Visiting Faculty Positions Available
Dr. Paul Overvoorde (Macalester College) served as visiting faculty director of Tanzania: Ecology & Human Origins in fall 2015.
New Opportunities for Faculty
ACM Field Museum Semester: Research in Natural History - Fall 2021
- Program: ACM Field Museum Semester
- Position available: Visiting Faculty Director
- Appointment for: Fall 2021 semester
- Location: Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Chicago, Illinois
- Open to: ACM faculty in any science discipline and anthropology relevant to natural history
- Application deadline: April 15, 2020
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) seeks a Visiting Faculty Director for its Fall 2021 Field Museum Semester.
The Visiting Faculty Director leads a group of up to 12 students in an intensive research experience at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. ACM faculty from any science discipline and anthropology relevant to natural history research are eligible to apply.
Field Museum Semester
A new partnership between ACM and the FMNH, the Field Museum Semester is an intensive research and class-based experience for upper-level students interested in natural history research with a background in evolutionary biology, anthropology, geology, and/or a related discipline at ACM institutions. The program provides the opportunity for students to explore scientific research and the FMNH collections through a substantive internship, a semester-long course taught by the visiting faculty director, and a seminar led by FMNH professional staff. The inaugural program will operate for the fall 2021 semester.
The internship component will pair students with ongoing research projects, the expertise of FMNH’s professional staff, and the extensive scientific collections held by the museum. The internship component will be 25-30 hours per week. (8 credits)
The ACM faculty-taught course is intended to be on a broad topic of interest to participating students. Topics should foster ACM’s and FMNH’s mutual commitment to advancing knowledge and understanding of scientific topics and the value of a liberal arts education. Since the program involves teaching, the Visiting Faculty Director should draw on expertise in their own discipline, FMNH’s collections, as well as on their ability to exchange insights with students and specialists in other disciplines. (4 credits)
The FMNH-led seminar will be taught by professional staff from the museum and cover topics related to scientific communication, career development, and career preparation. (4 credits)
Responsibilities of the Visiting Faculty Director
The Visiting Faculty Director is responsible for the overall success and academic quality of the semester and for the safety and well-being of the students during the program. The Visiting Faculty Director reports to the ACM Chief of Staff and works closely with ACM consortial staff and Field Museum staff.
Before the program
- Participate in Faculty Advisory Committee meetings
- Assist ACM staff with recruiting efforts
- Participate in review of student applications
- Assist with pre-semester communications to applicants and accepted students
- Participate in faculty training and orientation
During the program
- Teach an advanced, semester-long course to undergraduate students at the Museum
- Advise students on site
- Primary oversight of student health and safety
- Assist with program orientation and, if applicable, symposium
- Offer extracurricular/field trip experiences for students
- Serve as liaison to FMNH staff
- Conduct research at the Museum
- Participate in Faculty Advisory Committee meetings
After the program
- Provide report of the program to Chief of Staff
- Participate in program review, as needed
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) is home to more than 150 scientists and researchers and nearly 40 million artifacts and specimens. The collection grew out of items on display in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and the Field Museum opened in 1894. According to its mission statement, “The Field Museum fuels a journey of discovery across time to enable solutions for a brighter future rich in nature and culture.” The FMNH community works to research objects in the Museum’s collections, document previously unknown species, conserve ecosystems, craft exhibitions, educate budding scientists, invite cross-cultural conversation, and more. The Visiting Faculty Director is strongly encouraged to participate in the FMNH community and has the opportunity to establish valuable, long-term relationships. https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about
Compensation
The Visiting Faculty Director receives one-half of their annual base salary for leading the semester. ACM also provides a housing allowance for the Visiting Faculty Director for the duration of the program, as well as an allowance for round-trip travel from their home campus to Chicago and for the shipping of instructional materials. The Visiting Faculty Director is expected to be in residence by mid-August to work with ACM consortial staff and FMNH staff on scheduling and planning. The Visiting Faculty Director can arrange to be in residence in Chicago earlier than required, at their own expense, in order to conduct their own research.
Proposal preparation and advance visits to Chicago
The Visiting Faculty Director for the Field Museum Semester is chosen through a competitive process on the basis of a written proposal. Applicants preparing proposals should closely examine the FMNH through its website or an in-person visit. Modest travel grants providing two nights housing in Chicago may be available for faculty preparing a proposal. For more information on travel grants, please contact Michael Vertovec, Senior Program Administrator.
