Assistant/Associate Professor of Special Education

Position Title Assistant/Associate Professor of Special Education

Tenure Status Tenure Track

Provide Rank Assistant or Associate Professor

Position Number 019761

VISA Sponsorship? VISA sponsorship is available for this position. All candidates must be eligible to work and live in the U.S.

Department Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education – 260200

Working Location (City, State) Boone, NC

Minimum Qualifications

The Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education in the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University seeks qualified candidates to fill one tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in Special Education.

We are seeking applicants who have expertise in teaching and an active research agenda focused on special education, including students identified with mild to moderate disabilities, to join our collaborative team. The successful applicant will be appointed to a full-time, nine-month position to begin August 2026 with the possibility of summer teaching.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Earned doctorate in special education or closely related field by August 2026 – Candidates who are ABD will be considered, but the position requires successful completion of all doctoral requirements by the start date
• Minimum of three years of teaching or clinical experience with students with mild to moderate disabilities

Areas of Interest (No Minimum Level Required)

AREAS OF INTEREST RELATIVE TO THIS POSITION (NO MINIMUM LEVEL REQUIRED)

We are looking for candidates who bring experience in at least four of the following areas. Please identify these areas in your letter of interest:

• Evidence of or potential for university teaching
• Evidence of or potential for scholarship related to students with mild to moderate disabilities such as a publication or presentation
• Knowledge of multi-tiered systems of support and evidence-based practices in academic instruction, with knowledge of students with mild to moderate disabilities
• Supervising teacher candidates in clinical or field-based settings
• Teaching and developing online courses
• Candidates with an established record of, or potential for, securing external funding
• Interest in collaborative engagement with university-affiliated lab schools to support innovative teaching and research
• Teaching multilingual students with disabilities
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or BCBA Certification
• Teaching or clinical experience in elementary education or early childhood

License/Certification Required

N/A

Description of the Department or Unit

The Special Education Program within the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University is one of the largest in North Carolina with nine full-time special education faculty who offer BS and MA degrees in special education, an undergraduate minor in special education, and graduate certificates in autism, special education leadership, and emotional/behavioral disorders. The program prepares educators to teach students with a range of disabilities as well as an ability to analyze how social justice intersects with our schools, especially as they are manifested on local, state, and national levels.

Appalachian State University is a member of the sixteen-campus University of North Carolina. Located in Boone, North Carolina, the University enrolls over 20,000 students, primarily in Bachelors and Masters programs. Appalachian has a traditional residential campus and a variety of distance education programs. Additional information about the Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education, the university, and the surrounding area is located at https://clse.appstate.edu.

The campus is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, a region noted for its scenic beauty. We are near the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and national and state parks.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The duties include teaching, research, and service. Specific responsibilities will include:

• Engage in work consistent with Appalachian State University’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses at campus sites and online;
• Actively engage in scholarly work
• Provide service to the program, department, college, university, profession, and community
• Collaborate with colleagues in the program, department, university, and Pre-K-12 schools including teachers and students in our laboratory school settings (Academy at Middle Fork; Lucy Brock Child Development Lab)
• Advise graduate students
• Maintain a visible presence on campus
• Serve on and chair doctoral committees

Type of Position Full Time Position

Appointment Type 1.0

Number Of Months Per Year 9

Physical Demands of Position

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Proposed Date of Hire 08/15/2026

Suggested Salary Range Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience

ABD Consideration: ABD with reduction in rank and salary (see desc. below)

ABD Description

ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate’s salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.

Special Instructions to Applicants

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND TIMELINE:

Applicants should submit:

• A letter of application that includes a description addressing the minimum qualifications, essential duties and responsibilities, and areas of interest relative to the position;
• Current vita;
• Contact information for three references familiar with the candidate’s experience and background.

For additional information and inquiries, contact Christopher Van Loan (828.262.2624/vanloancl@appstate.edu) and Angie Harris (828 262.6048/harrisab7@appstate.edu).

Review of complete applications will begin October 1, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled.

UNC System Code (Section 610(2)) Special Faculty Hires

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.

UNC System Code (Section 610(2)) Special Faculty Hires

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.

Posting Date 06/16/2025

Closing Date

Open Until Filled Yes

Evaluation of Applications Begins 07/01/2025

Search Chair Name Christopher Van Loan; Angie Harris

Search Chair Email vanloancl@appstate.edu ; harrisab7@appstate.edu

Quick Link https://appstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/51286

Posting Number FA00512P

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