Department of Human Development, Chair
Washington State University – Department of Human Development, Chair.
Washington State University’s Department of Human Development seeks an innovative, passionate, and collaborative leader to join its faculty and serve as Department Chair as we continue to attain new levels of excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. We seek a proven or promising Chair who can inspire, support, and advocate for our faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, professional staff members, and our land-grant mission. This is a full-time, nine-month academic-year, tenure-track, permanent, faculty appointment. The successful candidate will be expected to work and receive salary for two additional months of administrative responsibilities beyond the standard teaching, research, and extension expectations while serving as Chair.
Responsibilities: The successful applicant will provide leadership, vision, and strategic direction to the Department of Human Development. The Chair will be housed in Pullman, WA, and will work collaboratively with Human Development faculty, students, and professional staff across Pullman, Vancouver, and Global campuses to support and advocate for the resources necessary to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. As the face of the Department, the Chair will also seek external funding opportunities from donors and foundations interested in supporting the various aspects of human development across the lifespan. The Chair serves as the department’s administrative representative and works closely with and supervises the Academic Director of Human Development in Vancouver, as well as the Directors of the undergraduate program in Human Development, the graduate program in Prevention Science, the Washington State University Children’s Center, and the Center for Transformational Learning and Leadership.
Required (both ranks): Doctorate in Human Development, Family Science, Prevention Science, Public Health, Psychology, or a related field; Have held the rank of Professor or Associate Professor at an accredited college or university; demonstrated leadership experience in university/academic department or unit; Demonstration of the scholarly record required to merit a tenured appointment as an Associate or Full Professor in the department.
Required (Full Professor): Professor rank will need a record of scholarship aligned with effort devoted to scholarship in previous positions, a higher level of national/international recognition, and a higher level of scholarship and teaching/outreach experience as compared to Associate Professor applicants. Considerations regarding rank will be determined based on the qualifications of the candidate.
Preferred: Evidence of administrative abilities in an academic setting, which can include academic program management, research program management, personnel management, budget management, and/or management of outreach activities; evidence of excellence in teaching, mentoring, and contributing to a learning environment that values inclusivity and a variety of ways of knowing; evidence of a sustained and impactful program of research; commitment to advancing strategies to promote transparent and shared governance; commitment to recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, students, and staff.; ability to think strategically from a systems perspective and effectively advocate for faculty, students, and professional staff members; ability to communicate, advocate, and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary department, college, campus, and university leaders; demonstrated experience building strategic partnerships with diverse academic and non-academic partners.
The Department of Human Development is a dynamic and multidisciplinary department devoted to understanding the nature of human development across the lifespan and to promoting the land-grant mission based on the principles of social justice, equity, and inclusion. We are a joint department working together across three campuses: Pullman, Vancouver, and Global (our online Human Development undergraduate program). Currently, the department is home to 26 faculty and 8 professional staff across the Pullman and Vancouver campuses. Through our teaching, research, and outreach programs, we are dedicated to fostering the positive development of children, youth, adults, families, and society in the state of Washington, the nation, and the world at large. The faculty are productive and renowned in their own disciplines, including child development, gerontology, prevention science, decolonizing studies, foster care, substance addiction, gun violence prevention, human-animal interactions, leadership, and community development. Department research expenditures average over $2.5 million per year. Several of our colleagues serve as leaders of their respective national and international professional associations (Society for Prevention Research, International Association for Qualitative Inquiry, International Society for Anthrozoology), are members of flagship journals’ editorial boards, and are awarded teachers.
In addition to offering an undergraduate degree in Human Development, the department also offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Prevention Science at the Pullman, Spokane, and Vancouver campuses. Founded in 2012, this graduate program is the first of its kind in the nation. While it is housed in the Department of Human Development, it brings together faculty from Human Development, Health Communication, Educational Psychology, Nursing, Medicine, Psychology, Kinesiology, and WSU Extension. Graduate students are trained in how to apply basic research on individuals, families, and their communities to the development, evaluation, and dissemination of scientifically based programs and policies to promote the physical, social, and psychological well-being of individuals and their families.
The Department of Human Development is also the administrative home of the Washington State University Children’s Center, a full-day, year-round childcare program serving students, staff, and faculty since 1970. The Center is licensed for 170 children from 6 weeks to 12 years and is staffed by 30 full-time teachers and a five-member administrative team, and also employs multiple WSU students each semester. The Center serves as a laboratory school, providing field experience placements, and observational and research opportunities for students from a number of departments, including Human Development, Psychology, and Education. In addition, research with children can be conducted on-site and the parent population provides a diverse pool of potential participants for survey research. The Center is an integral part of the Department of Human Development and welcomes connection with all areas of Human Development scholarship.
The Center for Transformational Learning and Leadership (CTLL) is housed in the Department of Human Development, with four core faculty who teach courses and facilitate personal and professional development programs that reach over 2,000 participants per year across the WSU system and with external constituents. CTLL faculty offer a Leadership Minor, a Global Sustainable Leadership in Kenya program, and lead or contribute to several systemwide offerings such as an annual Mindfulness Symposium, Provost’s Leadership Academy, the Values-based Academic Leadership Trajectories for Women in STEM (VAuLTS) program, the LIFT Faculty Fellowship program, the Core to Career Faculty Fellowship program, and more. The CTLL promotes thriving through transformational experiential learning opportunities in topics such as values, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, leadership, interpersonal communication, and belonging. The CTLL and CTLL Affiliates welcome partnerships with scholars and practitioners promoting thriving in their work through any of these or related areas of study and practice.
Job Overview
Washington State University
Johnson Tower 501
Pullman, WA 99163
United States
Screening of application materials begins on January 20, 2025. This posting will be open until filled. To apply, visit www.hrs.wsu.edu/careers/ (R-12834) and applications must include the following materials: 1) Cover letter detailing the applicant’s interest in the position, highlighting relevant experiences in leadership positions (including experiences in budget management if available); 2) A current curriculum vitae.
After the initial candidate submission review by the search committee, candidates selected for further consideration will be asked to submit: 1) a one-page research statement; 2) a two-page statement with their vision, principles, and style of leadership of the teaching, research, outreach, and social justice central to our department; 3) names and contact information for 3 individuals willing to serve as references (to be contacted only prior to invitations for on-campus interviews); 4) statement of commitment/contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please direct nominations and inquiries to the department Administrative Manager Angela Merrill ([email protected]) and Search Committee Chair Professor Vicki A. McCracken ([email protected]). All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. For a complete position description listing all required and desired qualifications and application process, visit www.wsujobs.com. (Search R-12834). For additional information on Washington State University, the College of Human and Natural Resource Sciences or the Department of Human Development, visit cahnrs.wsu.edu, and hd.wsu.edu.
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