Early Childhood Studies Assistant/Associate/Full Professor

Classification Title:

AST/ASO/FULL PROF

Job Description:

The College of Education and Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida announce a 9-month tenure-eligible assistant/associate/full professor faculty position beginning fall 2022. This position is part of the University of Florida’s preeminence initiative and involves transdisciplinary collaborations within the College of Education and among other colleges and units across the University, including the Colleges of Medicine, Law, Public Health and Health Professions, Health and Human Performance, Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Institute for Child Health Policy (ICHP), and Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center. The focus of the transdisciplinary collaboration is Optimizing the Early Childhood Development and Learning of Young Children. Under the auspices of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education, successful applicants will become an integral part of a highly talented and collaborative transdisciplinary team of faculty, post-doctoral associates, faculty affiliates, staff, and students who have realized a vision to integrate science, practice, and policy in early childhood studies to ensure equitable outcomes for young children, their families, and the practitioners who support them and who have transformed early childhood studies at the University of Florida into a priority focus area as part of the University’s rise to a top-tier public university.

The successful applicant for this position will be an established scholar in the field of early childhood studies with established records of publications and externally funded research in scholarly areas that complement and extend current initiatives occurring through the Anita Zucker Center.

Applicants must be committed to improving health, developmental, and learning outcomes for all young children from before birth to age 5 using transdisciplinary approaches through equity, diversity, and inclusion lenses. Applicants must also demonstrate a commitment to achieving collective impact through partnerships with local, state, national, and international partners and stakeholders (see http://ceecs.education.ufl.edu ).

Successful applicants will be expected to maintain a well-developed systematic line of research and scholarly publications, to pursue and obtain external funding, to work collaboratively with colleagues by contributing to the vision and mission of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, and to teach courses and recruit and mentor doctoral students and post-doctoral associates. Responsibilities could also include serving on college, community, statewide, and national committees or boards. Salary is negotiable, competitive, and commensurate with qualifications and experience

ABOUT THE ANITA ZUCKER CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES. The Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies ( http://ceecs.education.ufl.edu ), founded in December 2010, is an endowed Center that promotes and supports transdisciplinary research, teaching, model demonstration, and outreach activities. Early childhood studies is a transdisciplinary disciplinary field that encompasses early development and learning; family support; health, nutrition, and mental health; and early intervention. The Anita Zucker Center provides a focal point within the University for recognizing and integrating specialized expertise and transdisciplinary collaborations in early childhood studies. Programs of the Anita Zucker Center support and enhance the three core missions of the University of Florida (teaching, research, and service) while advancing knowledge, practices, and policies in early childhood studies. The Center is home for the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies and the Anita Zucker Endowed Professorship in Early Childhood Studies.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE: The College of Education at the University of Florida, founded in 1906, has consistently been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in Online Graduate Education for the last six years, 3rd nationally for undergraduate education and 12th nationally among public graduate colleges of education (U.S. News & World Report). Two of the College's academic programs occupy top-20 spots in the U.S. News rankings: Counselor Education (5th) and Special Education (5th). Our Teachers, Schools & Society (TSS) program was named the 2020 Program of the Year by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). The College has added 45 faculty in the past three years. Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and public scholarship—often conducted in partnership with other UF colleges, school districts and communities across the state and nation—are yielding powerful learning systems and models that are helping to transform education in today’s changing world, starting with our youngest learners. The College is engaged in four of UF’s priority research areas—early childhood studies, precision learning, analysis of learning analytics, and artificial intelligence in education. The College has 117 full-time faculty members with distinguished records in teaching, research and service. Faculty researchers last year garnered more than $107 million in awards supporting studies and projects addressing education’s most critical issues. Teaching is one of several areas of study from which UF education students can choose. More than 3,000 education students are enrolled on campus and online in 29 bachelor’s and advanced degree programs and concentration areas, within nine academic specialties: K-12 Curriculum and Instruction • Counseling & Counselor Education • Early Childhood Education • Educational Leadership • Higher Education Administration • Research & Evaluation Methods • School Psychology • Special Education • Student Personnel in Higher Education. To sustain the college's innovative edge deep into the 21st century, heightened emphasis on emerging technologies, advanced graduate studies and interdisciplinary research will effectively prepare tomorrow's leaders in all education disciplines. The College's educator preparation programs have been continuously accredited by CAEP and NCATE since 1954. More than 30,000 UF “EduGator” alumni are located throughout the world. Follow us: @UF_COE (Twitter) and @UF.COE (Facebook)

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY: The University of Florida, founded in 1853, is a public land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research university and one of the most academically diverse universities in the nation. U.S. News & World Report ranks UF 5th among public universities. National rankings such as 2nd by Kiplinger and 20th in Forbes in their respective lists of “Best Values in Public Colleges” are a result of UF’s commitment to provide the highest quality education at the best value. UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 200 research, service and education centers, bureaus and institutes, and boasts more than 4,000 faculty members, 50,000 students and 415,000 living alumni. Faculty scholars last year generated more than $838 million in research awards. UF recently launched a $70 million AI partnership with NVIDIA, taking the first step toward ensuring equitable access to bringing AI to students and faculty from across campus and the state. The Florida Legislature designated UF as a “preeminent” state university in 2013. UF recently hired almost 500 new faculty.

ABOUT THE AREA: UF is situated in Gainesville in North Central Florida, a progressive college town that blends big-city cultural and athletic offerings with small-town friendliness and charm, along with excellent schools. Gainesville, located about halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, is often recognized as one of America’s best college towns and is easily accessible to three major metropolitan areas (Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa). The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Gainesville as a “Tree City USA” every year since 1982. Add the allure of Florida’s famous sunshine, tropical breezes, and abundant wilderness, springs, rivers and seashores nearby, and it is little wonder that top-caliber faculty and students find our College and University to be the perfect balance of premier academics and a fulfilling lifestyle.

Expected Salary:

Salary is negotiable, highly competitive, and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Minimum Requirements:

An earned doctorate in an appropriate field related to early childhood studies and a strong record of: (a) research and scholarly writing; (b) success in securing and administering external grants or contracts; (c) evidence of successful teaching at the university level; (d) mentoring doctoral students, post-doctoral associates, or junior colleagues; (e) transdisciplinary scientific collaborations; and (f) service and outreach to the early childhood community.

Preferred Qualifications:
N/A

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Please submit a letter of application presenting evidence of your interest and qualifications for this position; a curriculum vita; examples of published scholarship; and contact information for at least three professional references to the University of Florida Human Resources employment portal (GatorJobs, https://jobs.ufl.edu). Official transcripts of graduate work with evidence of terminal degree will be requested at point of hire. Unofficial transcripts may be sent for application. Inquiries and nominations should be directed to: Dr. Patricia Snyder ( patriciasnyder@coe.ufl.edu ) and Dr. Maureen Conroy (mconroy@coe.ufl.edu), Co-Chairs of Early Childhood Studies Search, Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, College of Education University of Florida, P.O. Box 117050, Gainesville, FL 32611-7050.

To ensure full consideration, vitas, dossiers, and statements of intent to apply should be submitted by March 15, 2022, when the search committee will begin reviewing applications. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/ .

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.

The University of Florida is An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

Health Assessment Required:
No