The College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University invites applications and nominations for a senior scholar and Director of the Africana Studies Program at the rank of advanced Associate or Full Professor, effective August 15, 2020, with tenure on initial appointment. This hire is a joint appointment between the Africana Studies Program and an academic department represented in the College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University. We especially encourage applicants with a scholarly background in African American/Black Studies/critical race studies in one of the following areas: politics, public policy, political economy, or urban planning.

The successful candidate will have a terminal degree in archaeology or anthropology, political science, psychology, sociology, journalism, English literature, or a related field, and will integrate African American/Black Studies/critical race studies into their scholarship. The candidate will have a minimum of eight years of scholarly and teaching experience and three years of leadership or administrative experience in an academic setting. Like other Africana faculty, the successful candidate will receive a joint appointment in a relevant academic department – and may have the opportunity to mentor M.A. and Ph.D. students in their home department, as appropriate, in addition to teaching undergraduates in courses cross-listed with Africana Studies.

Africana Studies at Lehigh is a robust interdisciplinary program, with a dozen tenure track faculty in history, literature, political science, religion studies, psychology, sociology and anthropology, theater, and art, architecture and design. Coursework in Africana Studies has been offered since the 1970s and the dedicated program was inaugurated in 1990. The growing program offers a major, minor, and graduate certificate. The program enjoys the strong support of the University and the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2015 Africana Studies was awarded a NEH challenge grant to establish an endowment for the program. The NEH endowment supports four critical areas: Public Humanities Programs, Visiting Public Humanities Fellows, Graduate Public Humanities Fellows, and Public Humanities Research Awards to advance cultural literacy, public dissemination of knowledge, and culturally relevant teaching and learning with and from public voices. The endowment is currently funded at 1.2 million dollars and potential exists to raise that to 2 million before summer 2020. Please visit https://aas.cas2.lehigh.edu for additional information.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vita, a research statement, a teaching statement, and complete contact information for at least three references by November 15, 2019 to Academic Jobs Online (https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/14794). Please address how you will contribute to an inclusive environment in your cover letter. Personal statements summarizing leadership efforts, teaching experience and interests, and contributions to diversity are encouraged. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Search co-chairs are Dr. Vera Fennell (vlf208@lehigh.edu) and Dr. Bruce Whitehouse (brw208@lehigh.edu).

Lehigh University ranks in the top 50 among national universities in U.S. News & World Report ratings and is in the most competitive category in both Peterson’s Guide and Barron’s Profile of American Colleges. The university is located on a scenic, 1,600-acre campus in historic Bethlehem in a region of eastern Pennsylvania (USA) known as the Lehigh Valley. About 90 minutes from New York and Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley is an attractive place to live and work with reasonable cost of living, easy commuting, good schools, and abundant cultural activities.

The College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University is committed to increasing the diversity of the college community and curriculum. Candidates who can contribute to that goal are encouraged to apply and to identify their strengths or experiences in this area.

Lehigh University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and Lehigh offers excellent benefits including domestic partner benefits. Please see Lehigh Work/Life Balance for Faculty:
https://www.lehigh.edu/~inprv/faculty/worklifebalance.html.