Assistant Professor (Director of Composition)

Position Title: Assistant Professor (Director of Composition)

Department: English

Campus Location: Washburn University

The screening committee will review all eligible applications submitted by October 18, 2024.

Position Summary: Washburn University's Department of English invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies to begin August 2025. This is a 9-month, tenure track position. The selected candidate will also be assigned an administrative role as Washburn’s Director of Composition, which will include release time from teaching duties. This administrative appointment is for a three-year term and may be renewed.

The selected candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to pursuing teaching excellence at Washburn University, including dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage students from all backgrounds.

Writing is highly valued at Washburn University, with all undergraduate degrees requiring two composition courses, and most degrees requiring three composition courses. The English department is a collegial one in which all faculty (from adjuncts to full professors) teach in the composition program. Washburn provides a robust faculty development program and opportunities for travel funding and internal research and faculty development grants.

Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of over 5,500 undergraduate, graduate, and law students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a vibrant and inclusive working environment and curriculum. We offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, a supportive leadership team, and a healthy work/life balance. At Washburn, we strive to ensure a campus climate that supports the success of every employee and appreciates the unique skills and expertise each contributes to serving our students.

Essential Functions:
Faculty Responsibilities:
• Fulfill teaching expectations associated with tenure-track appointment. Teach 12 hours per semester (either in-person or online, according to departmental needs) or an equivalent full workload as outlined in the faculty handbook.
• Teach and develop undergraduate classes and seminars as assigned and as dependent upon department needs.
• Fulfill service expectations associated with tenure-track appointment by engaging in service activities in the department, university, and profession.
• Fulfill scholarship expectations associated with a tenure-track appointment.

Administrative Responsibilities:
• Develop, coordinate, and assess composition courses and provide professional development and support to writing instructors.
• Serve as a liaison for the composition program between the English department and university stakeholders.
• Work with the English department chair, university advisors, and enrollment management to assist in student placement into composition classes.

• Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
• Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition/writing studies or a closely related discipline. ABD applicants will be considered, with completion of the doctorate by August 1, 2026.
• Evidence of success in teaching college-level composition.
• The selected candidate will have a demonstrated dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage students from all backgrounds.
• Official transcripts required at time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in developing, coordinating, and assessing a composition program.
• Experience in instructional strategies for first-generation college students.
• Experience in providing professional development for writing instructors.
• Experience in teaching one or more of the following: technical writing, scientific writing, professional/business writing, co-requisite writing, graduate-level professional writing.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
Please upload the following items as a pdf to the “additional document” field via the electronic application:
• A statement of teaching philosophy that includes your approach to engaging students from all backgrounds.
• Evidence of success in teaching college-level composition (such as student or peer evaluations, previous syllabi, teaching awards, discussion of student outcomes, etc).
• Contact information for three current professional references will be collected as part of the application form.
• If you have questions about the position, please contact Dr. Kara Kendall-Morwick at kara.kendall-morwick@washburn.edu or 785-670-1914.

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