Instructional Assistant Professor/ Director of Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center

Position description

The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston invites applications for an Instructional Assistant Professor who will serve as Director of the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership. Director responsibilities include: inviting and hosting speakers on campus; running the EDR Center Article Prize competition, scholarship programs, and conference funding program; organizing and coaching an Ethics Bowl team; selecting visiting professors for residencies at the EDR Center; and overseeing other Center activities. Teaching responsibilities include five courses per year in ethics, philosophy, and public policy as well as a community-oriented public policy lab.

The Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leaders was founded in 2020 to promote ethics and leadership education and research at the University of Houston. Located in the Hobby School of Public Affairs, and boasting a substantial endowment, the Center hosts lectures and conferences by prominent public figures, philosophers, and others with a special focus on public policy issues. The Hobby School of Public Affairs, which was founded in 2016, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in public policy with a rigorous methods training and required courses on ethics and public policy.

The salary for this position is competitive with assistant and associate professor salaries in political theory, philosophy, and other social science and humanities disciplines. It is expected that the Director will continue to earn recognition for the Center, Hobby School, and University of Houston through their leadership of the Center.

Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter highlighting the candidate’s strengths and interest in the position, (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a statement of research interest, (4) a statement of teaching interest and/or evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g., syllabi, student evaluations), (5) a statement highlighting the candidate’s interest in and experience with organizing extracurricular lectures and other events; and (6) names and contact information of three references.

Detailed list of responsibilities:

• Oversee the EDR Center Budget and work with Hobby School Business Office to ensure proper budgeting practices.
• Hold meetings twice per year with the EDR Center Oversight Committee.
• Organize the annual Elizabeth D. Rockwell Distinguished Lecture on Ethics and Leadership.
• Organize the search for and help to hire the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center Visiting Professor.
• Organize additional lectures and events on ethics and leadership.
• Organize the annual Richard Gelwick Lecture.
• Work with Hobby School Communications Team to advertise EDR Center lectures and events and send out announcements about programs.
• Run other EDR Center programs: EDR Center Prize Competition, student scholarship programs, conference funding program, faculty fellows program, and lecture funding program.
• Coach the UH Ethics Bowl team and lead them to the regional competition.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D in Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, or related fields.

Preferred Qualifications

• Some teaching experience at the college level. Ability to teach Introduction to Public Policy, Introduction to Public Administration, and Philosophy & Public Policy courses.

Additional desired qualities:

• An interest in writing op-ed pieces, reaching out to the greater Houston community, and acting as a public intellectual.
• A vision for increasing the standing of the Center and UH as an active hub of ethics and leadership research, teaching, and activities.

Application instructions

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