President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP), College of Liberal Arts

The
President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP)
College of Liberal Arts
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

PostMFA Fellow in Art
Postdoctoral Fellow in Communication Studies
Postdoctoral Fellow in German and Scandinavian
Postdoctoral Fellow in Music Education  
Postdoctoral Fellow in Race, Journalism, Media, and Democracy  

As part of a continuing commitment to build a culturally diverse intellectual community and advancing scholars from underrepresented groups in higher education (including, but not limited to, individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (“BIPOC”), and others), the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota is pleased to announce its participation in the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, made possible by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Equity and Diversity, and the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

As part of the University of California Partnership for Faculty Diversity, the goal of the University of Minnesota program is to offer a rewarding postdoctoral or post-MFA experience that includes the possibility of a transition to a tenure-track faculty position after two years. The University seeks applicants whose research, practice, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and at the University of Minnesota. 

About the Positions

At the University of Minnesota, postdoctoral associates are academic employees who conduct research and/or advance their artistic praxis and are supported by a network of mentors. Fellows are fully integrated into our schools/departments, who will partner with them on advancing their research agenda/body of work, expose them to new research techniques and/or practices, and connect them to resources beyond their home departments.



Post MFA (or Postdoctoral) Fellow in Art

The Department of Art invites candidates to apply for a post-MFA (or postdoctoral) creative fellowship. The successful candidate will be in residence, with a private studio and access to a comprehensive arts facility at a major research institution, situated in a thriving creative community. This is a research-based opportunity designed to mentor artists at the start of their academic careers after receiving their MFA or equivalent degree, with the purpose of building experience while collaborating in a creative academic environment. The Department of Art will act as a collective advisor and work with the candidate to identify mentors for the duration of the fellowship.

This call is open to artists working in all media and/or whose research may engage with university resources beyond the Department of Art. This opportunity prioritizes applicants who have the potential to contribute to higher education through their understanding of the barriers facing women, domestic minorities, LGBTQ individuals, students with disabilities, and other members of groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and educational background. We especially seek candidates whose artistic expression and cultural production reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

Fellows will be asked to teach or co-teach one course per year. Expectations for Fellows include: (1) establishing residence and participating in academic life in their host department; (2) focusing full-time on research rather than heavy teaching commitments or additional employment; and (3) meeting regularly with a designated faculty mentor; and (4) attending PPFP professional development programs. (see http://ppfp.umn.edu/Applicants). The candidate will be supported to pursue their creative work in expansive ways that take advantage of research opportunities across the University. Applicants must be willing to engage with faculty and undergraduate students as well as multidisciplinary MFA students. 

The PPFP is renewable for two years after which the fellow will be considered by the Department of Art for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position.  

Candidates need to apply to both the Department of Art’s Slideroom and the University of California website to be considered for this opportunity by November 30, 2021. 

Department of Art Faculty profiles can be found here to identify a mentor. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Regina Hopingardner rhopinga@umn.edu in the Department of Art. 



Postdoctoral Fellow in Communication Studies

The Department of Communication Studies invites diverse PFPP applicants whose research, teaching, and service is transforming Communication Studies. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in the fields of interpersonal and/or organizational communication. Candidates might conduct scholarship at the core of these fields. We are also interested in applications from scholars whose work challenges the traditional boundaries of interpersonal and/or organizational communication by interrogating historically informed racial disparities and power inequities, or whose work engages innovatively with the department’s cross-cutting intellectual foci. We particularly welcome applicants from underrepresented groups in higher education. 

Qualified applicants will have a Ph.D. in communication or a closely-related field by the start date (Fall 2022) and an active research program leading to publications. 

The PPFP is renewable for two years after which the fellow will be considered by the Department of Communication Studies for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position in interpersonal and/or organizational communication for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The PPFP offers an environment in which the fellow can advance their career by focusing full-time on research with either no or limited teaching responsibilities.

Applicants may choose to teach by overload assignment after the first fellowship year. Candidates will teach in the extensive interpersonal and organizational communication curriculum

Please a) specify the Department of Communication Studies and b) your chosen departmental faculty mentor from among our faculty (https://cla.umn.edu/comm-studies/people/faculty) in your application. For inquiries related to the PPFP, please contact Interim Department Chair and Professor, Susanne Jones at jones344@umn.edu 



Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic, and Dutch

The Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch has for decades been a leader in fostering interdisciplinary scholarship that places research on race, migration, and minority cultures at the very center of our field and is seeking a postdoc whose work will build on these strengths. The Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch is seeking innovative scholars with research and teaching interests in German, Scandinavian, or Dutch literature, culture, or media from a broad perspective (e.g., intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural history; the transnational and comparative study of literature, culture, or media; multicultural Europe) from the premodern to the contemporary period. Applicants should demonstrate a facility with a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches; talent for programmatic innovation; and the intellectual curiosity to participate in scholarly conversations and practices across the liberal arts. 

Preferred research areas include: colonialism, race and migration; disability studies; environmental studies; film and media studies; premodern literature and cultural history. We are especially interested in candidates whose research and teaching encompasses more than one of the language areas of our department and challenges the national divisions of these fields. 

Qualified applicants should have a Ph.D. in German or Scandinavian studies, or a related field, by the start date and an active research program. 

