Professor of Practice, Education

Professor of Practice, Education

Summary

The Department of Education at John Carroll University invites applications for a full-time Associate Professor of Practice to serve as Chair of the Department beginning Fall 2027. This renewable, non-tenured position offers a unique opportunity to combine leadership and teaching in the department’s educator preparation programs.

We seek an experienced educator with P-12 teaching credentials and a record of leadership to capitalize on the department’s existing strengths while advancing its strategic growth. A background in the primary grades is especially welcome. Expertise may be in curriculum and instruction, literacy and evidence-based reading instruction, special education, or a related area.

The department seeks a dynamic and collaborative chair to help articulate and implement a strategic vision for teacher education. In addition to driving strategic initiatives, the chair will oversee the department’s programs, faculty and staff, school partnerships, and accreditation work, and will teach courses in their area of expertise.

The department offers undergraduate licensure in Primary (P-5), Middle Childhood, Adolescence to Young Adult, and Multi-Age World Languages. Graduate candidates earn initial licensure through the Professional Teacher M.Ed. or the School-Based M.Ed., and a Primary and Intervention Specialist dual-licensure pathway is offered jointly with Xavier University. The department also houses the Mary and Tony McCann Curriculum Innovation Lab. The department’s programs are approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

Appointment and Compensation

• This is a 9-month advanced rank Professor of Practice faculty position, with a stipend to cover the chair’s responsibilities during the summer. The successful candidate will be appointed chair for an initial 3-year term.

Duties and Responsibilities

Department Leadership

• Guide strategic planning initiatives across the department.
• Oversee departmental governance, execute university regulations, and preside over faculty assemblies.
• Function as primary liaison to college leadership, university administration, and external partners.
• Administer operating and endowed budgets, manage physical facilities, and evaluate staff performance.
• Coordinate course schedules, faculty teaching loads, course enrollments, and curricular enhancements with program leaders.
• Recruit and mentor adjunct faculty while fostering grant writing and scholarly growth among colleagues.
• Address student academic matters, including academic petitions and complex student concerns.
• Maintain oversight of accreditation standards, state approvals, and Title II reporting through continuous quality assessment.
• Cultivate community and district partnerships while partnering with admissions and marketing on recruitment outreach.
• Serve as departmental representative within regional and national teacher education associations.

Teaching

• Deliver undergraduate and graduate instruction, specifically supporting the Primary (P-5) teacher preparation curriculum.

Service

• Engage fully in institutional service across department, college, and university levels through committee work and university functions.

Required Qualifications

• Earned doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) in curriculum and instruction, literacy, special education, educational leadership, or a closely related field.
• Current P-12 teaching and/or administrative license or certificate.
• 5 or more years of full-time P-12 classroom teaching/administrative experience.
• Leadership experience in a P-12 or higher education setting, such as department chair, program coordinator or director, instructional coach, curriculum leader, or school or district administrator.
• A record of excellence in teaching at the P-12 and/or college level.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in strategic planning.
• Licensure and teaching experience in the primary grades (P-5 or equivalent).
• Experience teaching in an educator preparation program and supervising clinical experiences.
• Administrative experience with budgets, course scheduling, personnel, or program coordination
• Experience with educator preparation accreditation (such as AAQEP or CAEP), state program approval, or data-informed program improvement.
• Experience building school–university partnerships, and familiarity with Ohio licensure requirements.
• Experience with student recruitment and program growth.

Normal Work Location, Hours and Conditions

This position works in person on the University Heights campus. University core business hours are generally 8:30 am – 5 pm. The chair is expected to keep a regular campus presence, and the position requires some work outside normal business hours, including evening events, visits to partner schools, and limited summer responsibilities.

About John Carroll University

John Carroll University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit Catholic university, founded in 1886, dedicated to developing people with the knowledge and character to lead and to serve. The University is located in University Heights, Ohio, an attractive residential suburb 10 miles east of downtown Cleveland. Academically, the University consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and the Boler College of Business, which include graduate programs. The University offers more than 70 Academic Programs in the arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and business at the undergraduate level, and in select areas at the master’s level.

The University enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1. John Carroll University is one of 27 Jesuit universities in the United States and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s top 10 rankings of Midwest regional universities for more than 30 consecutive years.

Special Instructions to Applicants

A complete application consists of:

1. A cover letter addressing:
   • Your professional background and experience, including your P-12 teaching and leadership experience and your approach to leading an academic department.
   • How your prior professional experiences would enrich the student experience.
   • Your interest in teaching within a liberal-arts setting informed by a Jesuit Catholic mission; and initiatives you have undertaken that enhance student learning and student success (e.g., universal design strategies, mentorship programs open to all students, curriculum enhancements).
2. CV.
3. Teaching statement.
4. A copy of your current or previously held P-12 teaching license(s) or certificate(s).
5. Unofficial transcripts (official transcripts will be required at the time of hire).
6. Contact information for three current references. Candidates are encouraged to include recommenders who can speak directly to their teaching and leadership.

EEO Statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and value all individuals and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.