Native American/American Indian Studies, Assistant Professor

  • California State Polytechnic University Pomona
  • Pomona, California
  • Mar 07, 2024
Education and Training Public Health

Job Description

Tenure Track Faculty Position Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona invites applications for a tenure track faculty position in the Department of Ethnic and Women‘s Studies. Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Since its founding in 1938, Cal Poly Pomona students participate in an integrative experiential learning education that is inclusive, relevant, and values diverse perspectives and experiences. With a variety of degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional disciplines, the university is well known for its learn- by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model.

The university is noted for its scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, which was once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg. We acknowledge that Cal Poly Pomona resides on the territorial and homelands of the Tongva and Tataavium people who are the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar. The university’s nearly 30,000 students are taught and mentored by the campus’s more than 1,400 faculty as part of 54 baccalaureate and 29 master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership.

Highly regarded among its peer institutions, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 3 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top public regional universities in the west and was named the No. 28 best value college in the nation by Money Magazine. Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, stands as a national leader in promoting social mobility , and was placed among the 25 top institutions in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to minoritized students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education .

The Cal Poly Pomona campus is located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains and deserts. For additional information about the university, please visit www.cpp.edu, and for more about faculty life, please see YourLife@CPP .

Student Population. California residents comprise the majority (96%) of candidates to undergraduate programs at Cal Poly Pomona, and 41% of new students were transfers in Fall 2022. 57% of Cal Poly Pomona students are first generation, 70% receive financial aid, and 44% qualify as Pell-eligible. The university enrolls a diverse student body that identifies as 53% Latinx, 22% Asian, 14% White, 3% Black, 2% International, 4% two or more races, 3% unknown and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Native Pacific Islander and less than 1% Native American Indigenous. Thirty-nine percent of the student body were STEM majors with the top enrolled programs including psychology, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, biology and computer science.

Inclusive Excellence and Student Success. We aspire to be the model inclusive polytechnic university in the nation. We have a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and to educational experiences that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences needed to succeed and thrive in a diverse society.

*As a part of the application for faculty positions, all candidates must submit a Student Success Statement that demonstrates their commitment and record of contributions to diversity and equity through their teaching, scholarship, or service by speaking to at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria below.

Candidates should explain how they have engaged in the criteria below in their pedagogy, scholarship, and/or service, as well as the level to which these efforts have been consistently incorporated into their work.

Inclusive Excellence Criteria:
Incorporates the contributions and struggles of historic ethnic minority groups or other disadvantaged communities into their teaching, scholarly work, and/or service contributions; Adopts teaching strategies that support the learning and success of students from diverse student populations; Mentors and engages diverse student populations in discovery, scholarship, and creative activities; Engages students in problem-based projects and learning that address the needs of diverse communities; Possesses knowledge of challenges and barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline and uses it to inform their work in specific ways; Mentors and assists diverse student populations interested in pursuing graduate education; Engages in community-responsive action research or service with diverse student populations and communities; Has experience in or demonstrates a commitment to adopting experiential learning activities and pedagogy with diverse student populations and communities; and Has expertise in or demonstrated commitment to teaching, scholarship and/or service that contributes to access, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education.
College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences: Cal Poly Pomona's College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) brings to life a vibrant hands-on experience through disciplines in the humanities, performing arts, and social sciences. As the heart and soul of the campus, the College’s mission is to cultivate one’s intellectual development, ethical reasoning, and aesthetic sensibility to support creative and critical thinking in a dynamic world of competing challenges. We are a community diverse in backgrounds, expertise, and thought, committed to improving the human condition and to bettering the world. Our faculty, students, and staff are devoted to creating an inclusive environment where all can thrive through the College's programs, research activities, creative performances, community outreach, and signature experiences. Learn more about the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences and our 12 distinct departments at www.cpp.edu/class .

Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies: The department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies (EWS) dedicates itself to sustaining a home for our students, faculty, and community partners to advocate and advance knowledge about marginalized peoples, and the processes by which they were constituted and transformed over time. To empower learners to critically assess their lived experiences, our department provides learners with tools and language to decode and analyze forms of systemic oppression including, but not limited to, colonization, racism, sexism, and cis-heteropatriarchy. We also use experiential learning to create coalition communities rooted in activism, resistance, and liberation.

The department offers a major, with two options-Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural (GEMS) BA or a BA Pre-credential. In addition to the BA, students can select an emphasis in one of the following areas: African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicana/o Latina/o Studies, Native American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Multicultural Leadership Studies. Students can also minor in these areas of emphasis. For more information on who we are, visit the EWS website at https://www.cpp.edu/class/ethnic-womens-studies/index.shtml .

Position description: We seek candidates for whose research and teaching focus on Native American/American Indian Studies.

Minimum requirements include:
  • An earned doctorate in American Indian/Native American Studies, California Indians, Indigenous Studies, settler colonialism, cultural sovereignty, tribal law, language, land, environmental justice, Queer Indigenous Studies, and/or Native American Feminisms. (Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position);
  • Demonstrated commitment to inclusivity and equity. Evidence should be provided in a Student Success Statement that responds to the prompt above - “Inclusive Excellence and Student Success.” Experience teaching comparative courses and integrating multiple disciplinary cultural and global perspectives;
  • One-to-two years of successfully teaching undergraduates (either full-time or part-time) at a college or university setting and/or postdoctoral teaching experience;
  • Evidence of scholarly engagement and potential as demonstrated through conference presentations, publications and/or grant development; and
  • Commitment and ability to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and/or service and work as well as experience fostering an inclusive environment.


Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
  • Evidence of research, scholarly engagement and/or creative activities with one or more of the following: California Indian Studies, Indigenous Studies, settler colonialism, cultural sovereignty, tribal law, language, land, environmental justice, Queer Indigenous Studies, and/or Native American Feminisms.
  • Demonstrate success in critical/interactive pedagogical practices in Native American/American Indian Studies and Ethnic Studies including service learning;
  • Additional specialties are desired in K-12 education, social movements, performance studies, critical prison studies, labor studies, settler colonialism, immigration, intersectional and global feminisms, and queer/trans of color studies and community-based participatory research and/or communally defined research needs;
  • Experience in mentoring and advising students, working with student groups, cultural centers, and/or community-based organizations.

Conditions of Employment:

The person offered this position is required to pass a background check.

Application Process:

A completed application will consist of
    • A cover letter (3-page maximum) which contains the following:
      • Your interest in the position including how you meet the minimum and preferred requirements;
      • Your teaching philosophy working within a diverse campus community;
      • Your research agenda summary (research accomplishments, current work, and future directions and/or potential of your scholarship.
    • A Student Success Statement (up to 2-pages, single-spaced) that responds to the prompt above - “Inclusive Excellence and Student Success” and addresses at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed (please indicate the criteria numbers in your Statement); and
    • Curriculum vitae.

Finalists for the position will:
    • Be required to provide official transcripts for the highest degree before the on-campus interview;
    • Be required to provide a writing sample (no more than 25 pages);
    • Be required to provide a sample course syllabus;
    • Be required to provide 3 letters of reference, at least one of which must specifically address teaching; and
    • Be interviewed and are expected to make a research presentation to faculty and a teaching demonstration to faculty with students’ interactions.

The position is open until filled. First consideration will be given to completed applications received no later than Monday, November 13, 2023 by 5 p.m. PST.

Please direct inquiries to the co-chairs, Dr. Shayda Kafai (skafai@cpp.edu) and Dr. Jocelyn A. Pacleb (japacleb@cpp.edu)

Applications accepted only via PageUp -online application portal-for University hires.

Salary range for 9-month, Academic Year Appointment: $81,000 - $83,000

Equal Opportunity Employer

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The university seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing. Cal Poly Pomona subscribes to all state and federal regulations and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, and covered veteran status. The university hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. As required by the Clery Disclosure Act, the university prepares a public annual security report.

Advertised: Oct 10 2023 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close:

Closing Date/Time:

Job Address

Pomona, California 91768 United States View Map