Position Description: Associate Director of Composition
Starting Date: July 2017

Position Summary: The Associate Director of Composition joins a team of rhetoric and composition faculty working to develop and assess first-year and advanced composition coursework within the English Department at Colorado State University. Primary administrative responsibilities include training and mentoring writing instructors, developing curriculum, and assessing composition initiatives. The position also includes opportunities for teaching and research. This 12-month special assistant professor position is non-tenure-track with a renewable three year contract.

Department: The English Department at CSU is a vibrant and diverse place. It is home to poets and linguists, literacy researchers and teacher educators, novelists and literary scholars, composition specialists and writers of creative nonfiction. We share a passion for exploring the multiple and dynamic ways that the English language is used to meet the demands of life in the twenty-first century.

Required Job Qualifications:

  • PhD required in Composition and Rhetoric or related field
  • Record of college teaching excellence
  • Coursework in writing pedagogy and/or writing program administration

Preferred Job Qualifications: Preference will be given to candidates who have leadership experience developing programmatic and instructional materials for first-year and advanced composition curricula and teaching lower and upper-division composition courses. A desire to conduct research in writing program administration is also desirable.

Responsibilities:  The Associate Director of Composition will work in close collaboration with the Director of Composition and the first-year composition administrative team. Primary responsibilities will include the following balance of administration, teaching, and research.

Administration (60%)

  • Leadership and Curriculum Development for first-year writing (CO150). The Associate Director leads a team of composition administrators and instructors to develop curriculum for common syllabus, course texts, online materials, and a CANVAS shell/template. This also includes work with the library and other campus entities involved in the delivery of first-year and advanced writing courses as well as curricular innovation such as multimodal integration and interdisciplinary collaborations.
  • Professional Development and Training for Composition GTAs and Instructors. The Associate Director develops and facilitates professional development opportunities for faculty to support writing as a high impact teaching practice. This includes direct mentoring and guidance for GTAs and new instructors in collaboration with the Director of Composition and the administrative team. Work also includes planning and directing the weeklong training program for incoming GTAs.
  • Program Administration. The Associate Director assists the Director of Composition with transfer evaluations, standardized test cut score changes, and Prior Learning Assessment arrangements relevant to first-year composition. The Associate Director also receives, screens, and advises the Director of Composition about student complaints relating to composition courses.
  • Active Participation as Composition Faculty. The Associate Director attends and contributes to composition program meetings.

Teaching (25%)

  • The Associate Director has a two course per year load with the primary expectation of teaching within the range of composition courses. There may be opportunities to work with graduate students in the Rhetoric/Composition MA program as well.

Research (15%)

  • The Associate Director maintains an active and focused research agenda and engagement in the field of rhetoric and composition.

Salary will be commensurate with 12-month appointment, rank, and experience.

 Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Application Procedures and Deadlines:  Please submit a letter of interest, current curriculum vitae, a statement of administrative philosophy (upload this statement to the Required Documents field, Other), unofficial graduate transcripts, a teaching portfolio of no more than ten pages providing evidence of teaching effectiveness, a writing sample of no more than twenty pages, and enter the name and contact information for three references who will be emailed a request for a letter of recommendation upon submission of your application. Address cover letter to Sue Doe, Search Chair, Associate Director of Composition.

To view a full position announcement and submit an application electronically please visit: http://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/42154.  Hard copy applications cannot be accepted.

The Department will interview semifinalists at the March meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (4C’s) or through video conferencing. Application materials of semifinalist candidates, including letters of reference, will be made available for review by the entire faculty of the Department of English. Routine inquiries should be directed to Sue Russell at (970) 491-1898 or Sue.Russell@colostate.edu.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, for full consideration, applications must be postmarked by March 6, 2017.

General Information

Colorado State University, with an enrollment of about 30,000, is located in Fort Collins, a growing community of close to 150,000 at the base of the Rocky Mountain Front Range, 65 miles north of Denver. The area is noted for its natural beauty, economic vitality, and abundant cultural and recreational activities.

Colorado State University is a land-grant institution and a Carnegie Research University (Very High Research Activity). The English Department has a tenure-track faculty of 32, approximately 379 undergraduate majors, and approximately 110 graduate students. We appoint approximately 35 graduate teaching assistants who teach creative and expository writing and English as a second language. Undergraduate concentrations in creative writing, English Education, language, literature, and writing lead to a B.A. in English. Master of Arts degrees are offered in Creative Nonfiction; English Education; Literature; Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy; and TEFL/TESL.  The Master of Fine Arts program offers degrees in fiction and poetry. The CSU English department is also home to the Center for Literary Publishing and the Colorado Review. More information on the English department and the Composition Program is available at: http://english.colostate.edu/ and http://composition.colostate.edu/

Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy, and will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.

Colorado State University (CSU) strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers, and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal (felony and misdemeanor) history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will be conducted when required by law or contract, and when, in the discretion of the university, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.