Assistant or Associate Professor - Elementary & Special Education (Tenure Track)

Recruitment Number: 5672

Classification Title: Assistant Professor

Appointment Percentage (Budget): 1.0

Position Summary

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Educational Studies invites qualified teacher educators with expertise in Elementary and Special Education to apply for a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor (commenseruate on experience) to begin August 2025. The successful candidate will be a member of a diverse department that serves early childhood education, elementary/middle education, special education (K-12), and TESOL (K-12) programs.

We seek an educator and scholar who actively connects theory and practice in the classroom, advances the field of teacher education, and brings a current understanding of pedagogical best practices to their teaching, scholarship, and service. Candidates who have experience with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students are strongly encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate is an exemplary educator who brings a demonstrated passion for inclusive education and educational equity, while infusing social justice into their work as a teacher educator. UWL's School of Education is committed to preparing globally responsive teachers who are grounded in a strong academic curriculum that is linked to world events, geography, world cultures, and diverse perspectives.

Candidates must have earned a doctorate no later than the end of the first academic year.

Responsibilities include the following:

• Teaching special education courses.
• Teaching other courses depending on the expertise of the applicant.
• Supervising education majors in field and/or student teaching experiences.
• Pursuing an active program of scholarly inquiry, including, but not limited to, presentations at conferences and publications in scholarly journals.
• Advising and mentoring education majors.
• Engaging in service to the department, School of Education, university, community, and profession.

Courses taught will include, but are not limited to, introductory and methodology courses, as well as field and student teaching supervision.

School of Education faculty and instructional staff are expected to be engaged in service and scholarly activities that inform and enhance the work they do with prospective teachers. Some extra work hours outside the academic school year may be required to align duties with the K-12 school year.

Position Type: Faculty/Instructional

Pay Basis: Annual

FLSA: Exempt

Is this position eligible for employment sponsorship, (H1B or PERM)?: Yes

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in elementary or special education or related field by the end of the first academic year
• Teacher certification in elementary education and special education with licensure range that includes elementary grades
• A combination of elementary and special education teaching experience in U.S. K-8 or comparable schools that adds up to at least three years
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching
• Experience with ongoing assessment and instructional design for diverse learners
• Evidence of an emerging research agenda that informs their work as a teacher educator

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience advising and supervising education majors and/or pre-service teachers
• Experience teaching students with disabilities in inclusive educational settings
• Experience teaching/working in linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse settings
• Knowledge of and experience with the educator Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA)
• Experience with co-teaching
• Experience with assistive technology
• Experience teaching at the university level

Physical Demands

Reasonable Accommodations
UWL provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact hrinfo@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8013. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.

All position descriptions are required to provide physical demands and working condition/environment and may not be published in the job announcement. For information on the physical demands and/or working conditions/environment for this position, please contact Human Resources at hrinfo@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8013.

Working conditions and environment

Classroom and office setting

Miscellaneous Information

Information about your Benefits
Your benefits add an additional 40%+ to the overall financial package from the university.
Highlights include:

• paid vacation for 12-month positions.
• excellent flexible health insurance with low co-pays and good coverage.
• paid holidays and sick days.
• after 5 years of employment, you become vested in our retirement system which ensures income post-career.
• benefits at UWL are highly competitive with local industry and some of the strongest in state and nation.

Benefit eligibility is determined at point of hire. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only. Benefits are also pro-rated based on the appointment percentage.

Information about UWL and the Surrounding Region

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-La Crosse) provides a challenging, dynamic, and diverse learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged in supporting student success. Grounded in the liberal arts, UW-La Crosse fosters curiosity and life-long learning through collaboration, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the contributions of all, UW-La Crosse is a regional academic and cultural center that prepares students to take their place in a constantly changing world community.

For more than a decade UW-La Crosse has been named one of Kiplinger's 100 Best Values in Public Universities and has appeared prominently on the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Colleges" for more than 15 years, and is ranked #4 on its list of the Best Regional Public Universities in the Midwest. UW-La Crosse ranks 6th nationally among the Top LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges for 2018-19 by AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO).

With a student population of roughly 10,500, the university offers 91 undergraduate programs, 21 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs through the following three colleges, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Science and Health, as well as the School of Education. There are over 600 full-time faculty and instructional academic staff, 75 percent of whom hold terminal degrees. UW-La Crosse boasts a retention rate (freshmen returning as sophomores) of 84 percent, graduation rate (degree within six years) of 70 percent, and is among only 12 institutions cited nationally by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities for its success in linking campus culture and university leadership to outstanding graduation rates.

