Montana State University - Bozeman, Department of History and Philosophy

Assistant Professor of History of Underserved Communities - Cluster Hire

Cohort Hiring Initiative

The College of Letters and Science at Montana State University seeks five tenure track faculty members across our participating departments with a demonstrated record of or potential for scholarly activity (research, teaching, service, and creative work) that promotes the wellness of underserved communities broadly defined. This cohort hiring initiative is part of a university commitment to support our diverse student body, faculty, and staff. (See Montana State University’s Diversity & Inclusion Framework and Strategic Plan: Choosing Promise.)  We know that representation of a variety of backgrounds and perspectives is critical to a rich and vibrant scholarly community that supports our students’ learning and upholds our land grant mission. We envision a wide variety of scholars who qualify as contributing to this theme and are particularly interested in people from diverse academic backgrounds whose experiences will contribute to the excellence of the MSU community. We imagine candidates who focus on the wellness of underserved communities and whose scholarship may speak but is not limited to rural communities, the environment, community empowerment, community sustainability (environmental, governmental, or otherwise), health disparities (racial, gender, or rural), climate, and teaching pedagogy.

As a participating department in the Cohort Hiring Initiative, the Department of History & Philosophy is searching for a scholar who focuses on the history of underserved communities.  The research specialty is open, though it could include, but is not limited to, research and teaching interests in the history of medicine or public health, public history, historic preservation, cultural heritage, ecological and environmental knowledge, community empowerment, and local, national or international sovereignty, social movements, or migration.

At Montana State University we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job ad, we still encourage you to apply.

History and Philosophy

The Department of History and Philosophy is one of the departments that is a part of the cohort hire in the humanities at MSU.  It currently has over 250 majors in several Options, including History, History - Teaching, History - Science, Environment, Technology, and Society, and Philosophy.  We offer several Minors, including History, Philosophy, Museum Studies, and Latin America and Latino Studies.  We also offer both MA and PhD programs, training students primarily in US History, History of the American West, Environmental History, and the History of Science and Technology.  The Department has a long tradition of teaching and research interests in questions of race, class, and gender, focusing specifically on underserved communities, with most of our courses (within the Core curriculum, within our majors, and within interdisciplinary minors) directly engaging social, racial, and environmental justice and inequality. 

The Department has close ties with several Centers and Institutes across campus, including our own Center for Science, Technology, Ethics, and Society. Scholars could work on the relationship between Western science and indigenous approaches to knowledge or questions of environmental racism.  We also have close ties to the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of Western Lands and Peoples of the North American West, enabling a new hire to work within a group of interdisciplinary scholars who focus on the history and culture of the American West, including questions of Indigenous political and social movements, rural health, and public history and historic preservation.  

The Department is also strategically placed and invested in many of the interdisciplinary minors and certificates offered in the College, including Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), Asian Studies, and Hispanic Studies.  Our faculty’s interests overlap with the goals of these programs through our work in public history, the American West, gender, and modern US history, and we are seeking a scholar who could collaborate on research and mentor students from traditionally underrepresented and marginalized groups. 

The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in their areas of specialization and graduate courses in the department’s growing M.A. and Ph.D. programs and its public history program. All faculty are encouraged to develop new courses that integrate scholarship and teaching.  Montana State University is a Carnegie Tier 1 Research university and faculty are encouraged to take advantage of the university’s many opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Please note: the Department of History and Philosophy is also hiring an Assistant Professor in the History of the United States in the Twentieth Century.

In addition to the Department of History and Philosophy, the cohort hire includes the following departments:

Chemistry/Biochemistry

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is searching for a scholar who focuses on the wellness of underserved communities. This could include, but is not limited to, research and teaching interests in environmental chemistry/biochemistry, environmental health sciences, biochemistry as it applies to health, metabolic disease, and diet, and analytical/bioanalytical chemistry.

Earth Sciences

The department of Earth Sciences is searching for a scholar who focuses on the wellness of underserved communities. This could include, but is not limited to, research and teaching interests in social vulnerability, environmental governance, natural hazards, long-term climate and environmental change, stakeholder engagement, resources and society (water and energy), and community resilience.

Ecology

The Department of Ecology is searching for a scholar who focuses on the wellness of underserved communities by teaching, researching, engaging the community and/or mentoring students on topics related to the conservation and management of individual species, fundamental interactions between species, or the ecosystems and landscapes that sustain them. This could include, but is not limited to, incorporating underrepresented perspectives, priorities, or research approaches to understand ecological topics of importance.

