About the University
Western Washington University is a public institution that was founded in 1893 and enrolls approximately 16,000 students. It is recognized by US News & World Report as the top public masters-granting institution in the Pacific Northwest, and the number 2 public masters-granting institution in the entire West. The Chronicle of Higher Education previously listed Western as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, citing teaching environment, and tenure clarity and process.
Western Washington University is located in scenic Bellingham, a city of about 100,000 residents nestled between the mountains of the North Cascades and the waters of Puget Sound. Recreational opportunities abound nearby including biking, skiing, hiking, sailing, and mountaineering. Bellingham is 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, and 90 miles north of Seattle, each with a lively cosmopolitan atmosphere and home to many leading technology companies.
Western Washington University is committed to making continuous progress to advance accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) so that all community members feel safe, supported, and included. To learn more about Western’s ADEI initiatives, please visit https://www.wwu.edu/diversity.
About the Department
The College of Science and Engineering and the Computer Science Department support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
The Computer Science department has 18 tenured or tenure-track faculty, and serves approximately 500 majors or pre-majors. The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in computer science, an M.S. CS degree, a Data Science B.S. degree, a Cybersecurity B.S., a CS Education B.A. degree, as well as multiple certificate programs. The department has a strong history of research collaboration with other disciplines across campus such as Linguistics, Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, as well as collaborations with regional tech partners, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL). Faculty-mentored projects are a hallmark of CS at WWU, which the department and college foster by funding student and faculty travel to conferences to present student and faculty co-authored publications.
The Computer Science Department is committed to cultivating equitable and diverse learning and work environments to fulfill Western’s strategic goals of Advancing Inclusive Success, Increasing Washington Impact, and Enhancing Academic Excellence. The department’s on-going efforts are evidenced by faculty involvement in workshops on inclusive pedagogy and educational research on student success, the CS/M Scholars Program that supports women and underrepresented minorities, and previous funding at $1,000,000 through an S-STEM NSF grant.
Visit our department web page at http://www.cs.wwu.edu for more information.
About the Position
The Computer Science Department at Western Washington University (WWU) invites applications for a tenure-track position beginning September 16, 2023 at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. All areas of specialization will be considered, but for this position the department is particularly seeking candidates with scholarly interests in computing education.
WWU has a historic emphasis on teacher preparation and prepares a large fraction of the K-12 teachers in Washington State. The program in Science Math and Technology Education (SMATE) is housed in the College of Science and Engineering, includes 12 faculty members with joint appointments in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geology, Computer Science, and the College of Education, and is led by a full-time director. SMATE prepares teachers in science content and methods and has an established history of leading and supporting systemic science education reform efforts in Washington State and nationally. SMATE faculty engage actively in interdisciplinary collaborations in research, teaching, and teacher professional development.
Position Responsibilities: The successful candidate will enhance our existing strengths in undergraduate education and science teacher preparation, and will teach computer science courses as well as K-12 science teacher preparation courses in SMATE. The teaching assignment will be distributed evenly between Computer Science and SMATE. This person must be committed to quality undergraduate education and to fulfilling teaching responsibilities in ways that support an equitable and inclusive learning environment for students. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain an active research program involving undergraduate and M.S. students, especially one that emphasizes science education and supports active collaborations within and between the SMATE and Computer Science programs. This faculty member will also be expected to participate in service activities, including departmental committees and student advising.
Work Life Balance: The department is committed to a balanced approach for faculty where research is encouraged and supported, but securing external grants is not required. High-quality engaged instruction is highly valued. Faculty have reasonable yearly teaching loads, that enables them to pursue their scholarship interests via mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.
Department Growth: As part of the university’s commitment to cultivate expansion in critical disciplines, Kaiser Borsari Hall is being built to increase capacity in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The 20,000 square foot facility will house state-of-the-art teaching classrooms, new faculty offices, a showcase robotics lab, as well as student project spaces. The new building will add to the existing footprint of CS at Western, and is slated to open in 2024.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
- Doctorate degree at time of application or ABD at time of application in Computer Science or a closely related field. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment (e.g., for a September 2023 start date, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15, 2024).
- Demonstrated ability to teach existing courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels
- Ability to develop a research program that involves undergraduate and/or graduate M.S. students
- Commitment to engage in curricular development at the graduate and undergraduate levels
- Contribute to the department’s mission to support and promote ADEI among all members of the department
- Demonstrated interest in and commitment to working with prospective and/or practicing K-12 teachers as part of the SMATE component of this joint appointment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- For appointment at the Associate Professor level (without tenure), demonstrated significant research and evidence of successful teaching commensurate with standards for promotion to associate professor in the department, college and university.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Scholarly interest and expertise in computing education.
- Commitment to seek and secure external funding.
- Interest in mentoring senior capstone projects as part of the standard teaching load.
Application Instructions
Application materials must be submitted via WWU’s PageUp system here and must include the following:
- Curriculum vitae
- Cover letter, that addresses how you meet the required and preferred qualifications for the position, and your ability and commitment to fulfill the position’s responsibilities. Please explicitly discuss your qualifications to teach undergrad and graduate level CS and SMATE (SCED) classes, and mention which graduate level CS classes you have taken.
- Statement on teaching experience and interests, and future plans for teaching core and advanced undergraduate and graduate courses.
- Statement on past and on-going research, including how your research would involve master’s students and advanced undergraduates.
- Statement on accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI), and how your experiences (academic or non-academic) have prepared you to effectively teach an increasingly diverse student population, and how you would promote ADEI in and outside your classroom.
- Names and contact information for three professional references. References of finalists will be contacted to upload their confidential recommendation letters directly into Western’s PageUp system.
Other Information: Inquiries may be directed to the department and search committee chair, Dr. Filip Jagodzinski, at filip.jagodzinski@wwu.edu.
Review of applications will begin November 21, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled.
Conditions of Employment
All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including COVID vaccination by time of hire and Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.
Salary: Commensurate with experience and qualifications. The successful candidate is expected to be appointed as an assistant or associate professor (tenure-track). An appointment into assistant professor will have an anticipated starting salary of $92,000-$96,000. Candidates hired into the associate professor rank (without tenure) may have an expedited timeline to tenure. An appointment into associate professor will have an anticipated starting salary of $96,000-$106,000. Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and Start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position.
Benefits information: 2022 Benefits Overview for Faculty Positions
Bargaining Unit: United Faculty of Western Washington
