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Job description

Requisition Number: 46074
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Faculty
Schedule: Full Time

Job Summary

The Masters of the Environment Professional Graduate Program (MENV) at the University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for a Teaching Assistant Professor or Teaching Associate Professor who will lead the capstone program for our residential graduate students. This is a half to full-time, non-tenure track faculty position with an anticipated start date between mid-May and early July 2023.

The capstone is a 9-month project that all MENV students complete (in lieu of a thesis) with an external client. Clients come from public, private, and nonprofit sectors and present students with a current challenge or problem that they are working on in their organization. The role of the capstone program lead is several fold:

1. Manage the entirety of the capstone program, including the program structure, pairing students with clients, key events, etc.
2. Facilitate recruitment of capstone clients and projects that meet our students interests by leveraging and expanding on our existing network of contacts and industry connections. The program lead will ensure that we have a balance of program projects and clients that reflect the diversity of our students’ career goals and provide a range of learning opportunities.
3. Guide the capstone advisers, which include faculty and industry professionals who in turn guide the individual project teams.
4. Provide direct support to students with issues such as team dynamics, project scoping, etc.
5. Develop and co-teach the capstone curriculum. This curriculum currently consists of a series of three, one credit courses that focus on professional development, career preparedness, project management, team dynamics, presentation and storytelling, and navigating client and project issues. The capstone program lead’s role is to review and update this curriculum to reflect the range of student needs and capabilities.

The successful candidate will bring with them a vision for what the capstone program should be, experience in project and team management (ideally in the management of intern or student programs), the ability to bring and/or cultivate networks and external relationships, the ability to teach the educational material or other relevant content at MENV, and an entrepreneurial spirit to contribute broadly to a leading graduate professional program focused on sustainability. Additionally, the successful candidate will have familiarity and experience in topics centered on sustainability, and a desire to align the capstone program with sustainability trends and opportunities.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program in the University of Colorado Boulders Environmental Studies Department, one of the nations largest professional graduate programs in sustainability, is an interdisciplinary professional masters degree that equips students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to address complex sustainability challenges. Through our comprehensive approach to professional education, MENV students receive a graduate degree from one of the worlds top universities in environmental sciences, while simultaneously gaining valuable professional experience with an external client organization. The MENV Program values diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. More information here: Masters of the Environment.

About the capstone: All students complete a 9-month capstone project in lieu of a masters thesis (Feb-Nov annually). The capstone project is accompanied by classroom-based support classes, collectively called Capstone Innovation Lab (CIL) that tracks and supports student professional development and project execution. Each year MENV partners with ~30 organizations as capstone “clients”, providing well over 75,000 consulting hours through our students to industry across numerous sectors, federal, state, and local governments, cities and communities, non-profits, and more. The capstone program pairs small teams of students with partner organizations in a nine-month project to address real-world environmental, sustainability, and business challenges. Projects result in the production of professional-level deliverables and content for client organizations, including management and market development plans (and other planning documents), public awareness and advocacy campaigns, product proposals, proofs of concept, product and program prototypes, and other relevant work products.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

This position includes responsibilities in both the academic year and summer, including: developing and delivering capstone curriculum in the MENV program, coordinating recruitment of capstone projects in partnership with external clients, recruiting and coordinating capstone advisor faculty, reporting the impact of capstone projects to drive external engagement with the program, and align and evolve the capstone program with the balance of the MENV graduate program and ongoing student interests. The bulk of the responsibilities take place in the academic year; summer responsibilities typically include capstone client recruitment, capstone project advising, and curriculum development, among others. The position includes a mix of responsibilities and specific workload will be scoped relative to the % FTE. In addition to the areas of responsibility noted above, the following are additional areas of responsibility:

