University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Looking for Assistant / Associate Professor, Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (Tenure Track) Full Time

Recruitment Number: 5561

Classification Title: Assistant Professor

Proposed Salary to be Offered: 64,000 negotiable at Associate status

Appointment Percentage (Budget): 100%

Position Summary

Under general supervision of Department Chair, a person in this tenure-track position is responsible for teaching graduate courses, advising students, and chairing doctoral dissertation committees. In addition to preparing for and holding classes [primarily online with some hybrid], teaching involves maintaining currency in the content area related to the teaching assignment, evaluating students’ work, assessing student outcomes, maintaining appropriate records, and holding office hours. In addition, this individual will provide service to the department, college, and university and is expected to provide service to the community and/or the profession. The individual is expected to maintain an active, on-going program of scholarship appropriate to the discipline. Other duties may be assigned by the Chair or Dean. Anticipated start date is August 26, 2024. An early start of August 5, 2024, may be negotiable.

The department offers online and blended master’s programs and a fully online doctoral program for those seeking to enter or advance careers in student or academic affairs in higher education. We prepare critically-reflective scholar practitioners for administrative student-facing and leadership roles, from entry-level academic advisors or hall directors to senior vice presidents of student affairs or adjacent areas such as enrollment management, academic affairs, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Specific course loads and arrays are assigned by the Department Chair on a term-by-term basis. The successful candidate can expect to teach several different master’s and doctoral courses, most likely including, but not limited to SAA 708 Social Justice and Inclusion and SAA 820 Critical Analysis of Systemic Inequities in Education.

Learners in SAA graduate programs bring important professional backgrounds and personal lived experiences to our classrooms. Students work in a variety of functional areas, institutional types, and geographic regions, and many hold salient experiences as first-generation students, transfer students, students in recovery, or student parents. Instructors are expected to be inclusive of everyone.

Candidates should bring a depth of professional experience in student or academic affairs in higher education, ideally in non-instructional administrative leadership roles such as director of a student or academic affairs unit, dean of students, or another leadership role in student affairs, enrollment management, academic affairs, EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion), or the like. Candidates should possess a thorough understanding of the professional competencies of ACPA – College Student Educators International and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Ideal candidates also have emerging or established records of critically-reflective teaching and scholarship in higher education. Candidates must be committed to excelling in teaching adult learners in this applied program, in online and blended formats. The hire will have a flexible work schedule that includes evening or weekend work, to support the majority of students who continue working full-time in higher education while enrolled in our programs. UWL’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning can offer support for those newer to online, blended, and hybrid teaching.

Position Type: Faculty/Instructional

Pay Basis: Academic

FLSA: Exempt

Is this position eligible for employment sponsorship, (H1B or PERM)?: No

Required Qualifications

• Ed.D. or Ph.D. in Higher Education or related field. ABDs near completion may be considered; however, the terminal degree must be completed no later than the first personnel review in the Spring of the first year in the position.
• Professional experience in administrative leadership roles in student affairs, academic affairs, or higher education administration.
• Evidence of the ability to teach and advise online adult learners at both the master’s and doctoral level.
• Evidence of professional and/or scholarly work related to critical issues in higher education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Completed Ed.D. or Ph.D. in Higher Education by the time of application.
• Knowledge of critical quantitative or qualitative social science research methods, with ability to guide doctoral student research.
• Experience with outreach and recruiting activities, with an established professional network.

Physical Demands

Reasonable Accommodations
UWL provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact [email protected] or 608.785.8013. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.

All position descriptions are required to provide physical demands and working condition/environment and may not be published in the job announcement. For information on the physical demands and/or working conditions/environment for this position, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 608.785.8013.

Working conditions and environment

Office / Classroom setting – primarily online and blended

Miscellaneous Information

Information about your benefits
Your benefits add an additional 40%+ to the overall financial package from the university.
Highlights include:

• excellent flexible health insurance with low co-pays and good coverage
• paid holidays and sick days.
• sick leave may be converted at retirement to pay for health insurance post-work at UWL.
• after 5 years of employment, you become vested in our retirement system which ensures income post-career.
• benefits at UWL are highly competitive with local industry and some of the strongest in state and nation.

Learn more at:https://www.uwlax.edu/globalassets/offices-services/human-resources/benefits-info/fasl.pdf

Benefit eligibility is determined at point of hire. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only. Benefits are also pro-rated based on the appointment percentage.

Information about UWL and the Surrounding Region
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a top-rated, comprehensive University of Wisconsin campus, located in the beautiful Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin. Known for scholarship, academic rigor, physical activity and a close-knit community, UWL remains dedicated to its century-old mission to train the whole person – “the mind and body.”