Applications must include the following:
- A detailed description of the proposed course topic and its links to the unique resources of the Field Museum of Natural History, including anticipated learning goals and plans for possible assignments. The proposed course topic should provide sufficient focus to encourage productive collaboration but should also cut across different disciplines to accommodate a wide variety of student interest. Topics that have the potential for engaging students broadly with the FMNH’s impressive facilities are most desirable. The Visiting Faculty Director will be required to provide a provisional syllabus upon acceptance.
- Further description, based on past teaching experiences, of how the Visiting Faculty Director plans to engage a group of students with broad educational backgrounds.
- A proposed research agenda/project for the duration of the Fall Program.
- A curriculum vitae.
- A letter from the chief academic officer endorsing the application, sent separately, to acm@acm.edu.
The letter of application and supporting materials should be sent, in electronic form, to acm@acm.edu.
The application deadline is April 15, 2020. A selection will be made by June.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACM does not discriminate in the operation of its educational programs, activities, or employment with regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
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Oak Ridge Science Semester (ORSS) - Fall 2021
The next opportunity to serve as Visiting Faculty Director for the Oak Ridge Science Semester, will be Fall 2021. This intensive research experience offers 10-15 students each fall the opporunity to study at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
- Program: ACM Oak Ridge Science Semester
- Position available: Visiting Faculty Director
- Appointment for: Fall 2021 semester
- Location: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Application deadline: March 1, 2020
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) seeks a Visiting Faculty Director for its Fall 2021 Oak Ridge Science Semester program.
The Visiting Faculty Director leads a group of 10-15 students in an intensive research experience at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. ACM or Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) faculty from any STEM discipline are eligible to apply.
Oak Ridge Science Semester
The Oak Ridge Science Semester (ORSS) is an intensive research experience for upper-level science students at ACM and GLCA institutions. The program provides the opportunity for students to continue to progress toward their degree while participating in cutting-edge scientific research. Previously managed by Denison University, ACM is operating ORSS from Fall 2020.
The central activity of ORSS is a 16-week student internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Students work 40 hours per week conducting research, are trained in advanced laboratory techniques, and are matched with a research mentor in an area of mutual interest. Students also enroll in a seminar series administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), which includes topics on scientific communication, career development, and graduate school preparation. Additionally, many students enroll in a course taught by the Visiting Faculty Director and have the option to enroll in courses at a local community college campus.
Since the program involves teaching, the Visiting Faculty Director should draw on expertise in their own discipline as well as on their ability to exchange insights with students and specialists in other disciplines. During the opening weeks of the program, ORNL staff also introduce students to the lab’s facilities, research methods, and safe lab practices. As students become oriented, they become increasingly independent in their research, with the support and guidance of their research mentor and the Visiting Faculty Director. By the end of the semester, students produce a substantial research project, which they present to their program cohort and the ORNL community at the end-of-program symposium.
Responsibilities of the Visiting Faculty Director
The Visiting Faculty Director is responsible for the overall success and academic quality of the semester and for the safety and well-being of the students during the program. The Visiting Faculty Director reports to the ORSS Program Director, Paul Stanley, who serves a three-year term remotely, with occasional visits to the lab. The Visiting Faculty Director also works closely with ACM consortial staff and ORNL staff.
Before the program
- Participate in 2020 Faculty Advisory Committee meeting
- Assist Program Director and ACM staff with recruiting efforts
- Participate in review of student applications
- Assist with pre-semester communications to applicants and accepted students
- Participate in faculty training and orientation
During the program
- Teach advanced course to program participants at Pellissippi State Community College facilities
- Advise students on site
- Primary administration of student health and safety
- Assist with program orientation and symposium
- Offer extracurricular/field trip experiences for students
- Serve as liaison to ORAU staff
- Participate in at least one week of ORAU-led seminar
- Participate in 2021 Faculty Advisory Committee meeting
- Conduct independent research at ORNL (approximately 2/3 of time)
After the program
- Participate in 2022 Faculty Advisory Committee meeting
- Participate in program review, as needed
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Managed by UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory. ORNL groups together teams of experts to conduct research and deliver transformative solutions to compelling problems in energy and security. The lab has around 4,750 employees, hosts over 3,000 users and visiting scientists per year, and has a budget of $1.4 billion. The Visiting Faculty Director is strongly encouraged to participate in the ORNL community and has the opportunity to establish valuable, long-term relationships with scientists and engineers in more than 100 disciplines.
Compensation
The Visiting Faculty Director receives one-half of their annual base salary for leading the semester. ACM also provides a housing allowance for the Visiting Faculty Director for the duration of the program, as well as an allowance for round-trip travel from their home campus to Oak Ridge and for the shipping of instructional materials. The Visiting Faculty Director is expected to be in residence by mid-August to work with ORNL staff and ACM consortial staff on scheduling and planning. The Visiting Faculty Director can arrange to be in residence in Oak Ridge earlier than required, at their own expense, in order to conduct their own research.