• Capstone Innovation Lab Lead: Serve as faculty lead for MENVs core Capstone Innovation Lab curriculum. Oversee and develop the curriculum, engage faculty in curricular development, coordinate faculty instruction, coordinate faculty capstone advisors, and advise students.
• Teaching: Teach a portion or all of the in-person Capstone Innovation Lab series. .
• Engage with Industry: Develop and facilitate relationships with external organizations and serve as a resource for the relevant external stakeholders. Work with other faculty to leverage their collective relationships in the relevant content areas. Coordinate capstone client and project recruitment.
• Capstone Advisor: In addition to recruiting Capstone Advisers, the Capstone Lead will also directly advise one or more capstone teams to gain experience and insight into the process and student needs.
• Support Student Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation: Work with the MENV program faculty and staff to support student recruitment, retention, and placement into impactful careers.

All faculty, regardless of % FTE, are expected to contribute “service” to the program, which may include serving on committees, developing and facilitating relationships in the professional field to curate student learning opportunities, and supporting student recruitment, retention, and placement.

What You Should Know

We seek candidates who will support and encourage a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive learning environment. Since MENV is a professional graduate program, we value a variety of accomplishments and qualities in a candidate, including professional experience, industry leadership, publications, and an entrepreneurial spirit befitting a young and vibrant program.

This role will also be expected to contribute toward program efforts to address dimensions of underserved communities, justice and equity, and race, gender, and/or class influence as it relates to sustainability and the environment.

All University of Colorado Boulder employees are required to comply with the campus COVID-19 vaccine requirement.. New employees must provide proof of vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption within 30 days of employment.

What We Can Offer

We can offer a competitive academic year salary in the range of $65,000-$79,000 for the Teaching Assistant Professor position or $80,000-$90,000 for the Teaching Associate Professor position for half to full-time appointment for a 9-month academic appointment mid-August through early May. This position will have an additional part-time summer contract of at least half time and additional compensation paid at the same monthly rate. This position will come with full benefits. This position is for an initial three-year contract appointment and the opportunity for renewals.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be dynamic. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

For the Teaching Assistant Professor rank:

• Terminal Degree in the field with 3-5 years of relevant professional experience OR a non-terminal graduate degree and 5-7 years of relevant professional experience OR >12 years of relevant professional experience in the sustainability field.
• Teaching experience at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level, which may include professional learning, thought leadership writing and presentations, conferences, and workshops.
• Maintains active participation and networks in industry and/or professional groups (e.g., board membership, participation and leadership in professional associations, conference presentations).

For the Teaching Associate Professor rank:

All of the above with:

• Minimum 7 years of demonstrated industry leadership credentials and experience at the senior management level or above with significant financial and management responsibilities.
• OR minimum 7 years of higher education experience at the rank of Assistant Professor or equivalent.
• AND Demonstrated experience with teaching, shown through course/curriculum development, integration of service learning, teaching innovation, or development of effective pedagogical methods.
• AND Strong record of delivering professional development (e.g., delivering workshops, presenting at or organizing conferences).

What You Will Need

• A spirit of collaboration, a passion for learning and the requisite humility that is required when working in an emergent field with creative, professional students.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, self-directedness, an orientation to detail with a startup mindset.
• Passion for mentoring, teaching, and creating professional opportunities for students in a professional context.
• Demonstration of self-awareness, cultural intelligence, and a commitment to fostering equity and inclusion.
• Experience working with students or professionals from a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds.
• Excitement about contributing to a flagship program in sustainability and the environment.

How to apply

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. Current curriculum vitae or resume
2. Cover Letter, which includes a thorough description of teaching and professional experience in leadership. The cover letter should also include a description of how the candidate will support and encourage a learning environment that includes mentorship, classroom, professional, and experiential and project-based learning.
3. A complete application also requires a separate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) statement (1-2 pages) demonstrating the candidates commitment to cultivating learning and/or working environments that are equitable and inclusive of diverse students, faculty, and staff with regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, class, disability, and other marginalized identities.

During the application process, you will need to enter contact information for three references, and we will request letters of recommendation and additional materials if needed, as the search progresses.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.

To apply, visit