The Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus) invites applications for the position of tenured Associate Professor in Indigenous Teacher Education

The University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus

Location: British Columbia
Date posted: 2021-09-07
Advertised until: 2021-10-10

The Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus) invites applications for the position of tenured Associate Professor in Indigenous Teacher Education with a 5-year renewable 50% secondment to the Faculty’s Indigenous Teacher Education Program – NITEP – as Director. The Associate Professor appointment will be housed in one of the academic units in the Faculty of Education that is most closely aligned with the successful candidate’s research focus. Both the academic appointment and the Directorship appointment are expected to commence January 01, 2022, or a date agreed upon by the University and the successful candidate.

The successful candidate will hold a doctoral degree (PhD or EdD). Scholars with an established record of scholarly accomplishments of working in and through Indigenous knowledge systems with a focus on community-based and/or innovative approaches to Indigenous education professional development and leadership are encouraged to apply. For the purposes of this position, this can include K-12, teacher education, lifelong learning, and/or practical and professional development; however, experience with K-12 education and teacher education contexts is required. The successful candidate will provide leadership for the UBC Faculty of Education Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP).  NITEP is a five-year teacher preparation program designed to provide culturally relevant and comprehensive teacher preparation for Indigenous people. NITEP’s main campus location on UBC Vancouver Campus located on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the xwmәθkwәy̓ әm (Musqueam) people in Vancouver, BC and operates field centres throughout British Columbia. Currently, NITEP hosts two field centres in Bella Coola and Okanagan, along with its on-campus and Urban Vancouver programming.

Candidates should demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship that will contribute to the Faculty of Education’s international and multidisciplinary commitment to Indigenous education. The successful candidate is expected to engage in teaching, research, and service that advances Indigenous education priorities in local and global contexts. Indigenous research, programmatic, and curricular priorities in Indigenous education in areas of critical development can include, but are not limited to land-based education, professional development of educators, higher education, questions of equity, ecological sustainability, and social justice in education. Ideal candidates will demonstrate understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems, critical pedagogies, and approaches that are informed by decoloniality, holistic education, anti-racism, and Indigenous resurgence. Mentoring of students through practicum or graduate student supervision is an important dimension of this position.

The successful candidate must possess broad and substantive knowledge of and successful work experience in Indigenous education. The ability to communicate effectively with Indigenous organizations, community representatives, Elders and knowledge keepers, and students is a significant attribute. As this position concerns leadership of the Faculty’s NITEP program, the candidate will be expected to provide administrative leadership in matters related to the operations and student affairs in the program and this includes evidence or potential to secure program and research grants; work with Associate Deans, other Directors, field center coordinators; work with NITEP Advisory, as well as other Faculties and service units and representatives of government and private sector, to align programmatic issues and concerns with the goals and vision of NITEP. Extensive knowledge of BC and Canadian Indigenous education is desirable.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

  • teach in Indigenous community-based and academic settings drawing on Indigenous knowledges, perspectives, pedagogies, and methodologies;
  • utilize innovative teaching methods for community-based and on-campus delivery of Indigenous education in undergraduate, graduate, and community-based contexts;
  • provide leadership for the NITEP program including program development, expansion and implementation; student access, retention, and mentoring; staff development and supervision; budget development; fundraising including securing program and/or research grants; and building and maintaining Indigenous community relationships;
  • engage in scholarly and research activity that advances Indigenous education, broadly defined, and community-based priorities;
  • attend to educational policies and practices of decolonization, reconciliation, and the United Nations Declaration Rights of Indigenous Peoples in programmatic and curricular design;
  • support academic, cultural, linguistic, and leadership needs of Indigenous students, educators and communities;
  • participate in Indigenous engagement beyond the Faculty of Education; and
  • contribute to home department teaching, graduate supervision and service functions.

UBC is a global centre for teaching, learning and research, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. The UBC Faculty of Education is a global leader in Indigenous education. Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous engagement are signature strengths of the Faculty. The Faculty is home to the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) with a Master of Indigenous Education newly approved by UBC senate for delivery. We have an Associate Dean, Indigenous Education, in its senior leadership team and two Canada Research Chairs in Indigenous Education. It is the home of the Canadian Journal of Native Education theme issue. For further details about the Faculty, its research, and specific units, please visit our website at www.educ.ubc.ca.

The Faculty of Education and UBC are dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive academic community. Values of equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, anti-racism, and anti-oppression is an important part of our mission. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate through their teaching, research, experience and service that they can contribute to this goal. Familiarity with, and experience designing research projects, and using pedagogical methods that enable students across Indigenous, racial, ethnic, sexual and gender identity and socio-economic groups to reach their maximum potential, will be considered a valuable additional qualification. Candidates should have a strong commitment to fostering inclusivity and teaching effectively in a welcoming environment.

This is a tenured position in the Professoriate stream. The appointment (rank and tenure) is subject to a positive review of the successful candidate’s record of achievements based on UBC’s appointment and tenure criteria as specified in the Collective Agreement, following the University’s established appointment processes. For more information on the review process and criteria for an appointment at the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, please visit: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/faculty-titles-ranks-and-descriptions/tenure-stream-appointments-review.  The starting salary is determined both by the candidate’s qualifications and experience and by the career progress scale within the Faculty of Education. A full-time tenure stream faculty member in the Professoriate Stream carries an annual workload of 12 credits (equivalent to 4 courses), of which 6.0 credits will be allocated towards the Director of NITEP role.

This position is subject to final budgetary approval.

Applicants are asked to include in their application package:

  • a letter indicating the position being sought and particular interests and contributions to the role of Director, describing their research program, and listing the undergraduate and graduate courses they can or would like to teach and why, (please indicate whether you are legally entitled to work in Canada);
  • curriculum vitae;
  • evidence of teaching excellence and thesis supervision experience (if available); the quality of teaching will be assessed as part of the selection process;
  • two to four samples of relevant publications;
  • a Diversity Statement that describes and documents how values of equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-oppression figure into your past, present, and future experience of teaching, research, community engagement, and your lived experience (maximum 1 page), and
  • contact information for three referees who should be at the rank of Associate Professor or above at a university of comparable or superior stature to UBC. Letters of reference will only be requested from short-listed candidates and referees will be asked to comment on the candidate’s engagement in equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.

Completed applications should be addressed to Dr. Margaret Kovach, Associate Dean, Indigenous Education, and Professor, and sent electronically to Ms. Peyvand Fralick (Assistant to Dr. Kovach) at Peyvand.Fralick@ubc.ca Applications must be provided in the format of one bookmarked PDF file. Following the submission of the application, the applicant will receive an Equity Survey link via email. Completion of the Equity Survey is required as part of the application process.

While the search remains open until the position is filled, in order to be considered in this round of adjudication, interested applicants are asked to submit their complete application package by October 10, 2021. Questions regarding the position and the application deadline should be directed to Dr. Margaret Kovach at Margaret.Kovach@ubc.ca.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will, however, be given priority.

In accordance with UBC’s employment equity plan, and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, this job competition will be limited to those who self-identify as Indigenous. Indigenous applicants are requested to self-identify in their application and be able to demonstrate community and cultural connections.

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