Associate Professor of Full Professor & Endowed Chair

Position Function:

Mississippi State University invites nominations and applications for qualified candidates as the Frank and Virginia Williams Endowed Chair of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Studies. The university seeks an experienced, creative, and nationally-recognized scholar who values Lincoln’s legacy in shaping the nation in the 19th century and beyond. The Frank and Virginia Williams Chair will be a tenured position, with Chair responsibilities assigned within the University Libraries. Tenure will reside within the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, as the disciplinary background of the Chair will be as a nationally recognized historian of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era. The Chair will develop a strong collaborative relationship with the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. These important collections document the lives of two American presidents during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. In addition to producing scholarship on these important subjects, the Williams Endowed Chair will work with the University and the Library to promote the use of the manuscripts, artifacts, and book collections of the Williams Collection of Lincolniana, as well as to create appropriately contextualized exhibitions in the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana Gallery.

Salary Grade : UC

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges. For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile:

The Mitchell Memorial Library on the main Starkville campus houses the official Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and Museum and the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana. The Library is an active institutional member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. For more information about the university libraries please visit http://library.msstate.edu/
Mississippi State University, founded in 1878, is a public research, land-grant university with a mission to provide access and opportunity to all sectors of Mississippi’s diverse population, as well as other states and countries, and to offer excellent programs of teaching, research, and service. The university offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across many disciplines, and enrolled 22,986 students in fall 2020 (including 18,803 full and part-time undergraduates and 4,183 graduate students and professionals). Additionally, Mississippi State University is designated as a Carnegie Foundation R1 “Very High Research Activity” institution.

The university embraces its role as a major contributor to the economic development of the state and beyond through targeted research and the transfer of ideas and technology to the public, supported by faculty, staff, student, and alumni relationships with industry, community organizations, and government entities. Mississippi State University is committed to its tradition of instilling among its community ideals of diversity, citizenship, leadership, and service.
Building on its land-grant tradition, Mississippi State University strategically extends its resources and expertise for the benefit of Mississippi's citizens, the nation, and the world by offering access for working and place-bound learners through its on- and off-campus education and research sites, Extension, and distance education programs. For more information about Mississippi State University please visit https://www.msstate.edu/

Area of Specialization:

Frank and Virginia Williams Collection

Anticipated Appointment Date:

February 1, 2022

Tenure Track Status:

12-month tenured position

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Chair will be responsible for managing the Williams Collection of Lincolniana at the University Libraries, working with Library associates to ensure growth in reference, collection development, acquisition and access, description, digitization and storage of the Collection as well as curatorial responsibilities related to the exhibits of the Frank and Virginia Williams Gallery. The Williams Chair will assist the ongoing development of the Frank and Virginia Williams Lecture Series on Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Studies. The Chair will be expected to ensure courses have been developed in their academic area of specialty utilizing the Williams Collection, in concert with the History Department, African American Studies program, or other academic units. For more information on the Lincoln collection, please visit https://library.msstate.edu/williamscollection. For more information on the Department of History and on the African American Studies Program please visit https://www.history.msstate.edu/ and https://www.aas.msstate.edu/.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Doctoral degree in History or a closely related field is required. The candidate will possess credentials and experience to qualify for the rank of Associate Professor or Professor in a discipline within History or a related field.
• Must demonstrate a strong recognition of and commitment to MSU’s status as a land-grant institution and research university.
• Must possess a research agenda and a record of published scholarship in Lincoln and Civil War studies to merit consideration for tenure at the rank of associate professor or professor within the Department of History.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with the academic, research, and service efforts of the university, as well as external constituencies and stakeholders.
• Minimum of six years of significant scholarship and instruction in an academic environment.
• Knowledge of current trends in the archival, library, or museum fields.
• Ability to set and adjust priorities in a dynamic and changing environment.
• Ability to carry out professional research and service necessary to meet Department of History and university requirements for promotion and tenure.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• A strong record of nationally and internationally recognized scholarship in the Civil War era.
• An exceptional network of peer relationships in Lincoln, U.S. Grant, and Civil War historians.
• Exceptional leadership skills and the ability to work effectively with university faculty and academic administrators across the academy to build effective relationships and foster a collaborative environment that facilitates research and teaching excellence.
• Library, archives, or museum collection management experience; strong management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and to continuing programs to achieve inclusion among faculty and staff; and to provide services that meet the needs of a diverse population of students and scholars.
• Ability to actively promote the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana.

Instructions for Applying:

Link to apply: http://explore.msujobs.msstate.edu/

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

MSU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, gender identity, status as a U.S. veteran, and/or any other status protected by applicable law. We always welcome nominations and applications from women, members of any minority group, and others who share our passion for building a diverse community that reflects the diversity in our student population.

What do I do if I need an accommodation?

In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Mississippi State University, please contact the Department of Human Resources Management at tel: (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu .

If you have any questions regarding this policy, contact the Department of Human Resources Management at (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu . Upon request, sections of this job listing are available in large print, and readers are available to assist the visually impaired.