UWL has earned a strong reputation nationally for factors such as graduation rates, return on investment and great outcomes for low-income students. It is the No. 2 public college in Wisconsin on Forbes’ 2023 America’s Top Colleges list. And it is Wisconsin’s top-ranked public university with fewer than 25,000 students, according to U.S. News & World Report’s list of the Best National Universities.

UWL offers 130-plus degree programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels in the arts, social sciences and humanities; science and health; business; and education. UWL has three colleges: the College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Humanities, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Science & Health, as well as the School of Education and the School of Visual & Performing Arts. UWL has about 447 full-time faculty and instructional academic staff, including 82% with doctoral or terminal degrees.

UWL has strong student success programs that have contributed to a strong retention rate. This fall, students returned to UWL at one of the highest rates on record with 86.5% of the 2022-23 first-year class retained – the highest mark in a decade and the fifth-highest mark in the past 50 years.

UW-La Crosse’s strategic plan Sustaining Excellence continues to move our community forward through its four pillars: increasing community engagement, achieving excellence through equity and diversity, investing in our people, and advancing transformational education. More information about the ongoing work of Sustaining Excellence is available at www.uwlax.edu/info/strategic-plan.

The UW-La Crosse campus is in southwestern Wisconsin, nestled in a residential area of the City of La Crosse and positioned as part of a larger metro area with a population close to 140,000. The area, known as the 7 Rivers Region, is famous for its exceptional natural beauty, which includes the Mississippi River on one side, majestic bluffs on the other, and views of rolling farmland and forested valleys in between. Abundant water, woodlands and varying terrain provide ample opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation. Only a couple of hours from Minneapolis or Madison, La Crosse enjoys the affordability and charm of small- town living with larger city benefits. Three colleges, two world-class medical institutions, the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, a restored 19th century downtown business district, and a number of galleries and art centers have made La Crosse a regional center for culture, entertainment, medical care, shopping, sports and recreation. More information about the La Crosse metro area can be found at Explore La Crosse and Choose La Crosse.

Learn more about UW-La Crosse here: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/services/talent-acquisition-and-employment/finalist-welcome/

AA/EO Statement
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. We strongly encourage women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans to apply. UWL, in compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

DEI Statement
UW-La Crosse’s diversity and inclusion efforts are guided by our adherence to Inclusive Excellence. We define Inclusive Excellence as “… our active, intentional and ongoing commitment to bridge differences with understanding and respect so all can thrive.” The goals of Inclusive Excellence are to increase the retention of diverse faculty, staff and students while encouraging a campus climate that is inviting and welcoming to all. UW-La Crosse strives to promote acceptance of all facets of diversity from racial/ethnic diversity to diversity of thought and experience. UW-La Crosse ranks 6th nationally among the Top LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges for 2018-19 by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act)
For the UWL Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (i.e., Clery Report), which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, see https://www.uwlax.edu/police/annual-security-report/ or contact the University Police Department at 608.785.9999.

SOE Affiliation: No

Division/College: College of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities

Description of College / Department / Program / Division / Unit

The College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH) includes departments and programs in the humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary studies, as well departments in the School of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). The Department of Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAA) is the sole graduate-only department in CASSH and at UW-La Crosse, and one of just two departments in CASSH offering graduate programs.

CASSH/VPA is dedicated to providing quality innovative instruction and creative learning experiences which prepares students for future careers and education. More broadly, such learning allows students to continue to develop meaningful, responsible lives. Graduates of the college will have developed the ability to communicate effectively, to think critically, to conduct sound research, to understand complex issues, to use knowledge in all aspects of life, to participate meaningfully as global citizens, and to discover and apply carefully considered values.

Continuous Recruitment: Yes

Continuous Recruitment First Review Date: 01/02/2024

Special Instructions

Application deadlines
TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION: Priority consideration is given to those candidates who apply by the listed ‘First Review Date’. Applications received after that date may be given consideration at the discretion of the search committee. Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. Incomplete and/or late application materials may not receive consideration. If you have questions regarding this recruitment, or if you are not able to complete the application online due to a disability or system problem, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Confidentiality of Applicant Materials
UWL is a state agency and subject to Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. UWL will not, however, reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing except as may be required by Wisconsin’s Open Records law. In certain circumstances, the identities of “final candidates” and/or the identity of the appointed applicant must be revealed upon request.

CBC & Reference Check Policy
All candidates for employment are subject to a pre-employment screening which includes a criminal background check, work authorization, and verification of education. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Position Contact Name: Tori Svoboda

Position Contact Email: [email protected]