The PPFP is renewable for two years. After this time, the fellow will be considered by the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Please a) specify the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic, and Dutch and b) your chosen departmental faculty mentor from among our faculty (https://cla.umn.edu/gnsd/people/faculty) in your application. Email your questions regarding this opportunity to Chair and Professor Leslie Morris: morri074@umn.edu  



Postdoctoral Fellow in Music Education 

The School of Music invites scholars with research and teaching interests in music education to apply for its President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. It primarily seeks candidates with a vision for expanding access to music education using a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework.

Applicants must have a K-12 teaching license specializing in secondary instrumental music education and at least three years of teaching in a K-12 setting. Familiarity with the African/African American diasporic musical tradition is desired. Preferred candidates need to have an active research agenda that includes publications and presentations. Additionally, choice candidates will engage with K-12 students or community music partners via such activities as masterclasses, clinics, and workshops. 

Qualified applicants with a doctoral degree in music education by the start date (Fall 2022) may apply for the PPFP. After two years, the School of Music will consider the fellow for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position.

Please a) specify the School of Music and b) your chosen mentor from among its faculty in your application. For inquiries related to the PPFP, please contact Interim Director Gwendolyn Freed (free0303@umn.edu).



Postdoctoral Fellow in Race, Journalism, Media, and Democracy in the Hubbard School of Journalism  

The goal of this Postdoctoral Research Fellowship position in the Hubbard School is to provide advanced research and training opportunities studying contemporary problems in media and democracy, race and news media, non-profit journalism and/or journalism and social media platforms.

This is a 100% research position that is renewable as part of the President’s Postdoctoral Program for two years.  The successful candidate will be considered by the Hubbard School for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor position for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

When applying for the University-wide position, please specify your field and interest when applying to the position in the Hubbard School, with an understanding that the school of journalism and mass communication is particularly interested in fellows who can leverage their specific expertise in concert with other members of the Minnesota Journalism Center, Center for the Study of Political Psychology, or other similar interdisciplinary centers within the College of Liberal Arts.

Applicants will not be expected to teach in their area of expertise but may do so by overload assignment after the first term of the fellowship year. Ideal candidates will demonstrate the potential to teach media and democracy-related courses in the School, including but not limited to diversity in media. 

Please a) specify the Hubbard School and b) your chosen departmental faculty mentor from among our faculty (https://hsjmc.umn.edu/people/faculty) in your application. Email your questions regarding the specific Hubbard School program opportunity to Director and Professor Elisia L. Cohen: ecohen@umn.edu



Eligibility and Evaluation of all PPFP Applicants to the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota:

• Preferred applicants will have completed their MFA or doctoral degree in their field within the past ten (10) academic years and no later than August 29, 2022.
• The primary criterion for selection is evidence of scholarship and creative work that is competitive for a potential tenure-track appointment in the postdoc’s department/school.
• An important secondary criterion is the support of the proposed department/School and mentor to host the fellow, and the extent to which the candidate’s research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and at the University of Minnesota.

Award Details:

• Salary: No less than $55,000, varies by department, plus health benefits
• $4,000 research funds, $500 for travel to system campuses, $1000 for travel for the fellow and mentor for PPFP events (per year)
• Office space and computer
• School mentoring and workshops
• Offer of a tenure-track position at the end of the fellowship, subject to satisfactory performance

Application:

For full consideration, please include the following materials in your application:

Thesis Abstract (for PhDs) / Artist Statement (for MFAs) – one page

Research Proposal (for PhDs) / Creative Research Proposal (for MFAs) – 700-1,000 words (not including references and citations) - for the project you would like to work on during the two-year fellowship

Education and Background Statement – 500-700 words describing your personal background and contributions to diversity and equal opportunity through your academic career; relevant professional/non-traditional academic experience should be included

Curriculum vitae

Sample of Work – sample publication or unpublished paper for PhDs; please limit to 35 pages (not including references and citations) / Images of creative work for MFAs (PDF and please use Slideroom)

Please contact the specific department/school contacts as listed above about this opportunity and to identify an appropriate mentor.

How do I apply and what are the deadlines? (Please note that the University of Minnesota’s PPFP deadline has been extended to November 30, 2021.)

• Application instructions can be found on the University of California website
• Apply online via the PPFP website
• Questions? Contact ppfp@umn.edu

Closing Date: November 30, 2021, 11:59pm (Central Time). Review of applications will begin immediately. 

About the College of Liberal Arts

Established in 1868, the College of Liberal Arts supports the University of Minnesota's land-grant mission as home to disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. With 31 departments on the Minneapolis campus, it is the largest college in the University of Minnesota system. The College of Liberal Arts is committed to intellectual freedom, the pursuit of new knowledge, and the belief that the liberal arts are the foundation of academic learning. CLA prepares students to be independent and original thinkers, to be innovators in their chosen fields, to create meaning in their lives and in their life’s work, and to become productive citizens and leaders in their communities and the world.

Diversity & Equal Opportunity

The University of Minnesota recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission.  The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  To learn more about diversity at the University of Minnesota: http://diversity.umn.edu.

Background Check 

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and eligibility to work in the United States. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About the University of Minnesota 

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the United States, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research.  Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, communication agencies, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.