ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCY

Eastern Mennonite University, in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, seeks to hire a multidisciplinary cohort of faculty to advance the university’s strategic goals for inclusive excellence, striving to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply. As a vibrant university renowned for its peace and justice emphases, EMU is dedicated to enhancing racial justice and social change, and we provide opportunities for faculty collaboration across disciplines and communities. Candidates must have a strong commitment to high quality teaching and be enthusiastic about mentoring and advising students, particularly those from underrepresented/underserved populations. In addition to teaching excellence, successful candidates will demonstrate a commitment to scholarship and to service, both on and off campus. More details about EMU’s cohort hiring initiative are available at this link.

POSITION: Full-time Assistant or Associate Professor in a tenure-track faculty position for Restorative Justice 

The restorative justice emphasis at EMU focuses on education for 1) building resilient and trauma-aware communities, 2) understanding relational and structural situations of violence and injustice, and 3) taking action that creates the conditions for repair of harms at all levels of social organization. Restorative justice at EMU is influenced by the principles of transformative justice and peacebuilding writ large. These principles lead our theoretical and practical work to be focused on addressing systemic and structural violence.

QUALIFICATIONS:  Preferred candidates will 

• Hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in restorative justice, peacebuilding, conflict transformation/resolution or a related field with expertise and experience in restorative justice. ABDs with teaching experience may be considered.

• Bring practical experience in restorative justice, which may include but is not limited to work in schools, communities, or the criminal legal system. The applicant should have familiarity with a wide range of restorative justice applications and demonstrate effective advising and support of students who plan to engage restorative justice work inside institutions as well as those who plan to engage restorative justice to build advocacy movements in non-institutional environments.

• The strongest candidates will demonstrate knowledge of racial justice, trauma healing, and the practice of conflict transformation as crucial factors in restorative justice work. Applicants will demonstrate the ability to teach restorative justice theory and practice at the relational, institutional, systemic and structural levels. 

• A minimum of three years of teaching experience at the university level or teaching/training adults is required. Strongest candidates will have experience or demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students.

• Facility with participatory, engaged pedagogical practices and teaching hybrid, online, and in-person formats is desired. 

• EMU is integrating trauma-informed & resilience-fostering pedagogical practices into its learning environments. Candidates with experience in this area should feature this in their application materials. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: The faculty member will 

• Support the Masters of Restorative Justice (MARJ), Masters in Conflict Transformation (MACT), and Masters in Transformational Leadership (MATL) programs, and select undergraduate courses through teaching restorative justice theory and practice.

• Share advising and supervision for graduate students along with curriculum development and other administrative duties for the content area of restorative and transformational justice in the graduate program.

• Have the opportunity to support the work of the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, whose mission is to be a convening space for restorative justice practitioners and other leaders shaping restorative justice as a social justice movement. Collaborating with the Zehr Institute provides opportunities for the faculty member to contribute to the university community and the global restorative justice movement. Collaborating with the Zehr Institute may involve working together on a specific Restorative Justice initiative, hosting or planning a webinar or series of webinars, contributing written pieces to the ZI blog, building curriculum for training and education, as well as creating new connections within the RJ practitioner network.

POSITION DETAILS: Nine-month contract, 24 semester hours per year. Salary determined by education and experience. EMU uses a tenure with post-tenure review contract system. 

APPOINTMENT DATE: Positions begin mid-August 2022. EMU reserves the right to fill the position at any time or keep the position open. 

INQUIRIES: Application review begins November 1, 2021 and is ongoing. Select applicants will be asked to respond to questions relevant to EMU’s faith-based mission. The cover letter should include information on how the candidate’s experience will contribute to the university’s mission, especially its strategic goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Application materials, including cover letter, curriculum vitae, transcripts (unofficial acceptable) and contact information for three professional references should be submitted here. Informal inquiries may be directed to the Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professions David Brubaker at dean-ssp@emu.edu. Follow the apply now instructions at the top of this page.

Eastern Mennonite University (http://www.emu.edu) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to enhancing diversity across the institution. EMU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, Henational or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. EMU conducts criminal background investigations as part of the hiring process.

EMU seeks faculty who show promise of or have demonstrated 

• teaching excellence in a Christian liberal arts environment,

• a commitment to ongoing scholarship, and

• familiarity with and respect for Anabaptist/Mennonite Christian faith practices.

EMU pursues creativity, innovation, and excellence in all educational programs and invites students to follow Christ’s call to witness faithfully, serve compassionately, and walk boldly in the way of nonviolence and peace.