Job Description

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Department of Education invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Elementary Literacy Education. Major responsibilities of this position include: 1) teaching pre-service elementary education literacy courses to undergraduates and graduates seeking initial certification; 2) maintaining an active research and publication agenda and 3) providing service to the community, department, university, and profession. The applicant should be committed to fostering justice through equity-focused research and teaching. Applicants who are interested in collaborating with undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students on interdisciplinary research are particularly encouraged to apply, as collaborative research is a hallmark of UMBC?s learning community.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC is a high-activity research university (RU/HA) serving over 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students in a suburban setting between Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. This university is innovative, interdisciplinary, inclusive, and committed to advancing ground-breaking research. UMBC is consistently cited ? most recently by U.S. News & World Report ? as one of the best universities for undergraduate teaching , and as a leading innovator in higher education. For the past seven years, the university has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Great Place to Work. UMBC has been designated as a Minority Serving Institution from the U.S. Department of Education since 2017.

The Education Department

The mission of the UMBC Education Department is to advance research on teaching and learning and develop educators who are caring, thoughtful, knowledgeable, skilled, and responsive. Graduates from our programs are expected to respect diversity, be leaders in their schools, and advocate for democracy and social justice. The education department offers a wide range of accredited programs that include early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, TESOL, and STEM MAE. The department is engaged in a number of university, state, national and international collaborations, including an expansive Professional Development Schools network, grants with the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education that prepares teachers to serve in urban and high-need schools in the region.

The successful candidate will work alongside our nationally and internationally recognized and award-winning faculty. We are deeply committed to supporting new faculty. UMBC offers support programs including: start-up funds, summer fellowships, and the Eminent Scholar Mentoring Program, which links tenure-track faculty at the Assistant rank with external mentors of their choice.

Required Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Doctoral Degree in Elementary Literacy or related field conferred by date of employment (e.g. Teacher Education; Language, Literacy & Culture; Curriculum & Instruction; Urban Education; Educational Psychology)
• A research agenda related to literacy with a developing record of published scholarship in peer reviewed journals
• Commitment to social justice through equity-focused research and pedagogy
• Familiarity with culturally relevant, responsive, and/or sustaining pedagogy
• Commitment to and/or evidence of successful elementary teaching of ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse learners in U.S. school settings

Preferred Qualifications

• Research and publications that apply a critical lens to literacy education
• Experience seeking and obtaining external grant funding
• Evidence of teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels
• Evidence of equity-focused research and pedagogy

Diversity and Inclusive Excellence

Our UMBC community redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement. The university seeks to advance knowledge, economic prosperity, and social justice by welcoming and inspiring inquisitive minds from all backgrounds. UMBC is especially proud of the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff. The Education department affirms commitments to equity and justice in research, leadership, teaching, mentorship, and service. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute actively to these efforts (). The Education department is committed to attracting a diverse group of applicants for this position and encourages applications from people of color, veterans, women, individuals with disabilities, and other minoritized groups.

Information on faculty diversity initiatives is available at .  Resources to promote work-life balance for our faculty are available at .

Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, contact information of three references who can write a letter of reference, two scholarly writing samples, and an unofficial transcript. The cover letter should a) discuss how the applicant?s required and/or preferred qualifications align with the position, b) include a teaching philosophy statement, and c) include a description of the applicant?s current and future research path.  The search committee is particularly interested in hearing how potential candidates? research, teaching, and/or service demonstrates a commitment to fostering equity and justice.

Please submit all application materials via Interfolio at the following link: 

Please address any inquiries about the application process to Tiffany Shorter (tish1@umbc.edu). Questions regarding the position can be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Patricia A. Young (pyoung@umbc.edu). For best consideration, please submit your application material by November 14, 2021.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is August 23, 2022.

UMBC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

About University of Maryland, Baltimore County

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service to benefit the citizens of Maryland. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. UMBC contributes to the economic development of the State and the region through entrepreneurial initiatives, workforce training, K-16 partnerships, and technology commercialization in collaboration with public agencies and the corporate community. UMBC is dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning.

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