Proposal preparation and advance visits to Oak Ridge
The Visiting Faculty Director for the Oak Ridge Science Semester is chosen through a competitive process on the basis of a written proposal. Applicants preparing proposals should closely examine the ORNL through its website or an in-person visit. Modest travel grants providing two nights housing in Oak Ridge may be available for faculty preparing a proposal. Past syllabi are available upon request, and will be posted on the ACM website in the future.
Applications must include the following:
- A detailed description of the proposed course topic and its links to the unique resources of the Oak Ridge National Lab, including anticipated learning goals and plans for possible assignments. The proposed course topic should provide sufficient focus to encourage productive collaboration but should also cut across different STEM disciplines to encourage a variety of research projects. Topics that have the potential for engaging students broadly with the ORNL’s impressive facilities are most desirable. The Visiting Faculty Director will be required to provide a provisional syllabus upon acceptance.
- A detailed description of how the Visiting Faculty Director will guide and support the individual research of the students, including assignments that will sustain students as they embark upon a major, intensive research project. The scaffolding of the research project normally begins in the early weeks of the program, with the majority of the program focused substantially on independent research.
- Further description, based on past teaching experiences, of how the Visiting Faculty Director plans to meet the specific learning goals of the program.
- A curriculum vitae.
- A letter from the chief academic officer endorsing the application, sent separately, to acm@acm.edu.
The letter of application and supporting materials should be sent, in electronic form, to acm@acm.edu.
The application deadline is March 1, 2020. A selection will be made by late mid-April.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACM does not discriminate in the operation of its educational programs, activities, or employment with regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
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Newberry Seminar: Research in the Humanities - Fall 2021
- Application deadline: March 1, 2020
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) seeks Faculty Co-Directors for its Fall 2021 Newberry Seminar: Research in the Humanities program.
The ACM offers faculty members an opportunity to teach in residency at one of the world’s great independent research centers, the Newberry Library in Chicago. The two instructors for the ACM Newberry Seminar in the Humanities lead a group of 15-20 students in a humanities seminar and oversee their work in substantive independent research projects. ACM or Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) faculty from any humanities discipline are eligible to apply; co-instructors need not be from the same institution.
The seminar
Drawing upon the unique resources of the Newberry Library in Chicago, the program seeks to give students the ability to conduct substantive research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Students develop their individual work in the context of a broad interdisciplinary seminar that helps to develop their skills as members of a research community and investigators of the Newberry’s collections. The seminar begins with common readings and class sessions focused on a theme that links to both the Newberry’s collections and the city of Chicago. The seminar topic is broad enough to connect students who represent a range of interests to the Newberry’s collections and the pleasures of humanities research. After six weeks of common seminar readings and discussions, students devote their attention to independent research in the Newberry collections.
The learning goals for students in the program are:
- Understand the research process of formulating interesting and researchable questions; successfully locating, understanding, critically evaluating, and synthesizing materials from the rich Newberry collections; and effectively creating a substantial, well-written and documented research paper.
- Develop skills as members of a research community, capable of discussing complex texts in an open-ended seminar setting; sharing the results of research and writing with peers; and offering and receiving suggestions for revisions.
- Develop an understanding of how a major research library operates through job placements and by participating in the community of scholars at the Newberry.
At the end of the program, students should have an appreciation for the value of research and critical use of primary sources and how a community of scholars maximizes the ability of a single scholar to produce high quality work in the humanities and social sciences. Students can expect to have the ability to formulate a proposal, to find and sift information, and to conduct research at a high level, leading to a substantive senior thesis project or graduate-level work. Students should be confident in their abilities to work with archival material, to synthesize a variety of sources, and to write effectively.
Applicants for the co-directors' positions should see the Newberry Seminar webpage for more information about the goals of the program. Since the seminar involves team-teaching, faculty co-directors should draw on expertise in their own discipline as well as on their ability to exchange insights with students and specialists in other disciplines. During the opening weeks of the seminar, library staff also introduce students to the Newberry’s collections and to research methods. As students become oriented, they devote increasing time to pursuing independent research arising out of the seminar theme, with the support and guidance of the faculty. By the end of the semester, students produce a substantial research paper, which they present to the seminar group and to the Newberry community.
