Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies

School/Department Name: Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $86,000-$90,000.

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 2025

Application Deadline: December 2, 2024

Position Description

The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (SISS) at San José State University is located on the traditional territory and homelands of the Muwekma Ohlone. The NAIS program invites applications for an assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous. We seek individuals committed to developing and enhancing our Native American and Indigenous Studies program and department. This position is an excellent opportunity for scholars interested in a career at a teaching-centered institution that supports a variety of research, scholarship, and creative activity, in and near expansive urban Indigenous communities and sites of American Indian activism.

We seek scholars with expertise in the following areas, particularly from an NAIS lens: urban Indigenous experience, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Decolonial Studies, California Indian Studies, and History and Policy. It is essential for these scholars to prioritize place-based learning and demonstrate a commitment to decolonizing research methodologies. 

Candidates should demonstrate how their research, teaching, and experience connect with decolonizing methodologies and community-based participatory research. The area of specialization within Native American and Indigenous Studies is open. Still, candidate profiles should reflect the ability to help develop a curriculum around decolonization and connecting local, regional, and transnational issues. Candidates should be able to apply critical, indigenizing, decolonial, and culturally sustaining methods to their instruction. The successful candidate will be interested in developing, managing, and strengthening cross-departmental partnerships and has a history of working with tribes and Indigenous communities and developing community-based projects and partnerships in higher education.

Additional professional responsibilities include research, scholarship and creative activity, and service to the University, profession, and community. These responsibilities generally include advising students, participation in campus and system-wide committees, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions. Successful candidates will establish an on-campus presence at SJSU to fulfill their teaching and service responsibilities.

The Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences department is part of the College of Social Sciences, which is committed to equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. The College sees faculty and student success as inextricably linked and strives to provide culturally-sustaining and academically-affirming approaches to supporting and engaging students and faculty. We provide opportunities for faculty development around asset-based, holistic student success and support scholarship of engagement that addresses issues that affect our campus and community. We strive to build leadership capacity and foster a culture of support and belonging for faculty, staff, and students.

SISS and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives. 

Successful candidates will demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement and information about how these statements will be evaluated can be found in the SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• An earned doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D.) in American Indian, Native American, Indigenous, Ethnic Studies, or other relevant interdisciplinary fields from an accredited institution (or equivalent) is required at the time of application. If ABD, degree requirements must be completed by the date of appointment;
• Record of, or potential for, publishing in scholarly journals, community engagement, and creative activities in American Indian, Indigenous, and Native American Studies;
• Evidence of ability to communicate Native American and Indigenous Studies epistemological frameworks, including settler colonialism, sovereignty, self-determination, autonomy, and decolonization;
• Potential for effective teaching or teaching experience using a variety of methodologies;
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated outstanding teaching experience at the undergraduate level of a diverse student population;
• Demonstrated experience working with tribes and Indigenous communities;
• Evidence of a commitment to Indigenous community-based research;
• Evidence of ability to build interdisciplinary, cross-departmental programs and projects;
• Research background and community practice experience in decolonizing methodologies;
• Record of, or potential for, involving students in research and scholarly activity;
• Ability to develop, implement, and assess programs in ways that advance equitable and inclusive learning communities;
• Commitment to participating in professional development opportunities that build effectiveness in areas of inclusion, intercultural communication, and advancing diversity;
• Demonstrated leadership in promoting equity and diversity in higher education; and
• Demonstrated ability to advise and mentor students from minoritized groups in higher education.

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse students and colleagues;
• An understanding of the dynamics of diversity in higher education and a demonstrated ability to incorporate this understanding, as appropriate, in one’s teaching, scholarship, and service;
• Participation in the development of online learning experiences.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution. 

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure: 

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest (no more than 2 pages)
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement (no more than 2 pages)
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy (no more than 2 pages)
• Sample of scholarly writing, community engagement, or creative activities in American Indian, Indigenous, and Native American Studies
• Five-year research plan
• Three references with contact information

Inquiries may be directed to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Kerri Malloy: kerri.malloy@sjsu.edu.

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification 

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.