Mathematical Sciences

The Department of Mathematical Sciences is searching for a scholar from any sub-field of mathematics or statistics, applied or theoretical, or mathematics or statistics education who focuses on the wellness of underserved communities. A scholar who extends or complements our strengths in modeling, equitable teaching practices, or any research area related to promoting wellness in underserved communities, broadly imagined, would be a welcome addition to our faculty.

Political Science

The Department of Political Science is searching for a scholar who focuses on the health and wellbeing of underserved communities broadly construed. Some possibilities include (but are not limited to) scholars who study Native American governance and policy, public health, health disparities, environmental and climate policy, rural communities, or democratic sustainability.

Psychology

The Department of Psychology is searching for a scholar who focuses on understanding how various psychological constructs and/or processes affect the wellness of undeserved communities. This could include, but is not limited to, biological, cognitive, behavioral, and/or socio-ecological approaches to understanding health disparities and well-being.

Sociology and Anthropology

The Department of Sociology & Anthropology welcomes applications from scholars who focus on the wellness of underserved communities. We are seeking scholars from across the discipline who can leverage research traditions in Sociology to support individual, family, and community wellness.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties include research, teaching, and service. A commitment to excellence in teaching and an active research program are essential, along with the integration of research, teaching, and outreach. We are accepting applications from candidates whose tenurable home can be in any of the above listed departments and whose scholarly expertise addresses the cohort theme of “promoting wellness in underserved communities.” Instructional responsibilities will include teaching lower division, upper division, and in some cases, graduate courses within the scholar’s area of expertise, as well as advising and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, including those who have been historically underserved by higher education. Service includes department, college, and university committee work and participation in professional organizations. See individual departments for specific requirements.

Required Qualifications - Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

1. Terminal degree in a discipline appropriate to the home department by start of appointment.
2. Potential for excellence in teaching.
3. Potential for excellence in research and a publication record commensurate with career level.
4. Demonstrated evidence of research and teaching potential that meets the cohort theme of promoting wellness in underserved communities.
5. Evidence of potential for undergraduate and graduate mentorship and support of underserved communities.
6. Demonstrated potential for meaningful contributions to the diversity and excellence of MSU’s community through research, teaching, service or lived experience.

Preferred Qualifications - Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

1. Experience working with, teaching, or mentoring diverse groups or students from diverse backgrounds.
2. Previous teaching experience at the university level with a high level of effectiveness.
3. Potential to engage in collaboration with other cohort members and interest in interdisciplinary work.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Will have an appreciation of diverse constituencies and add to the College’s commitment to supporting students from diverse backgrounds.
• Will contribute to fostering diversity of the campus, curriculum, and discipline.
• Will contribute to the CLS mission of providing outstanding teaching, research, and service.
• Will have strong oral and written communication skills, and effective interpersonal skills.
• Will have the ability to collaborate productively with students, staff, and faculty at MSU.

Number of Vacancies
5

Desired Start Date
August 17, 2023

Applications Will Be:
Applications received by November 17, 2022 will receive full consideration. However, applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Special Instructions

1. A cover letter detailing how the candidate’s scholarly work and lived experiences meet the required and preferred qualifications.
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Research Statement that describes the candidate’s research in the discipline, with specific attention to how the candidate’s research addresses the cohort theme of “promoting wellness in underserved communities”.
4. Teaching Statement that describes the candidate’s approach to teaching in the discipline, with specific attention to strategies for mentoring and supporting students from underserved communities.
5. Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which addresses teaching, professional activities, university service, and outreach that describe the candidate’s past, present, and planned contributions to DEI.
6. Three references (name, phone number, and email), at least one of whom can address the candidate’s teaching.

Diversity Statement
Montana State University values diverse perspectives and is committed to continually supporting, promoting and building an inclusive and culturally diverse campus environment. MSU recognizes the importance of work-life integration and strives to be responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

Montana State University is committed to providing a working and learning environment free from discrimination. As such, the University does not discriminate in the admission, access to or conduct of its educational programs and activities nor in its employment policies and practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, gender, age, political beliefs, marital or family status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation or preference. In support of the University’s mission to be inclusive and diverse, applications from qualified minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged.

Montana State University makes accommodation for any known disability that may interfere with an applicant’s ability to compete in the hiring process or an employee’s ability to perform the duties of the job. To request an accommodation, contact the Human Resources Office, PO Box 172520, Montana State University, Bozeman MT 59717-2520; 406-994-3651; recruitment@montana.edu.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.

MSU’s Non-Discrimination Policy and Discrimination Grievance Procedures can be located on the MSU Website: https://www.montana.edu/hr/recruitment-guidelines/affirmative_action_plan.html.