Tenure-Track Position in "Soft Rock" Geology
- Employer
- Cornell College
- Location
- Mt Vernon, IA
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- Faculty Jobs
- Science & Technology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Anthropology & Archaeology
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Cornell College, a private undergraduate liberal arts college, is seeking a “soft rock” geologist to serve as the third pillar of its geology faculty and to actively engage with the college’s environmental studies, biology, and archaeology programs. The position begins August 2023. Teaching responsibilities will include paleontology and sedimentology/stratigraphy, introductory and advanced level courses in subjects of the candidate’s primary interest, a research class, and a course in Geographic Information Systems. The successful candidate will be a vibrant and dedicated teacher who enjoys working closely with undergraduates and who views student-faculty research as a critical component of an effective geology curriculum. Cornell College geology faculty members emphasize class discussions, field and lab experiences, writing, quantitative literacy, and critical thinking in all of their courses. A Ph.D. is required. Candidates with an ABD will be considered for a Lecturer appointment.
Because Cornell College values diversity and strives to create a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included, the entire campus community engages in dialogue around issues of difference, identity, and ideology. The college is committed to fostering a faculty and staff community that reflects our diverse student body. We encourage applications from candidates who share our vision for a campus that embraces differing backgrounds, viewpoints, and identities, and who will excel at teaching and mentoring a student body that is broadly diverse. (See our diversity statement.)
All Cornell faculty are expected to participate in service to their department and to the college and to facilitate their department's support of the college's Ingenuity core curriculum. The college encourages interdisciplinary interests among its faculty and the development of teaching strategies that capitalize on our unique academic calendar. Our academic calendar allows us the freedom to take students off-campus without impinging on other course commitments. In addition, class size is limited to 25 students, and upper-level courses are often smaller. Full-time faculty teaching load is 6 OCAAT courses during the academic year with the other 2 blocks reserved for ongoing research projects, course preparations, or travel to academic meetings; further opportunities for summer teaching and research supervision may also be available.
About Cornell College
Cornell College is a national liberal arts college committed to excellence in teaching and the creation of a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included. Our innovative curriculum includes a focus on the essential abilities of writing, quantitative reasoning, and intercultural literacy as well as experiential learning. Cornell’s One Course At A Time (OCAAT) academic calendar is divided into eight- 3½ week blocks in which students take and faculty teach a single course. This one-at-a-time approach fosters strong student engagement and close faculty-student relationships while allowing faculty freedom to design and carry out their classes, on campus or off.
Founded in 1853, Cornell’s distinctive campus community reflects our ongoing pursuit of our core values and continuing tradition of shared governance. Always a coeducational institution, we were the first college west of the Mississippi to graduate both men and women and the first college in the country to afford a female faculty member the same title and pay as her male colleagues. Academic immersion, real world experience requirements through Ingenuity in Action, and unparalleled flexibility attract an ambitious student body from around the world. Three quarters of our students are from outside Iowa, representing 44 states and 13 foreign countries. Students of color comprise one-fifth of the student body.
The college is nestled among Silurian and Devonian carbonates, with numerous exposures available nearby for field trips. Cornell's picturesque hilltop campus contains a mix of historic and modern facilities, and the historic Norton Geology Center contains extensive paleontological and mineralogical collections, as well as teaching microscopes and a thin section lab. Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a flourishing community with a vibrant arts scene, recognized by Frommer's as one of "America's Coolest Small Towns" and located in the heart of the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids technology corridor.
Interested applicants should submit the following materials through Cornell College's online application system:
- A letter of application/cover letter, which includes a description of any experience working with individuals from historically marginalized or underserved groups.
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- Graduate transcript(s) (may be unofficial)
- Teaching statement, describing teaching interests, experience, and philosophy, including examples of inclusive pedagogy
- Names and contact information for a minimum of three references. Formal letters will be requested at a later date.
Applications will be reviewed beginning November 28, 2022, and continue until the position is filled.
For more information about the department, please visit the Geology department website.
Any questions can be directed to Emily Walsh, Department Chair and Professor of Geology at ewalsh@cornellcollege.edu.
