Indigenous Education – Assistant /Associate Professor – Queen’s University

The Faculty of Education at Queen’s University invites applicants for a tenure-track/tenured position in Indigenous Education at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with a preferred starting date of July 1, 2024. The ideal candidate will work in both primary-junior (JK-6) and intermediate-senior (7-12) school levels but may have expertise more specifically in one of the levels. They will participate in our BEd and graduate programs, including the Community-Based Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP), On-Campus ITEP, and our World Indigenous Studies in Education (WISE) graduate program.

Applicants must be Indigenous persons with clear and demonstrable ties to an Indigenous community(ies). In accordance with the Hiring of Indigenous Specific Positions – Interim Policy, applicants will be required to provide documents confirming their Indigenous identity. Shortlisted candidates will have their identity verified prior to being invited to interview and only applicants whose identities have been positively verified will proceed to the interview stage of the hiring process.

In addition to being an accomplished academic, the successful applicant must demonstrate the ability to build community connections in Kingston and the surrounding region. They will be involved in wider Indigenous networks and look to broaden interdisciplinary connections with Indigenous thinkers within the university, local colleges, school boards, and other relevant community partners. These connections will build working relationships to support the needs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners and will promote and integrate Indigenous thinking in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report and the Ontario Equity Action Plan.

Key Expectations in Teaching, Research, and Service:

• Demonstrate experience working in Indigenous education, and/or working with Indigenous communities.
• Facilitate and promote increased participation in Indigenous education initiatives within and beyond the Faculty, including national and international collaborations.
• Participate in Community-Based ITEP, On-Campus ITEP, and WISE
• Address equity, diversity, inclusivity, and decolonization in teaching and learning.
• Foster and support the education, supervision, and mentorship of students in graduate programs.
• Teach in the teacher education and graduate
• Maintain an active program of research.
• Initiate and sustain collaboration with researchers in other units within the university in support of local communities, learners, and schools.
• Develop and maintain relationships with professionals in school systems or other social agencies and community groups.

Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent degree completed at the start date of the appointment. The successful candidate must provide evidence of high-quality scholarly output that demonstrates the potential for independent research leading to peer-assessed outcomes such as publications and presentations and the securing of external research funding. They will demonstrate strong potential for outstanding teaching contributions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and an ongoing commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence in support of the Faculty’s programs. Applicants will be encouraged to share qualifications beyond academic credentials, including relevant lived experience and traditional knowledge.

Candidates must provide evidence of an ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and student-centred environment. The successful candidate will also be expected to make contributions through service to the Faculty, the University, and/or the broader community. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

A complete application consists of:

• a cover letter which includes a statement of research interests, teaching experiences, in a maximum of five pages.
• a current Curriculum Vitae, including a list of
• a copy of one publication relevant to this

The deadline for applications is October 15, 2023. Candidates of interest may be asked for a follow-up package. Short-listed candidates will be asked to verify their Indigenous identity, following the Hiring of Indigenous Specific Positions – Interim Policy.

Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their application packages electronically in PDF format to Kyle Cummings-Bentley at  edudeans@queensu.ca (Staffing & Project Coordinator, Faculty of Education).

Rationale for Targeted Hiring Program:
Queen’s University has developed a Targeted Hiring Policy and Procedure in accordance with guidelines on Special Programs by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The Targeted Hiring Policy and Procedure will be applied to fill this Indigenous Education position.

We are seeking an Indigenous individual for this position for the following reasons:

1. Our Indigenous education programs are at the core of our work at the Faculty of Education and have enabled us to become a leader in this area. Many Indigenous and non-Indigenous students will benefit from having an Indigenous academic fill this position.
2. An Indigenous person will support and educate Indigenous students on campus and across the province through our many Indigenous-related programs. For example, our Community-Based Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP) has grown from a tight-knit partnership with Kenjgewin Teg in the Manitoulin-North Shore Community – to four community sites reaching across the province from Mushkegowuk, to Lambton-Kent, to Tyendinaga. A fifth site, Pikangikum, has been confirmed for 2024, and more communities continue to approach us about expansion.
3. Our Master of Education in World Indigenous Studies in Education (WISE) program continues to expand, and we are exploring an EdD rooted in Indigenous education and Land-Based Education.
4. Our on-campus ITEP program remains popular and important. To respond to these growing needs, we must have more Indigenous expertise in our Faculty.
5. As these programs continue to serve more Indigenous students and scholars, the Faculty must build strong cultural supports and ensure our faculty complement reflects the needs and goals of our Indigenous BEd and graduate students. This position will also expand research collaborations and opportunities for our faculty and students to engage in community-based research, rooted in Indigenous knowledges and methodologies with scholars across the University and Turtle Island. 

