Job no: 519241
Work type: Instructional Faculty – Tenured/Tenure-Track
Location: Pomona
Categories: Unit 3 - CFA - California Faculty Association, Faculty - Letters/Humanities, Tenured/Tenure-Track, Full Time
Tenure Track Faculty Position

Liberal Studies Department

College of Education and Integrative Studies

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona invites applications for a tenure track faculty ASSISTANT PROFESSOR position in the Liberal Studies Department in an area related to the study and/or promotion of Environmental and Health Justice (Natural Sciences).

Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Since its founding in 1938, Cal Poly Pomona students have participated in an integrative experiential learning education that is inclusive, relevant, and values diverse perspectives and experiences. With a variety of degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional disciplines, the university is well known for its learn-by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model. 

The university is noted for its scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, which was once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg. We acknowledge that Cal Poly Pomona resides on the territorial and homelands of the Tongva and Tataavium people who are the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar. The university’s nearly 30,000 students are taught and mentored by the campus’s more than 1,400 faculty as part of 54 Baccalaureate and 29 Master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership. 

Highly regarded among its peer institutions, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 3 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top public regional universities in the west and was named the No. 28 best value college in the nation by Money Magazine. Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, stands as a national leader in promoting social mobility, and was placed among the 25 top institutions in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to minoritized students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.  

The Cal Poly Pomona campus is located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains and deserts. For additional information about the university, please visit www.cpp.edu, and for more about faculty life, please see YourLife@CPP.

Student Population.  California residents comprise the majority (96%) of applicants to undergraduate programs at Cal Poly Pomona – nearly half (49%) of new students were transfers in Fall 2020.  58% of Cal Poly Pomona students are first generation, 70% receive financial aid, and 44% qualify as Pell-eligible.  The university enrolls a diverse student body that identifies as 49% Latinx, 21% Asian, 15% White, 3% Black, 5% International, 3% two or more races, 3% unknown, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Native Pacific Islander and less than 1% Native American Indigenous. 39% of the student body were STEM majors with the top enrolled programs including psychology, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, biology and computer science.

Inclusive Excellence Criteria.  We aspire to be the model inclusive polytechnic university in the nation. We have a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and to educational experiences that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences needed to succeed and thrive in a diverse society. 

Tenure track faculty hires will demonstrate a commitment and record of contributions through their teaching, scholarship, or service to these inclusive excellence criteria (a minimum of two must be addressed in the Student Success Statement):

1. Integrates the values of equity and inclusivity into their teaching, scholarship and/or service contributions with diverse student populations;

2. Incorporates the contributions and struggles of historic ethnic minority groups and communities into their teaching, scholarly work, and/or service contributions;

3. Adopts teaching strategies that support the learning and success of students from diverse student populations;

4. Mentors and engages diverse student populations in discovery, scholarship, and creative activities;

5. Engages students in problem-based projects and learning that address the needs of diverse communities;

6. Possesses knowledge of challenges and barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline;

7. Mentors and assists diverse student populations interested in pursuing graduate education;

8. Engages in community-responsive action research or service with diverse student populations and communities;

9. Has experience in or demonstrates a commitment to adopting experiential learning activities and pedagogy with diverse student populations and communities; and

10. Has expertise in or demonstrated commitment to teaching, scholarship and/or service that contributes to access, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education.

College of Education and Integrative Studies: The mission of The College of Education and Integrative Studies is to prepare students to become dynamic, innovative, skilled, and socially responsible leaders in a changing local and global society. As a learning community of students, scholars, and professionals, we are dedicated to the advancement and development of knowledges, interdisciplinary and student-centered education, equity, and community engagement. 

We are a learning community focused on meeting the present and future needs of students in our communities. We educate students to become highly qualified and significant leaders in our society. We are committed to the principles of diversity, ethics and social justice, and life-long learning.  Central to our mission are innovative and integrative thinking, reflective practice, collaborative action, and learn by discovery.

Department of Liberal Studies: Liberal Studies (LS) is one of two undergraduate departments in the College of Education and Integrative Studies (CEIS). The department hosts three elementary education preparation degrees (pre-credential, ITEP mild/moderate, and ITEP moderate/severe), and a general studies program adapted to serve students interested in a variety of subject areas that prepare them for graduate school and careers in fields like social work, counseling, law, health, and many others. Recently, the LS department merged with the Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) program––a student-centered, discussion, cohort-based program––that offers an alternative option to the traditional GE pathway to expand students’ college and intellectual experience through an interdisciplinary approach. The LS department also possesses a robust service-learning curriculum that supports an experience-based education through community partnerships with organizations like the Pomona Unified School District, the Pomona Community Farmer Alliance, the dA Center for the Arts, and The Learning Connection. No matter the specific learning track they choose, LS majors experience a liberal arts education in a learn-by-doing environment that centers on practices of creativity, social justice and responsibility, sustainability, and wellness—the program’s four organizing themes. 

In alignment with the CEIS Mission, Values, and Vision, the LS department recognizes the historic, systemic, and present conditions that marginalize our communities through intersecting forms of oppression across race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, language, culture, class, religion, nationality, immigration and documentation status, and disability, among others. The LS department welcomes all students and recognizes the tremendous value that all our differences contribute to an intellectual scholarly environment. Cal Poly Pomona is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution as well as a designated Asian American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and our students are enriched by a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Our students reflect the shifting demographics of higher education, and include parents, immigrants, first-generation, transfer, disabled and differently-abled students from a variety of identities and backgrounds.