UW-La Crosse's strategic plan Sustaining Excellence continues to move our community forward through its four pillars: increasing community engagement, achieving excellence through equity and diversity, investing in our people, and advancing transformational education. More information about the ongoing work of Sustaining Excellence is available at www.uwlax.edu/info/strategic-plan.

The UW-La Crosse campus is in southwestern Wisconsin, nestled in a residential area of the City of La Crosse and positioned as part of a larger metro area with a population close to 140,000. The area, known as the 7 Rivers Region, is famous for its exceptional natural beauty which includes the Mississippi River on one side, majestic bluffs on the other, and views of rolling farmland and forested valleys in between. Abundant water, woodlands and varying terrain provide ample opportunities for year-round outdoor recreation. Only a couple of hours from Minneapolis or Madison, La Crosse enjoys the affordability and charm of small town living with larger city benefits. Three colleges, two world-class medical institutions, the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, a restored nineteenth century downtown business district, and a number of galleries and art centers have made La Crosse a regional center for culture, entertainment, medical care, shopping, sports and recreation. More information about the La Crosse metro area can be found here: Choose La Crosse. Learn more about UW-La Crosse here: https://www.uwlax.edu/human-resources/services/talent-acquisition-and-employment/finalist-welcome/

AA/EO Statement
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. We strongly encourage women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans to apply. UWL, in compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Inclusive Excellence is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the Universities of Wisconsin community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, research, scholarship, creative activity, community service, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin La Crosse fulfills this by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who serve the State of Wisconsin and the public good.

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act)
For the UWL Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (i.e., Clery Report), which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, see https://www.uwlax.edu/police/annual-security-report/ or contact the University Police Department at 608.785.9000.

SOE Affiliation: Yes

Division/College: School of Education

Description of College / Department / Program / Division / Unit

The Educational Studies Department (EDS), housed in the School of Education, is committed to advancing teaching and learning while preparing teacher leaders for a global society. EDS strives to prepare teachers who ground curriculum in the lives of students; embrace multicultural perspectives and uphold inclusive teaching practices; value academically rigorous curricula; and demonstrate culturally sensitive dispositions. EDS offers teacher education majors in Early Childhood Education (birth-grade 3; soon to be Early Childhood and Special Education), Elementary/Middle Education (grades K-9), Elementary/Middle Education (grades K-9) & Special Education (grades K-12), Elementary/Middle Education (grades K-9) & TESOL (grades K-12), Elementary/Middle Education (grades K-9) & French Education (grades K-12) and Elementary/Middle Education (grades K-9) & Spanish Education (grades K-12). The dual certification majors with world languages (Spanish or French) are offered in collaboration with the Global Cultures & Languages Department in the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities.

The School of Education focuses its programming on ensuring that all teacher candidates demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions consistent with exemplary professional practice. Through partnerships with our regional school districts and outstanding veteran educators, the School of Education provides teacher candidates with high quality experiences in schools as a means to advance the teaching profession. Finally, the School of Education, and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse are committed to inclusive excellence, and values diversity in both its faculty and student populations.

UW-La Crosse's School of Education is committed to principles of equity, inclusion, and social justice. We seek to advance UW-La Crosse's strategic planning goal, "Achieving Excellence through Diversity and Equity" by increasing the retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff; teaching with identity inclusive and responsive pedagogies; and ensuring that everyone-regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual identity, citizenship, first language, religion, ability and other identities-is included and welcomed on campus

Continuous Recruitment: Yes

Continuous Recruitment First Review Date: 11/18/2024

Special Instructions

Application deadlines
TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION: Priority consideration is given to those candidates who apply by the listed 'First Review Date'. Applications received after that date may be given consideration at the discretion of the search committee. Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. Incomplete and/or late application materials may not receive consideration. If you have questions regarding this recruitment, or if you are not able to complete the application online due to a disability or system problem, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Confidentiality of Applicant Materials
UWL is a state agency and subject to Wisconsin's Open Records Law. UWL will not, however, reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing except as may be required by Wisconsin's Open Records law. In certain circumstances, the identities of "final candidates" and/or the identity of the appointed applicant must be revealed upon request.

CBC & Reference Check Policy
All candidates for employment are subject to a pre-employment screening which includes a criminal background check, work authorization, and verification of education. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Position Contact Name: Heather Linville

Position Contact Email: hlinville@uwlax.edu