Cluster Hire in Native and Indigenous Studies

Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 

Mni is the Dakota word for water. The three letters are also the acronym for the college’s groundbreaking Macalester College Native and Indigenous (MNI) Initiative that has been awarded a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Combined with a financial commitment from the college, the generous grant will enable Macalester to create a multi-faceted program dedicated to engagement with and scholarship by and about Indigenous peoples, cultures and histories. As an exciting first step, the College now offers a new concentration in Global Indigenous Studies. 

One critical component of the MNI Initiative is to expand the number and (inter)disciplinary range of Indigenous Studies scholars on campus. Toward that end, Macalester is pleased to undertake a cluster hire of four postdocs over two years. We are seeking colleagues who bring Native and Indigenous perspectives to their work. The grant will support a cohort of four postdoctoral scholars: two began in 2024-2025 and two to begin in 2025-2026. 

Starting in 2025-26, we are seeking postdoctoral candidates in Educational Studies 

• Educational Studies in the field of Indigenous Studies in education. For more details see here. 

Eligibility Statement: 

• Applicants must have received a PhD or equivalent doctoral-level degree within the last 3 years. If applicants have not yet received their degree, they must present evidence of having completed the academic requirements for their degree prior to beginning the fellowship.

Support 

These postdoctoral positions will include the following support. 

• The teaching load will be 3 courses per year for two years on a 2/1 schedule. 
• The college will work to retain these postdoctoral scholars at the end of their two-year terms through tenure-track appointments to positions allocated through our faculty allocations and governance processes. 
• Postdocs will receive $5000 per year in travel and research funding.
• Postdocs will join a community of Indigenous Scholars and Academics who bring Native and Indigenous perspectives to their scholarship and teaching, including professors Ronald Brisbois (Chemistry), Jillian Fish (Psychology), Katrina Phillips (History), Phillip Rivera (Biology), Kirisitina Sailiata (American Studies), and Morgan Sleeper (Linguistics). Additionally, the postdocs will be supported by allied faculty whose teaching and scholarship contribute to the Global Indigenous Studies concentration, including Erik Larson (Sociology), Marianne Milligan (Linguistics and Environmental Studies), and Laura Smith (Geography). 

To Apply 

Please submit the following materials on Academic Jobs Online (AJO). We will begin reviewing applications on December 1, 2024 and continue accepting them until the position is filled. 

• A cover letter that includes a statement of interest in Macalester and discusses demonstrated activity and contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in your teaching, advising, mentorship, curriculum, scholarship, service or community and professional engagement. 
• A curriculum vitae. 
• A teaching statement that includes a discussion of teaching philosophy, teaching experience, advising, mentoring, and support of students of diverse backgrounds or interests. 
• 1 writing sample (e.g., publication, research proposal) 
• List of three references including contact information 
  • References will be contacted to provide letters of recommendation for short-listed applicants. 

Macalester College 

Macalester is a highly selective, private liberal arts college in the vibrant Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, with a population of approximately three million people and home to numerous colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota. Macalester's diverse student body comprises over 2000 undergraduates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia and 99 countries. The College maintains a longstanding commitment to academic excellence with a special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. As an Equal Opportunity employer supportive of affirmative efforts to achieve diversity among its faculty, Macalester College strongly encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented minority groups.

Job Advertisement: Postdoctoral Fellow in Indigenous Studies in Education 

The Educational Studies Department at Macalester College is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Fellow in the area of Indigenous Studies in education. We seek candidates who study education through inter/trans-disciplinary critical philosophical, historical, political, and/or sociocultural perspectives. We are particularly interested in hiring a colleague whose scholarship, teaching, advising, and service draw from justice-based, liberatory, and transformational knowledge systems that address the broad material educational conditions faced by the least-advantaged youth and communities, both historically and today. Candidates should have, or be in the process of completing an earned doctorate in a foundational education discipline (e.g., Sociology of Education, Educational Psychology, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Philosophy) or other applicable disciplines and fields with a particular emphasis on education. 

Within these disciplines, successful candidates will focus on Indigenous education. This focus could include several emphases, including but not limited to: 

• Histories of Indigenous education 
• Indigenous pedagogies 
• Land-based pedagogies/ environmental sustainability 
• Post-colonial or decolonial studies in education 

Ideal candidates would have experience teaching in formal and/or non-formal education settings. We would welcome and support candidates who utilize community-engaged or participatory methodologies in their teaching and scholarship (find more information on community-engaged scholarship at Macalester, here). 

Teaching responsibilities will follow a 2/1 schedule and include one foundational course in Educational Studies (e.g., Race, Culture & Ethnicity in Education, Educational Psychology, School & Society), one intermediate level course (e.g. Teaching & Learning Methods, Research Methods for Education & Advocacy), and one topics course based on the candidates’ research and other interests. Candidates will join a faculty that has a range of expertise in Educational Studies spanning from curriculum and instruction, to public policy, to research methods that reflect department guiding principles of integrative theory, engaged inquiry, youth/community-centered praxis, pluralism and equity, and social advocacy. 

Required Qualifications: Candidates should have, or be in the process of completing, an earned doctorate in a foundational education discipline (e.g., Sociology of Education, Educational Psychology, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Philosophy) or other applicable disciplines and fields. 

To apply, electronically submit the following to Academic Jobs Online:

• A letter of application describing your research, teaching experience, and interest in being part of the Macalester community 
• C.V. 
• Graduate school transcript 
• Pedagogical statement describing your philosophy and approach to teaching
• 1 writing sample (e.g., publication, research proposal) 
• List of three references including contact information 
  • References will be contacted to provide letters of recommendation for short-listed applicants. 

Applications received by December 1, 2024 will receive first consideration.