We are committed to cultivating a learning environment that engages critical thinking and creative practice to identify and disrupt the historical, systemic, and present formations of oppression that marginalize our communities. We are a highly collaborative collection of multidisciplinary faculty––with expertise stemming from a wide range of scholarly communities from environmental and food sciences to the fine arts and humanities that serve a student body that is 66 percent, underrepresented minority students, many women of color, and first-generation college students. We value liberal arts education, which is exceedingly beneficial for students from historically marginalized communities, as a social, intellectual, and communal experience to transform students’ lives, communities, and workplaces to create whole persons that can form inclusive and equitable environments.

We are re-designing the program to challenge boundaries of discipline, nation, and identity through implementing critical, intersectional, antiracist, decolonial pedagogies, and transdisciplinary approaches, linguistically and culturally responsive engagement, and the advancement of social justice and equity to prepare students for a vastly more global and collaborative future that must address pressing and emerging issues. Moreover, as a liberal arts-based program at a polytechnic university values community engagement, we continue to lead the campus in service-learning curricula and community engagement through partnerships with schools and afterschool programs that provide students opportunities to apply interdisciplinary studies in science and environmental education in areas most needed for Pomona’s historically marginalized residents. Our rich curricula and co-curricular programs prepare students to pursue graduate school and careers in teaching, social work, counseling, law, human services, health and medicine, and a wide range of other fields. We are pleased to introduce a few of our amazing students, faculty, and staff on our newly developed website.

Position description: The Liberal Studies Department is seeking a tenure-track assistant professor with a research and teaching focus in Climate Justice, Environmental Justice, and/or Critical Studies in Public Health. We seek candidates who bring a research and teaching agenda focused on critical perspectives, theories, and methods to understand how the many dimensions of systemic racism and intersecting oppressions are embedded across levels and systems that impact ecological, climate, and/or health.  

We encourage applications from scholars in area(s) that may include but are not limited to, climate change and its effects; energy justice and just transition; environmental liberation; water resources and water equity; racialization and public health; reproductive justice; gender justice and medical systems; queer and trans ecologies; ecofeminism; intersectional and transnational approaches to climate change; homelessness and climate justice; pandemic studies; critical epidemiology; and critical science and technology studies. We seek candidates who possess demonstrated interdisciplinary training and expertise in the natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, climate science, environmental science, geosciences, mathematics, physics), and a demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, social, ecological, and environmental justice. 

We encourage applications from candidates who will provide students with a strong foundation in natural science knowledge, practice, and education taught through a critical, intersectional framework.

We seek a colleague who will provide departmental leadership in curriculum, teaching, assessment, and university.  The candidate will also advise and mentor Liberal Studies students regarding academic success strategies and resources, including pathways to graduate study and career planning.

Minimum requirements include: 

• An earned doctorate awarded from a regionally accredited university by the start of the appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise equivalent to a bachelor’s or master’s degree and/or minor in fields such as biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, physics, mathematics, or related and/or complementary field of study from a regionally accredited university 
• Evidence of or potential for scholarly work (conference presentations, publications, grant development) in connection to health, sustainability, creativity and/or wellness, which may include climate justice, environmental justice, and related areas.
• Evidence of proven ability or potential for teaching interdisciplinary courses strong in active and experiential learning, critical theory, or related theories, particularly with natural sciences content
• Demonstrated commitment and a record of contributions to student success, as outlined in the Student Success Statement, which must address at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed above.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications: 

• University/college-level teaching experience as instructor of record, co-teaching, or teaching assistant, including at least a year of teaching natural science courses
•  Experience or potential for teaching, advising, and mentoring socially diverse and first-generation college students toward degree completion or completion of a program or long-term task (e.g., research project)
• Demonstrated or potential for success in integrative teaching across the natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences using student engagement techniques and interactive pedagogies 
• Demonstrated commitment to anti-oppressive pedagogy and liberatory teaching methods and practices
• Experience successfully collaborating with faculty in other departments, colleges, student groups, and/or community-based organizations to share disciplinary expertise 
• Demonstrated strong ability or desire to incorporate educational technology and open-source tools and platforms into the teaching of the natural sciences 
• Evidence of or potential to demonstrate the value of civic engagement to teaching and learning or scholarship to serve social responsibility and environmental, health, and/or social justice in communities and society

Conditions of Employment:

• The person offered this position is required to pass a background check.
• The CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ . Questions regarding the policy may be sent to avpfa@cpp.edu.
• Application Process:

A completed application will consist of:

• Cover letter in which you describe your interest in the position, relevant experience, and how you meet the minimum and preferred qualifications
• A Student Success Statement (up to 2 pages, single-spaced) about your teaching or other experiences, successes, and challenges in working with a diverse student population.  Please address at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed above
• Curriculum vitae
• Research Statement (2 pages max)
• The names and contact information for at least three individuals that can serve as references; and
• Unofficial transcripts (undergraduate and graduate, official transcripts will be required of finalists)

Finalists for the position will: 

• be required to provide official transcripts for highest degree before the on-campus interview; 
• be required to provide three letters of reference dated within the last two years; 

Final candidates being interviewed are expected to make a presentation of scholarly work and a teaching demonstration to faculty and interact with students. 
The position is open until filled. First consideration will be given to completed applications received no later than October 15, 2022.  

Please direct inquiries to krdeitrick@cpp.edu. 

Applications accepted only via PageUp – online application portal - for University hires.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. The university seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing. Cal Poly Pomona subscribes to all state and federal regulations and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, and covered veteran status. The university hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. As required by the Clery Disclosure Act, the university prepares a public annual security report.

Advertised: September 16, 2022 (9:00 AM) Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: October 15, 2022 (11:55 PM) Pacific Daylight Time