Unleash Your Potential With Us

As a next-generation public research institution, we are an inclusive community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to shape the future and solve the world’s most challenging problems. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you become an integral part of our mission to become a university for the future. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with uniquely talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses and regional locations. That means greater challenges to tackle, more meaningful opportunities to grow, and rewarding experiences that go beyond a paycheck.

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Department of Rhetoric and Writing is a vibrant unit that employs 12 tenure-earning faculty members, 34 full-time, non-tenure earning instructors and lecturers, 3 full-time support staff members, and 14 graduate teaching assistants in its ongoing efforts to support comprehensive, vertical writing instruction that includes a first-year composition program, an undergraduate major (B.A.), and a graduate program with both an M.A. and certificate in professional writing. Graduate faculty may have the opportunity to teach in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Texts and Technology, which includes a specialized track in Rhetoric and Composition. The department houses the Center for Writing Excellence that includes the University Writing Center and the Writing Across the Curriculum program, which supports a generative, inclusive, and expansive culture of writing. For more information on the department, please visit http://writingandrhetoric.cah.ucf.edu .

The Opportunity

The Department of Writing and Rhetoric in the College of Arts and Humanities seeks an established, active scholar for a 12-month, tenured position as an associate professor or professor to serve in the administrative appointment of program director of First-Year Composition.

The department is committed to innovative teaching and research that addresses challenges related to composition, rhetoric, and literacy in school, workplace, civic, and community settings. Our composition program, which serves approximately 6,500 students per year, uses a sociocultural framework and includes faculty developed learning outcomes that address language diversity and multi-modality, among other topics.

We seek a transformational leader who will encourage, motivate, and support colleagues as we pursue the ongoing success and evolution of the composition program and who will help us to integrate first-year writing with the department’s other programs and initiatives. The successful candidate will be responsible for day-to-day operations and oversight of first-year composition. The position carries a teaching load of 1/1/1, which includes reassigned time for administrative duties. Teaching responsibilities will include first-year composition, upper-division, and graduate courses in writing and rhetoric studies.

Administrative duties include:

• Conducting and reporting outcomes of first-year composition assessment;

• Supervising and guiding graduate assistants and contingent part-time faculty teaching in the composition program;

• Supporting curricular implementation and innovation;

• Assisting with scheduling of composition courses;

• Representing the composition program in internal and external partnerships.

The program director is supported by a team that includes a staff member with shared responsibilities for the composition, undergraduate, and graduate programs and a faculty member at a reduced workload who serves as the composition coordinator. The program director will work closely with the department chair, programmatic directors within the department, and a faculty committee to support and enhance student writing experiences and success. All faculty in the department report to the department chair.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition or a closely related field from an accredited institution.

• Experience teaching college-level writing.

• Experience administering a writing program at the college level.

• A record of scholarship, teaching, and professional service/leadership commensurate with a tenured appointment, pending a successful tenure vote and approval by the Board of Trustees.

• A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A nationally recognized record of scholarship in one or more area(s) of writing, rhetoric, and/or literacy.

• A demonstrated commitment to curriculum revision and resource building in response to assessment results, students’ changing needs, and the scholarship of the field.

• Experience with programmatic assessment.

• Significant experience directing a writing program that employs graduate teaching assistants and adjunct faculty.

• Expertise and interest in using digital media in writing and rhetoric pedagogy and developing innovative online and hybrid composition curricula.

• A record of facilitating professional development opportunities for faculty and graduate teaching assistants, particularly those new to teaching first-year writing.

Additional Application Materials Required:

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents be submitted electronically through the Human Resources employment opportunities website, https://www.ucf.edu/jobs/ .  In addition to the online application, interested candidates should upload the following materials in PDF format at the time of application:

• Cover letter,

• Curriculum vitae,

• Administrative philosophy,

• Teaching/mentoring philosophy, and

• A list of three references with contact information (names, titles, email addresses, and phone numbers).

At a later date, candidates may be asked to submit a writing sample and faculty/administrative annual reviews.

The committee will begin reviewing applications on January 17, 2023. Preliminary interviews will be conducted via Zoom. Selected finalists will be invited to campus interviews.

The selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts (and, as applicable, U.S. degree equivalency evaluations) documenting the conferral of their qualifying academic credentials.

NOTE: Please have all documents ready when applying so they can be attached at that time. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Questions regarding this search may be directed to:  Dr. Melody Bowdon, search chair, at Melody.Bowdon@ucf.edu .

Job Close Date:

03/16/2023.

Are Benefits Important to You?

Working at UCF has its perks!  In addition to helping drive change and having a positive impact by supporting our students, staff, and faculty, UCF offers:

• Benefit packages including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, healthcare flexible spending accounts, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Paid time off, including annual and sick leave and paid holidays.
• Retirement savings options.
• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando area attractions.
• Education assistance.
• Flexible work environment.

And more…For more benefits information, go to ‘Prospective Employees’ on the UCF Human Resources website (https://hr.ucf.edu/ )

Who Are We?

Founded in 1963 to fuel the region’s talent pipeline and support the growing U.S. space program, UCF is built to make a better future for our students and society. It’s one of the reasons U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF among the nation’s top 20 most innovative colleges, while Forbes, Kiplinger , and The Princeton Review rank us a best-value university. UCF is one of 14 universities nationwide designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a Research 1 university. With 13 colleges, including a fully accredited College of Medicine, UCF offers more than 220-degree programs between its main campus, downtown campus, hospitality campus, academic health sciences campus, and 11 UCF Connect centers located throughout the region. In addition, UCF extends its reach to communities in and beyond Central Florida by offering complete online programs leading to bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, Ph.D.'s., certificates, and more.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

Additional Requirements related to Research Positions

Pursuant to Florida State Statute 1010.35, prior to offering employment to certain individuals in research-related positions, UCF is required to conduct additional screening. Applicants subject to additional screening include any citizen of a foreign country who is not a permanent resident of the U.S., or who is a citizen or permanent resident but is affiliated with or has had at least 1 year of higher education, employment, or training in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Syria, or Venezuela.

The additional screening requirements only apply to employment in research-related positions, including, but not limited to faculty positions (including employed visiting positions), graduate positions, individuals compensated by research grants or contract funds, postdoctoral scholar positions, and undergraduate positions.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, including women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations. UCF's Equal Opportunity Statement can be viewed at  http://www.oie.ucf.edu/documents/PresidentsStatement.pdf.

As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer.