[ATTW-L] Job Posting: Assistant Professor of English, First Year Writing

[Jennifer Veltsos]

The English Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato is searching
for an Assistant Professor to support our First Year Writing program. This
is a one-year appointment with the possibility of renewal for a second
year.

Responsibilities:

Specialist in Composition with administrative experience to support student
success in the department's first-year writing curriculum. Responsibilities
include training and supervising ENG 101 (Composition) TAs, designing and
providing supplemental instruction for composition students, and supporting
at-risk composition students as needed. This instructor will teach one
section of composition per year. Also required: ongoing professional
development, continued scholarly activity, and service on
college/department committees.

For more information and to apply, please visit
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/mankato/jobs/
2021262/english-assistant-professor-aa19054?keywords=english&pagetype=
jobOpportunitiesJobs

I'm the chair of this search committee, so feel free to contact me with
questions. But please direct your questions to my work email and not this
one (which is my personal account).

Jennifer.Veltsos at mnsu.edu


*Why Mankato? *


Minnesota State Mankato is a comprehensive four-year public university in
south central Minnesota. We have a total student population of about
16,000, and about 1300 are international students. Mankato has a four-year
public university, a four-year private college, and a community college. We
all get along, but that might be because MSU Mankato is the only one with a
hockey team. The public system that we belong to (m <http://goog_516072675/>
innstate.edu <http://minnstate.edu/>) has 37 affordable two- and four-year
schools. Elsewhere in the state are the University of Minnesota System and
lots of private colleges. Minnesotans respect and value education.

With a population of about 50,000, Mankato is the largest city in the
region, but this is still a pretty agricultural area. Fortunately, we are
located only 75 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The Twin Cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul (and their many, many suburbs) have lots to see
and do. The Mall of America has an indoor amusement park. We are an 8 hour
drive from Chicago. The MSP airport is a Delta Hub! There are lots of
escape routes if you get cabin fever.


Some prospective faculty express interest in living in the Twin Cities and
commuting to Mankato. While I do have colleagues who live that way, I
cannot say that I recommend it. Three hours in the car each day? Minnesota
Winters! But if you have a partner who finds work in the Cities, it *is*
manageable to live there or in one of the smaller cities in between. (On
the other hand, it takes 10 minutes to get from one end of Mankato to the
other, which might be useful if you are chronically late.) We even have a
curling club if the Winter Olympics inspired you to try a new sport.

Our union, the Interfaculty Organization (ifo.org), vigorously negotiates
our contract. A key component is Article 22: Professional Development. All
faculty are required to plan activity in five areas: teaching, scholarship,
continuing preparation, contributions to student growth, and service. All
universities require you to do this kind of work, of course, but ours
explicitly includes professional development, advising, etc. in the annual
reviews. You will meet with the Dean of Arts and Humanities in early fall
to discuss your professional development plan for the year, and then you
meet again at the end of the year to discuss your progress toward the goals
you set for yourself. I won't bore you with details about our contract
because you can read it yourself to see what you might be getting yourself
into: http://ifo.org/index.php/download_file/view/2003/1/ (Some highlights:
Salary scale, benefits, paid parental leave, annual professional
development funds, and more.)


The local branch of the union, called the Faculty Association, is vibrant
and actively involved in nearly every aspect of the university. We have a
very good working relationship with the administration.


This is not a tenure-track position, but the person we hire will be a
full-fledged member of the English Department for the term of their
service. Although we wouldn't expect this person to join university-level
committees in their first year, it is possible that you will be invited to
attend meetings or participate in workgroups where the First Year Writing
program is impacted. Don't worry: Our committees are very respectful of
everyone's time, so it's unlikely that you will need to use a "Fixler
<http://99u.com/workbook/39403/stuck-in-a-meeting-that-barely-involves-you-pull-a-fixler>"
to escape a meeting. But if you do, remember that Minnesotans probably
won't ever call you on it. That's just now how we are.


Warm wishes from the Bold North!

Jennifer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer R. Veltsos
Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Associate Professor, Technical Communication Program
Department of English
Minnesota State University, Mankato
jenniferveltsos.com
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