Junior Year Writing Teaching Faculty (Lecturer)

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth’s flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

About the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences 

Celebrating 60 years of pioneering contributions to computing, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at UMass Amherst is home to graduate and undergraduate programs that are ranked among the top twenty-five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and CS Rankings. Following a decade of tremendous growth, CICS currently has 89 core faculty, including 20 ACM Fellows, 11 IEEE Fellows, and 38 NSF CAREER Award winners. CICS research encompasses all major technical specializations across the profession and serves as the focal point for interdisciplinary computing research at UMass Amherst, with affiliated research centers such as the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval, the Center for Data Science, the Center for Smart and Connected Society, the Computational Social Science Institute, and the Cybersecurity Institute, and the NIH-funded Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The college currently enrolls approximately 350 doctoral students, 625 master’s students, and 2,000 undergraduate students in its computer science and informatics programs and continues to build on its history of innovative teaching with new programs in public interest technology and a growing online master’s program. The college’s new building, slated to open in 2025, is being designed to accommodate its growth and serve as a hub for community, collaboration, and research. The CICS community is united by a revolutionary vision for computing research, education, and outreach–Computing for the Common Good–and is committed to inspiring and educating students from all backgrounds and experiences, while conducting research that improves the lives of the people of the Commonwealth and the world. 

Job Description

The College of Information and Computer Sciences is looking for an exceptional full-time writing studies professional to teach multiple sections of our upper-level writing in the disciplines course, Social Issues in Computing, and to provide writing support for our undergraduate and graduate student population.

Primary responsibilities include teaching our existing junior year writing course which fulfills a graduation requirement for computer science and informatics undergraduates at the university. Junior year writing has a proud history as part of the UMass Writing program which was certified as a Writing Program of Excellence by CCCC in 2009.

Teaching faculty are crucial to the mission of the College and fully participate in faculty meetings and decision-making. Teaching faculty are appointed with the expectation of long-term employment. Full-time teaching faculty are eligible for a continuous appointment after four years of service.

Full-time teaching faculty typically teach five courses per year (or equivalent based on other duties and activities). Other responsibilities include curriculum development, providing writing support to graduate students, and other administrative or scholarly duties as determined by the Chair of the Faculty. The appointment period is 9 months per academic year, and opportunities for teaching additional summer courses may be available for additional compensation. Professional development support is available for Teaching Faculty. Although not tenure track, it is expected that the persons holding these positions will remain with the college long term and the initial appointment will be for at least one year. Full-time teaching faculty are eligible for benefits.

Entry level teaching faculty have the rank of Lecturer, and may be promoted to Senior Lecturer or Senior Lecturer II after sufficient time in service, meritorious performance, and promise of continuing professional development and achievement. Under exceptional circumstances, highly qualified candidates at other ranks may receive consideration for this opening (ex. Senior Lecturer). We are looking for individuals with a long-term commitment to teaching, who are willing to work collaboratively with our junior year writing program director and other teaching faculty to develop and continuously refine our curricula. There are no required research-related duties, although research activities are favorably regarded. 

Requirements

• A Master’s degree in Rhetoric and Composition, Technical Communication, or a related field is required, with the Ph.D. desirable.
• At least one year experience teaching disciplinary writing at the college level is required, and experience teaching computer science students is especially desirable.
• Applicants with experience or training in information science, professional or technical writing studies, and/or the intersection of writing instruction and technology are particularly encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

Starting Date: Spring 2025 or Fall 2025. Other start dates (e.g., Spring 2026) may be considered.

When a prospective faculty member indicates an interest in seeking employment for a spouse or partner, UMass has a Partner Employment Program in place to support these dual career families. Although UMass does not guarantee job placement, efforts are made to help secure a position for spouses or partners. For more information on our Partner Employment Program or other faculty benefits, please see https://www.umass.edu/prospective-faculty/work/balance.

Salary will be highly competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. Inquiries and requests for more information can be sent to: facrec@cs.umass.edu.

Application Instructions

We will begin interviewing in fall 2024 and will continue to accept applications until all positions are filled. To ensure consideration for a fall interview, we encourage you to apply no later than October 23, 2024. 

Candidates are required to attach a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a teaching statement, and contact information for three (3) professional references. Please also include a statement in your cover letter that explains why you are interested in a faculty position specifically with UMass Amherst. Your cover letter should also include a statement addressing your past and/or potential contributions to diversity through research, teaching, and/or service. 

Current and previous UMass employees applying for this position should expect that their past teaching, advising, and service contributions will be reviewed as part of their application. This includes, but is not limited to, review of SRTI scores and comments for each course that was taught. Individuals who have previous experience teaching at another university are strongly encouraged to provide relevant course feedback scores and comments for review by the search committee. 

The University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Because broad diversity is essential to an inclusive climate and critical to the University’s goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will holistically assess the many qualifications of each applicant and favorably consider an individual’s record working with students and colleagues with broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities. We will also favorably consider experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career and degree.

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