Job Summary

The Department of Liberal Studies in the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is seeking applications to fill a full-time, academic year, tenure-track position in Visual and Performing Arts Education, with appointment beginning September 11, 2025. The department seeks a dynamic critical pedagogue, community-engaged researcher, and collaborative colleague with a background in justice-centered education and expertise in Latinx/e and Black populations.

Appointment at the Assistant Professor rank is anticipated; higher ranks will be considered. Rank and salary are commensurate with qualifications and experience of the individual selected.

• If appointed at the Assistant Professor rank, the anticipated hiring range is $97,788 - $107,628.
• If appointed at the Associate Professor rank, the anticipated hiring range is $112,500 - $118,524.

The teaching assignment will include foundational and upper division courses for future teachers.  We seek applicants with expertise in the visual and/or performing arts in K-12 education who have a demonstrated evidence of expertise in justice-oriented, student-centered teaching and learning. Ideal candidates have demonstrated experience working with underrepresented students in research, teaching, service, advising, mentoring or community engagement. Research and scholarship in the area of visual and performing arts education is necessary to obtain tenure and promotion.

Cal Poly strongly values diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in the classroom, in scholarship, and in service experience. This position is part of a university-wide cluster of searches designed to increase curricular coverage of areas related to DEI, as well as to promote inclusive and equity-minded teaching strategies across the university. Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the university’s goals in these areas. Candidates selected through this DEI cluster hire will be given start-up funds to support their work in DEI and a dedicated mentor will be given upon appointment. Once hired, candidates will collaborate with their dean and others to develop a plan for utilizing these funds for supplemental compensation, assigned time, or professional development activities.  

For more information about Cal Poly’s DEI-Focused Cluster Hires, please visit: https://academic-personnel.calpoly.edu/clusterhire

The other searches are for positions in the following disciplines across campus:

• African American Politics and/or Policy (Political Science)
• African American Psychology (Psychology & Child Development)
• DEI-focused University Archivist (Special Collections and Archives, Library)
• Director of General Engineering (Dept. dependent on specialty)
• Environmental Health in Latinx/e Populations (Kinesiology and Public Health)
• Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development, focus on Latinx/e or Black populations (Natural Resources and Environmental Science)
• Environmental Social Justice, Latinx/e focus (Social Sciences)
• Metadata and Cataloguing Librarian (Collection Strategies and Discovery, Library)
• Spanish Language Journalism (Journalism)

Through these cluster hires the campus expects to expand scholarly expertise and grow the population of faculty who have significant experience working with African American/Black and/or Latinx/e populations. These initiatives are well aligned with the priorities of the Liberal Studies Department and the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics. We are looking for applicants whose teaching, scholarship, and/or service interests are aligned with these efforts.

The Bailey College of Science and Mathematics (BCSM) at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive university community that reflects and serves the population of California. Cal Poly seeks to recruit faculty who enthusiastically support the University’s strong commitment to the academic success of all our students, including students of color, students with disabilities, students who are first generation to college, veterans, students with diverse socio-economic backgrounds, and students of diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions. Cal Poly seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to maintain the excellence of the University and to offer our students a rich variety of expertise, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning. The successful candidate will consider teaching strategies that promote student success, especially for students from historically excluded communities. Successful candidates should consider the University’s goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion in their approach to teaching, research, and service.

Cal Poly embraces a teacher-scholar model in which faculty are expected to be excellent teachers, produce scholarship in their field of interest, and provide service to the institution.  The selected candidate will consider using creative lecture and laboratory teaching approaches that include current and emerging technologies to enhance student learning and will participate in scholarly practices such as peer-reviewed research, statistical consulting, conference presentations, and grant development that leads to publication. The selected candidate will pursue a systematic program of research and scholarship, curricular improvement, and participation in service activities such as committee service, student advising, and building industry relationships.