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status and provide proof that they were fully vaccinated or had an approved accommodation to engage in in-person University activities. These requirements were suspended effective May 1, 2022, but the University may reinstate them at any point.

People from across Canada and around the world come to learn, teach and carry out research at Queen’s University. Faculty and their dependents are eligible for an extensive benefits package including prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long term disability insurance, life insurance and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. You will also participate in a pension plan. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their spouses and dependent children.  Queen’s values families and is pleased to provide a ‘top up’ to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave.  In addition, Queen’s provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen’s-QUFA Collective Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen’s Human Resources.

Additional information about Queen’s University can be found on the Faculty Recruitment and Support website. Queen’s University is a leading Canadian medical doctoral institution with over 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Millions of dollars of support from SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR support leading-edge research across domains of inquiry. The Office of Indigenous Initiatives builds community, advances reconciliation, and integrates Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the fabric and life of the university. Queen’s is also currently hiring seven other Indigenous faculty members for its growing Indigenous Studies program. Researchers at Queen’s have many existing networks with Indigenous communities and researchers locally and from across Turtle Island. The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe, in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Kingston’s residents enjoy an outstanding quality of life with a wide range of cultural, recreational, and creative opportunities, with access to many natural areas and proximity to vibrant First Nations Communities including Tyendinaga and Akwesasne. Kingston is also home to a vibrant and growing urban Indigenous community, supported by urban Indigenous organizations dedicated to Indigenous cultural revitalization and social support. The city is near Frontenac Provincial Park, the Thousand Islands National Park, and the Frontenac Arch UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The Queen’s University Biological Station, north of the city, encompasses 34 km² of diverse lands, affording premier learning and research opportunities. Visit Inclusive Queen’s for information on equity, diversity, and inclusion resources and initiatives.

In accordance with the University’s Employment Equity Program and pursuant to Section 14[1] of the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC), the Indigenous Education position is open only to qualified individuals who are Indigenous persons with clear and demonstrable ties to Indigenous community(ies). In accordance with the Hiring of Indigenous Specific Positions – Interim Policy, applicants will be required to provide documents confirming their Indigenous Identity. Shortlisted candidates will have their identity verified prior to being invited to interview and only applicants whose identities have been positively verified will proceed to the interview stage of the hiring process.  Recognizing the intersectionality of identities within Indigenous communities, applications from Indigenous candidates who also identify as women, persons with disabilities and 2SLGBTQ+ persons will be welcome. All applicants will be invited to self-identify once they have applied; those who wish to be considered under our employment equity provisions are required to self-identify. Self-identification information will be held in confidence by the Human Rights and Equity Office and one member of the hiring committee. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians, permanent residents and Indigenous applicants defined under Section 35(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 will be given priority.

Queen’s Targeted Hiring Policy and Procedure follows the OHRC’s guidelines on Special Programs. The requirement for applicants to be an Indigenous person will assist Queen’s University in addressing the underrepresentation of Indigenous Scholars at the university. Engaging Indigenous scholars will enable Indigenous experiences and community connections to enlighten and enrich the University, academia, and student experiences at Queen’s. It is also an opportunity to correct the historic underrepresentation at Queen’s of Indigenous scholars.

In addition, the impact of certain circumstances that may legitimately affect a nominee’s record of research achievement will be given careful consideration when assessing the nominee’s research productivity. Candidates are encouraged to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions.

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact edudeans@queensu.ca.

Academic staff at Queen’s University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the University and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA), which is posted at www.queensu.ca/facultyrelations/qufa/collective-agreements-lous-moas and at www.qufa.ca.

Please also note that Under Section 14 of the OHRC, it is not discrimination to put in place a special hiring program if it is designed to:

• Relieve hardship or economic disadvantage.
• Help disadvantaged people or groups to achieve, or try to achieve, equal opportunity or,
• Help eliminate discrimination.