners, and scholars committed to improving the human condition and to bettering the world. We will be a supportive, engaged, and diverse community of teachers, learners, and scholars committed to improving the human condition and to bettering the world

In accord with the mission of a comprehensive polytechnic university "preparing students for life, leadership, and careers in a changing, multicultural world," the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences seeks to equip students with lifelong learning skills enabling them more effectively to challenge problems of extraordinary social, technical, and human complexity. These skills include creative and critical thinking, methods of both quantitative and qualitative inquiry, the application of theory to practice, learning through performance-based activities in the humanities, arts and social sciences, and the integration of mind and body in health and wellness activity. In furthering its mission of promoting learning and teaching as broad-based, ongoing, and shared processes, the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences supports initiatives that further the professional development of faculty and staff, that engage students and faculty in active collaboration in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, and that integrate the arts, sciences, and technologies. The College thus advances collegiality not only among the various segments of the University, but also with the local and global communities it serves. It promotes access of underrepresented student populations to its programs, resources, and services.

Department

The Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department (EWS) dedicates itself to sustaining a home for our students, faculty, and community partners to advocate and advance knowledge about marginalized peoples, and the processes by which they were constituted and transformed over time. To empower learners to critically assess their lived experiences, our department provides learner​s with tools and language to decode and analyze forms of systemic oppression including, but not limited to, colonization, racism, sexism, and cis-heteropatriarchy. We also use experiential learning to create coalitional communities rooted in activism, resistance, and liberation. 

We seek applicants for our Ethnic Studies field and whose research and teaching focus on: American Indian/Native American Studies: California Indians, Urban American Indian experiences, NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA, American Indian/Native American and/or indigenous maritime traditions, environmental justice, queer indigenous studies, and/or Native American feminisms.

A successful candidate would be a Culturally Competent Content Specialist who can bring both a current theoretical and academic understanding of American Indian/Native American Studies as well as cultural intelligence, experience and competence gained from American Indian community(s).

This position was created in response to a new general education Ethnic Studies requirement (GE area F) implemented by the CSU. This requirement was developed to advance innovative approaches to the study of racialization and the practice of social justice. Along with GE area F courses, the candidate will also be expected to teach core courses in their fields of specialization, as well as additional EWS courses. In addition, the candidates should have the ability to teach comparative Ethnic Studies courses, integrate multiple disciplinary cultural and global perspectives, and incorporate educational technology in their teaching and professional activities. Candidates should also be committed to working with the campus cultural centers and with a diverse student population. We seek colleagues who can collaborate across disciplinary lines, bring innovative anti-racist, and decolonial approaches to teaching, and have a demonstrated commitment to activism.

At Cal Poly Pomona we cultivate success through a diverse culture of experiential learning, discovery, and innovation. Our faculty embrace the Teacher-Scholar model. We demonstrate academic quality, relevance, and excellence through our teaching, learning, scholarship, and creative activities with student centered faculty in an evidence-based culture. Cal Poly Pomona is committed to being the model for an inclusive polytechnic university that inspires creativity and innovation, embraces local and global challenges, and transforms lives.

Minimum requirements:

• An earned doctorate in American Indian/Native American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, American Studies, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, Gender/Women/Sexuality Studies, or other related field from an accredited university. Terminal degree must be earned by the start of the appointment.
• Ability to teach comparative courses and integrate multiple disciplinary cultural and global perspectives.
• Demonstrated potential to teach undergraduates at a diverse college or university setting.
• Evidence of scholarly engagement and potential as demonstrated through conference presentations, publications and/or grant development.  
• A commitment and a record of contributions to student success through applicant’s teaching, scholarship, or service. This will be described in the Student Success Statement, which must address at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed in the full announcement and online.
• Ongoing or clear plan of scholarly/creative activities.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Demonstrate success in critical/interactive pedagogical practices in Ethnic Studies, and American Indian/Native American Studies including service learning.
• Additional specialization(s) in K-12 education, social movements, performance studies, critical prison studies, labor studies, diaspora studies, settler colonialism, tribal law, intersectional and global feminisms, and queer/trans of color studies.
• Applied knowledge of community-based participatory research and/or tribally defined research needs.
• Computer and Technology skills that demonstrate familiarity with Canvas or other teaching software, creating a home page, web usage, multimedia programs and teaching virtually or in a hybrid format.
• One-to-two years of successfully teaching undergraduates (either full-time or part-time) at a college or university setting.
• Experience in mentoring and advising students, working with student groups, cultural centers.
• Experience with community-based organizations.

Conditions of Employment:

The person offered this position is required to pass a background check.

The CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ . Questions regarding the policy may be sent to avpfa@cpp.edu.

Application Process:

A completed application will consist of:  

• A cover letter that describes the candidate’s teaching philosophy working within a diverse campus community, research expertise, and interests that addresses the duties and qualifications articulated in the position description (Limit to 2-3 pages);
• A Student Success Statement that demonstrates your commitment and record of contributions through applicant’s teaching, scholarship, or service, by addressing at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed above (Limit to 2 pages); 
• Teaching Philosophy Statement (Limit to 2 pages);
• Research Statement that describes the candidate’s current research agenda, goals, and on-going involvement in research activity (Limit to 2 pages);
• A curriculum vitae of those elements specified in the job announcement;  
• 3-5 references (names and titles with contact information); and  
• Unofficial transcripts of undergraduate and graduate studies.  

 Finalists for the Position will:

• Be prepared to provide three letters of recommendation, dated within the last two years;
• Be prepared to provide official transcripts for the highest degree before the on-campus interview;
• Be prepared to resent scholarly or creative work and a teaching demonstration to students and faculty;
• Be prepared to engage with students;
• Be prepared to submit a sample syllabus that you have taught or would like to teach related to the American Indian/North Native American Studies; and
• Be prepared to submit a copy of a chapter or article of your scholarship in PDF or Microsoft Word format (Limit to 25 pages). 

The position is open until filled. First consideration will be given to completed applications received no later than Monday, January 23, 2023. Early submissions are encouraged. All application materials should be submitted via PageUp.  

Please direct inquiries to the search committee chair: Dr. Sandy Kewanhaptewa-Dixon at sldixon@cpp.edu.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. The university seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing. Cal Poly Pomona subscribes to all state and federal regulations and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, and covered veteran status. The university hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. As required by the Clery Disclosure Act, the university prepares a public annual security report.