Native American Indigenous Studies – Assistant or Associate Professor

December 6, 2023

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Native American Indigenous Studies - Assistant or Associate Professor

Job no: 534332

Work type: Instructional Faculty - Tenured/Tenure-Track

Location: Channel Islands

Categories: Unit 3 - CFA - California Faculty Association, Faculty - Letters/Humanities, Tenured/Tenure-Track, Full Time

Program: Native American Indigenous Studies (NAIS)

Rank: Assistant or Associate Professor, Tenure Track

Title: Native American Indigenous Studies - Assistant or Associate Professor

Effective Date of Appointment: August 21, 2024

About the University:

California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) opened in 2002 as the newest campus in the California State University system. Since that time, the University has grown and developed into one of the premier public universities, not only in the California State University system, but also in the nation. Indeed, U.S. News & World Report listed CSUCI as 29th among “Regional Universities West” in its 2023 edition of Best Colleges Rankings. In 2023, CollegeNET ranked CSUCI 71st out of over 1,400 schools in its “Social Mobility Index.” In 2020, Money Magazine rated CSUCI as the 15th “Most Transformative College” in the nation.

CSUCI is a public comprehensive university that engages students in critical inquiry and is dedicated to educating leaders for a global society. The University is located in Ventura County and is home to more than 4,959 undergraduate and 168 graduate students. Approximately 48% of CSUCI's students are Pell Grant eligible, and approximately 60% are first-generation college students. CSUCI is also proud to be designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), with 61% of its undergraduate students self-identifying as Latinx, 23% as White, 6% as Asian/Asian American, 4% as multiracial, and 2% as Black/African American. In 2022, CSUCI was among the first institutions to be recertified with Excelencia in Education's "Seal of Excelencia” for its facilitation of Latinx student success.

CSUCI is committed to diversifying its faculty in order to address students' ever-changing needs in the 21st century. The University is also taking steps to confront racism and to advocate for social justice. To this end, CSUCI encourages applicants to apply who are motivated to serve and contribute to the university's tenure-track body, which self-identifies as 54% White, 24% Latinx, 11% Asian/Asian American, and 4% Black/African America.

Diversity Statement:

CSUCI is committed to recruiting individuals who are dedicated to furthering inclusive excellence in our campus community. We seek to enhance our diverse University population by welcoming people from all backgrounds, and by working to sustain an environment where colleagues can not only work and learn, but also create and thrive.

CSUCI Mission Statement:

Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.

CSUCI's Commitment to You:

CSUCI is committed to helping newly hired faculty develop a sense of belonging in a collaborative and supportive community dedicated to providing resources and opportunities for establishing and sustaining a research agenda and engaging in continuous improvement in equitable teaching and learning.

About the Program:

CSUCI is currently in the process of building a Native American Indigenous Studies (NAIS) department. CSUCI recognizes and acknowledges the Barbareno/Ventureno Chumash, the first people of this ancestral and unceded territory that is now occupied by our institution. We strive to honor their elders, past and present, and the descendants who are citizens of the Barbareno/Ventureno Chumash Band of Mission Indians. We recognize that the Chumash Peoples are still here and we are committed to lifting up their stories, culture, and community.

For more information about the Barbareno/Ventureno Chumash Band of Mission Indians see: https://www.bvbmi.com/

Native American Indigenous Studies is dedicated to advancing the self determination of Native peoples and Nations. The long-term vision for NAIS is to approach our history and ways of knowing utilizing a hemispheric and global Indigenous perspective, including North, Central, South American and Peoples of the Pacific Islands. The program seeks to demonstrate the relevance of Native/Indigenous perspectives to contemporary political, economic, and social issues in the United States and the globe.

The inauguration of NAIS at CSUCI will begin with promoting an understanding of California Native histories, cultures, and self determination. The successful candidate will contribute to developing and strengthening the relationships and knowledge of California Native and Indigenous communities, and those Native/Indigenous communities that have been relocated or migrated to our region. The candidate will implement courses and projects that highlight and center California Native communities and histories as well as work with an established campus network of other Ethnic Studies programs and faculty.

About the Position:

We invite applicants with a proven background in Native American Indigenous Studies, and more specifically, California Native Studies. Candidates who specialize in Native American history, tribal sovereignty and governance, Indigenous identity, decolonization, cultural preservation, Indigenous research methodologies and theory, Federal Indian policy, and Indigenous rights are especially encouraged to apply. CSUCI is in Camarillo, California and candidates with knowledge of California Native Peoples, customs, and protocols are preferred. Successful candidates will demonstrate lived experience and knowledge working with and for Indigenous peoples. Scholars whose research contributes directly back to Indigenous communities are encouraged to apply. Candidates will teach undergraduate courses on a variety of topics and will assist with the development, implementation, and review of NAIS curriculum. Participation and engagement with local, national, and/or international Indigenous communities is preferred.

The NAIS program and this position was created in response to a new general education Ethnic Studies requirement (GE area F) implemented by the CSU. This requirement was developed to advance innovative approaches to the study of racialization and the practice of social justice. Along with GE area F courses, the candidate will also be expected to teach core courses in their fields of specialization, as well as additional courses. Further, candidates should have expertise to teach comparative Ethnic Studies courses, integrate multiple disciplinary cultural and global perspectives, and incorporate educational technology in their teaching and professional activities. Candidates committed to working with the campus cultural centers, a diverse student population, and have a demonstrated commitment to activism are especially encouraged to apply.