At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees and our community. Bringing people together from different backgrounds, experiences and value systems fosters the innovative and creative thinking that exemplifies Cal Poly's values of free inquiry, cultural and intellectual diversity, mutual respect, civic engagement, and social and environmental responsibility. Cal Poly's commitment to diversity informs our efforts in recruitment, hiring and retention. California Polytechnic State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Required Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching in a K-12 setting.
• Experience working as a K-8 educator, or with children ages 3 and up in visual and/or performing arts-focused out of school time or community settings.
• Fluency in Spanish or other languages.
• Experience working with diverse student populations at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.
• Experience working with linguistically diverse students.
• Experience in working with diverse populations and fostering a collaborative, supportive and inclusive environment. 
• Expertise in an area that complements or broadens the research activities of the department.
• Experience supervising undergraduate student research.
•  

Special Conditions

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Following a conditional offer of employment, a background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate may start work with Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may result in the withdrawal of the offer of employment. Note: Cal Poly cannot deny an applicant a position solely or in part due to a criminal conviction history until it has performed an individualized assessment and linked the relevant conviction history with specific job duties in the position being sought.

Please note: Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that Cal Poly has designated as sensitive. Sensitive positions are those requiring heightened scrutiny of individuals holding the position based on potential for harm to children, concerns for the safety and security of people, animals, or property, or heightened risk of financial loss to Cal Poly or individuals in the university community.

For health and well-being, Cal Poly is a smoke & tobacco-free campus. The university is committed to promoting a healthy environment for all members of our community.

About the Department

The Department of Liberal Studies is Cal Poly’s pre-credential elementary teacher preparation program, which offers a Bachelors of Science degree. The major prepares future teachers for inspired service, advocacy, and leadership. Faculty and students work closely with other programs in the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics, including the School of Education, science and mathematics departments, and with several programs in the College of Liberal Arts.

The Liberal Studies program is dedicated to hiring faculty members who will join a community committed to developing principles of equity, inclusion, diversity, and social justice in our students and to fully prepare our graduates to work effectively in the diverse communities in which they will serve. We value candidates who bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to our community in order to support diverse students through their research, teaching, and service. The successful candidates will join a faculty with a strong commitment to students' success and with diverse research interests. More information about the Department of Liberal Studies can be found at https://liberalstudies.calpoly.edu/.

 About the University

Founded in 1901, Cal Poly is one of only five comprehensive polytechnic universities in the nation, with approximately 22,000 undergraduates, 120 postbaccalaureate, and 900 graduate students. U.S. News and World Report has ranked Cal Poly #1 among public master's universities in the western United States for 28 consecutive years. A primarily undergraduate university, Cal Poly offers academically focused students 66 baccalaureate degrees and 27 master's degrees. Operating on the quarter calendar system, Cal Poly takes pride in its "Learn-by-Doing" approach to teaching and learning, which has characterized Cal Poly since its founding. One of the 23 campuses of the California State University system, Cal Poly has a statewide mandate as a polytechnic university. Cal Poly is one of the largest land-holding universities in the nation and uses all of its land holdings in active support of its educational programs. Cal Poly is located in historic San Luis Obispo, a city of 47,000, 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California's scenic Central Coast. With excellent public education resources, recreational facilities and an expanding dedication to the arts, the area is known for its scenic landscapes and extraordinarily temperate climate.

How to Apply

Interested candidates must submit the following documents:

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. Teaching Statement -  The teaching statement provides an opportunity for candidates to articulate their teaching philosophy, approach, and goals.
4. Sample Lesson Plan
5. Research Plan - The research plan provides an opportunity for candidates to summarize their expertise, outline their proposed research agenda and demonstrate your expertise and potential as a researcher in the field  of exercise physiology.
6. Diversity Statement - The diversity statement is a way for applicants for a tenure-track position, to demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in teaching, scholarship and service. It should display evidence of the ability to promote and support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Please consider using the following questions to prepare the diversity statement.
   1. What pedagogical practices would you use to foster an inclusive learning environment for our student population? Teaching may include curriculum, pedagogy, or climate, and teaching that occurs outside the classroom setting.
   2. In what ways have your experiences shaped your perspectives, behaviors, or actions about or towards others, and what did you learn from these experiences?
   3. What activities, outside of the area of teaching, do you plan to engage in as a faculty member that would address diversity, equity, and inclusion?
7. Unofficial undergraduate transcript(s) as one document. 
8. Unofficial graduate transcript(s) as one document. 

These documents are not accepted in hard copy format. When completing the online faculty application, please be prepared to provide three professional references with names and email addresses. Official transcripts are required prior to appointment.

Review of applications will begin November 22, 2024. Complete applications received after that date may be considered. For questions, please contact Dr. Seth Bush at sbush@calpoly.edu.