Cornell is an AA/EO employer and encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Cornell complies with Iowa's Smoke-free Air Act, participates in e-verify for verification of employment eligibility, and conducts background checks.
Organization
Cornell College is a nationally ranked, selective undergraduate liberal arts college of 1,000 students with a historic campus in the picturesque town of Mount Vernon, Iowa—a town distinguished by its vibrant local art scene and recognized by Frommer’s as one of "America's Coolest Small Towns.” Cornell College is highly regarded for the quality and distinctiveness of its academic programs, its first-class faculty, its engaged, talented students, and its distinctive One Course At A Time curriculum, which offers students a flexible and compelling learning environment. One of only 270 colleges in the United States to host an active chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Cornell College has been consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, and featured in Colleges That Change Lives.
The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a consortium of 14 distinguished private liberal arts colleges (which include Carleton College, Grinnell College, Colorado College, Macalester College, and Knox College). Cornell boasts a student body that is at once national, international, and highly diverse: Students hail from 45 states and 18 foreign countries, with 27 percent students of color.
Small classes, the One Course At A Time curriculum, an undergraduate student/teacher ratio of 11 to 1, and accessible faculty are often mentioned by students as being among the strengths of the college. Cornell offers 36 majors, 28 minors, and 13 pre-professional programs. In part due to the Block Plan, there are numerous opportunities for independent research in all disciplines, as well as a variety of internships that take advantage of the College's location near Chicago, St. Louis, and Cedar Rapids/Iowa City. Featured interdisciplinary programs are Dimensions: The Center for the Science and Culture of Healthcare for pre-medical and health career preparation; the Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy studies; the Center for Law and Society; the Center for Literary Arts; the Cornell Summer Research Institute; and Cornell Fellows, a premier internship program.
Cornell graduates have contributed to society in all fields and endeavors and include recent recipients of the National Medal of Science, the Pulitzer Prize, and in 2012 the Black Engineer of the Year.
History: Cornell College open its doors in Mount Vernon, Iowa, in 1853, seven years after Iowa achieved statehood. Founded as the Iowa Conference Seminary, it adopted the name Cornell College and introduced a collegiate program in 1857.
Cornell was the first college west of the Mississippi to grant women the same rights and privileges as men, and, in 1858, to award a degree to a woman. Harriette Cooke, on the faculty from 1857 to 1890, was one of the first women in the nation to be paid a professorial salary equal to that of her male colleagues. Early in its history Cornell also adopted a policy of welcoming students of all religions and races. Its first black graduate, Frank Armstrong, class of 1900, served on Booker T. Washington's staff before going on to a career as a physician in Chicago.
Campus: Cornell is located on a beautiful, wooded hilltop in Mount Vernon, Iowa, just a few blocks from the town's historic main street. There are 44 buildings on 129 acres. Cole Library is also the Mount Vernon public library, making it the only such library in the country.
Cornell is one of three campuses in the country listed entirely on the National Register of Historic Places—it was the first in the nation to be so listed—and the College maintains a longstanding commitment to maintaining its buildings even as it creates newer and more modern facilities. Recent examples include the award-winning renovation of the Thomas Commons in 2014, and the renovation of four first-year residence halls in 2015. Cornell has developed a master plan for continued improvement of facilities.
The President: Jonathan Brand has been president of Cornell College since July 2011. He holds a law degree from Cornell University, a master's degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in history and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In his years at Cornell, he’s overseen the renovation of the Thomas Commons and four residence halls, as well as the opening of the McLennan Center in Chicago, the creation of the Center for the Literary Arts, the creation of the Cornell Summer Research Institute, the transition from nine to eight terms a year, and the addition of majors in engineering and business. In addition, he has worked closely with the college’s board of trustees, met with students, faculty, and staff, and traveled extensively to meet Cornell alumni.
Before coming to Cornell, he served as President of Doane College in Crete, Nebraska for six years and as Vice President of Institutional and Budget Planning and Special Assistant and Counsel to the President at Grinnell College for seven years.
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