Minimum Degree Requirements:

Candidate must possess a terminal degree (Doctoral Degree/MFA) in any of the following:

Native American Studies
American Indian Studies
Indigenous Studies
Ethnic Studies
American Studies
Gender and Sexuality/Women's Studies
Indigenous Feminisms
Interdisciplinary Studies
or closely related discipline/field incorporating ethnic studies methodologies

Advanced ABD candidates will be considered. Terminal degree must be completed by August 2024 start.

Required Qualifications:

Applicants should demonstrate the commitment to effectively work with and engage a diverse student population and evidence of how they would successfully mentor minoritized students with special focus on Latinx, Black/African American, American Indian, and Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander students.
Ability to teach Introduction to Native American Indigenous Studies
Ability to teach a history of California Native Peoples-Teaching experience
Working with and engaging a diverse multi-ethnic student population
Expertise in Indigenous research methods (such as decolonizing methodologies, oral histories, etc.), decolonial, anti-colonial, and tribal-centered research and sustained engagement with Indigenous communities
Candidates should demonstrate a capacity to teach and research for and about California Native/Indian Peoples and Northern hemispheric Native Americans. We seek applicants with a proven commitment to Ethnic Studies and whose research and teaching focus on American Indian/Native American Studies, California Native History and Culture. Must be able to build and maintain partnerships with Indigenous communities and demonstrate interest in research with Native American communities, with preference given to research with California Indian communities. Candidates should also demonstrate a commitment to collaborating with campus, regional, state and/or Inter/national tribal partners in the fields of their expertise.
Applicants should demonstrate the commitment to effectively work with and engage a diverse student population and evidence of how they would successfully mentor minoritized students with special focus on Latinx, Black/African American, American Indian, and Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander students.

Preferred Qualifications:

Curriculum development
Leadership experience
Evidence of successfully mentoring historically underrepresented students, with special focus on Native American Indigenous students
Lived experience in Native American communities
Experience working with Native American/Indigenous communities
Research in Urban Native American experiences
Experience with Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA)

Responsibilities:

Faculty success at CSUCI is measured by three criteria: teaching effectiveness; contributions to one's field of study, and service to the University and Community. The standard teaching assignment is 12 units (4 courses per semester). However, new probationary faculty members in their first two years teach 9 units per semester (3 courses). Weekly office hours, attending faculty meetings, and service to the department, college, and university.

The successful candidate will be held to the standards and requirements of the college and program in which he/she/they is/are housed for recommending tenure and promotion.

Successful candidates will develop new courses as needed by the Program. Teaching in other departments is possible, depending on the candidate's interests. Provide future-oriented guidance in the continuing evaluation and development of the curriculum; assure that the program outcomes and curriculum are reflective of relevant professional standards.

Capacity to foster faculty inter-relationships and ability to manage interactions involving faculty, students, and staff and to handle areas of controversy. Tenure-track faculty members participate in shared governance, usually in Program, College, and University committees and other service assignments. The service for this position will be Program development.

In service, mentoring students and working with members of the Native American and Indigenous communities in Ventura County. Collaborate with the Chumash nation, on whose land the CSUCI campus sits, and with members of the nearby Tongva and Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians.

Application Deadline:

Screening of applications will begin 1/30/2024. Priority will be given to applicants who submit applications prior to the screening deadline; however, the position will remain open until filled.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

Cover Letter that clearly addresses the listed qualifications (with examples, when possible) and the responsibilities described above and how these relate to your current and future research, teaching, and community engagement; Include a description of their vision for Native American Indigenous Studies and how they work toward that vision in their research, teaching, and service. The cover letter should also explain how their research is accountable to Indigenous communities.
Curriculum Vitae that includes contact information for three (3) professional references. The references must be people who have served in a supervisory role with the applicant and one must be from an indigenous community leader.
A statement describing your experience mentoring and/or working with minoritized students with a special focus on Native American students.
A teaching philosophy describing how you plan to engage and interact with students, with a special focus on Chicanx/Latinx, Black/African American, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Native American students. In later phases of the search process, applicants may be requested to provide verification of terminal degrees, licenses, and certificates.
Writing sample (15-30 pages)

In later phases of the search process, applicants may be requested to provide verification of terminal degrees, licenses and certificates.

Submit all required materials to the CSUCI Careers application web address below: http://jobs.csuci.edu

Compensation:

California State University Tenure Track (Academic Year) Salary Schedules can be found at

Starting salaries at CSU Channel Islands are equity-minded and are generally at the lower half of the salary range.

The University offers excellent fringe benefits.

General Information:

Evidence of degree(s) required at time of hire.

At time of appointment, the successful candidate, if not a U.S. citizen, must have authorization from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to work in the United States.

The person holding this position may be considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in https://www2.calstate.edu/policies as a condition of employment.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

CSUCI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, and disability. Our nondiscrimination policy is set forth in https://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1096-rev-10-5-16.html.

Per CSU-wide policy (HR2021-04), all faculty who will begin initial employment (or return from a 12-month break in service) on or after January 1, 2022 are required to perform their work from within the State of California. Faculty hired prior to January 1, 2022 must be available to perform work in the State of California if their assignment is in-person.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Faculty Affairs at [email protected].