The faculty co-directors
Two faculty co-directors team-teach the seminar. Applicants must apply as a team, but individual inquiries are also welcome; the ACM Chief of Staff will work to suggest pairings between applicants. The goal is a team with complementary interests who support student research in a variety of areas, and with cooperative and interdisciplinary teaching styles. Students come from a wide variety of disciplines; most are in literary or historical fields. Although faculty co-directors are drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines, it is often useful to have one co-director with an American specialization since the library has rich resources in that area and many students wish to research American topics. Faculty co-directors report to the ACM Chief of Staff and work closely with the Newberry Library Office of Research and Education. Faculty co-directors are responsible for the overall success and academic quality of the seminar and for the safety and well-being of students.
The Newberry Library
One of the country’s foremost research centers in the humanities, the Newberry Library in Chicago offers humanities researchers impressive resources. The Newberry collections focus on the history and literature of Europe and the Americas from the medieval period to the early 20th century. Specific strengths of the European collections include the Renaissance, the French Revolutionary era, Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian history, and British literature and history. Strong collections for Americanists cover the American West, European exploration and settlement of the New World, local history and genealogy, Native American history and literature, and the literature and history of the Midwest. The Newberry also has world-renowned collections in the history of cartography, the history and theory of music, the history of printing, and early philology and linguistics.
The Newberry is not just a library; it is also a thriving community of scholars who have the opportunity to reflect on one another’s work through weekly colloquia and informal conversations. The faculty co-directors are strongly encouraged to participate in the Newberry community and have the opportunity to establish valuable, long-term relationships with researchers in a variety of disciplines.
Compensation
The faculty co-directors each receive one-half of their annual base salaries for leading the program. The program also provides a housing allowance for the faculty co-directors for the duration of the program. Faculty co-directors receive an allowance for round-trip travel from their home campus to Chicago and for the shipping of teaching materials. Faculty co-directors are expected to be in residence by mid-August to work with Newberry Library staff members and ACM consortial staff members on scheduling and planning. Faculty co-directors can arrange to be in residence in Chicago earlier than required, at their own expense, in order to do their own research.
Proposal preparation and advance visits to Chicago
Faculty co-directors for the Newberry Seminar are chosen through a competitive process on the basis of written proposals. Applicants preparing proposals should closely examine the Newberry's collection through its web site or visit the library. Small travel grants providing two nights housing in Chicago may be available for faculty preparing a proposal. Applicants should also see the ACM website for past seminar course syllabi. Questions may be addressed to Michael Vertovec, ACM Senior Program Administrator.
Applications must include the following:
- A detailed description of the proposed seminar topic and its links to the unique resources of the Newberry Library as well as the city of Chicago. The proposed seminar topic should provide sufficient focus to encourage productive dialogue but should also cut across different disciplines, time periods, and national boundaries to encourage a variety of research projects. Topics that have the potential for engaging students broadly with the rich Newberry collections are most desirable.
- A draft syllabus for the seminar. The syllabus should include plans for common readings and writing assignments for the seminar, which normally is taught during the first six to seven weeks of the program. While the syllabus, of course, will be provisional, awareness of how to engage students and to meet the goals of the seminar are important to the proposal.
- Detailed description of how the directors will guide and support the individual research of the students, including ideas for collaborative editing and critique, small group writing support, and other assignments that will sustain students as they embark upon a major, intensive research project. The scaffolding of the research project normally begins in the early weeks of the program, with the second half of the program focused wholly on research and writing.
- Further description, based on past teaching experiences, of how the faculty fellows plan to meet the specific learning goals of the program.
- A curriculum vitae for each faculty member.
The letter of application and supporting materials should be sent, in electronic form, to acm@acm.edu.
- A letter from the chief academic officer endorsing the application, sent separately to acm@acm.edu.
The application deadline is March 1, 2020. Selection will be made by mid-April in consultation with partners from the Newberry Library and former faculty fellows.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACM does not discriminate in the operation of its educational programs, activities, or employment with regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
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Newberry Library-ACM Fellowship
Four-week short-term residency at Newberry Library
Three Newberry Library-Associated Colleges of the Midwest Fellowships are available to tenured or tenure-track faculty from ACM-member institutions who demonstrate a specific need for the Newberry’s collection. This fellowship is open to all fields of study. The application deadline is December 15, 2020.
Japan Study
Full academic year at Waseda University in Tokyo
The Japan Study Resident Director spends an academic year at Waseda University in Tokyo with 30-40 students. This position is open to Japan specialists and non-specialists, and Resident Directors in past years have included tenured and tenure-track faculty from all ranks. The application deadline is April 30 for the academic year beginning 16 months later. Information and application.
Other opportunities at ACM
See the Employment Opportunities webpage for other positions available with the ACM.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) does not discriminate in the operation of its educational programs, activities, or employment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
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