Assistant Professor of Visual Impairment

Assistant Professor of Visual Impairment

38378BR

EDUC Ed Psych Leadrshp Counseling

Position Description

The Department of Special Education at Texas Tech University invites applications from innovative and thoughtful colleagues to join our faculty at the rank of an Assistant Professor in Visual Impairment.

This full-time, tenure-track position with a nine-month academic-year appointment will start in January or September 2025 .

About the University

Established in 1923, Texas Tech University is a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) Doctoral / Research-Extensive, Hispanic Serving, and state-assisted institution.

Located on a beautiful 1,850-acre campus in Lubbock, a city in West Texas with a growing metropolitan-area population of over 300,000, the university enrolls over 40,000 students with 33,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students.

As the primary research institution in the western two-thirds of the state, Texas Tech University is home to 10 colleges, the Schools of Law and Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate School.

The flagship of the Texas Tech University System, Texas Tech is dedicated to student success by preparing learners to be ethical leaders for a diverse and globally competitive workforce.

It is committed to enhancing the cultural and economic development of the state, nation, and world.

About Lubbock : Referred to as the "Hub City" because it serves as the educational, cultural, economic, and health care hub of the South Plains region, Lubbock boasts a diverse population and a strong connection to community, history, and land.

With a mild climate, highly rated public schools, and a low cost of living, Lubbock is a family-friendly community that is ranked as one of the best places to live in Texas.

Lubbock is home to a celebrated and ever-evolving music scene, a vibrant arts community, and is within driving distance of Dallas, Austin, Santa Fe, and other major metropolitan cities.

Lubbock's Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive overview of the Lubbock community and its resources, programs, events, and histories.

About the College

The Texas Tech University College of Education, with over 2,000 students, offers a nationally recognized undergraduate teacher preparation program and 21 graduate degrees that prepare students for professional or academic positions in education.

The Department of Special Education and the College place a focus on strategic outreach and engaged scholarship. We collaborate with local, regional, state, national, and global partners to address complex problems facing individuals and communities.

In recognition of its extraordinary community outreach efforts, the college received a 2018 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

About the Department / School / Area

The Department of Special Education offers a competitive graduate program that is growing both nationally and internationally.

We are a diverse community of scholars, researchers, and educators with a commitment to excellence in education and serving EC-12 public schools and beyond.

Our Visual Impairment (VI) and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Programs have graduate level certification and master's programs specializing in one of these areas as well as a Ph.

D. program in Special Education where doctoral students can focus their interests and research in visual impairment. The VI program is accredited by Texas Education Agency and the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the O&M program is approved by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and accredited by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP).

There is a current shortage nationwide of these vision professionals, so there is a great need to train more qualified teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists.

We need a highly qualified applicant with knowledge and credentials in visual impairment to meet the needs of our growing program.

The successful applicant will join a faculty team of nationally recognized, community-engaged researchers in a Special Education Department that offers a highly collegial work environment with multiple opportunities for coordinative leadership advancement within the VI program area and the Department.

Major / Essential Functions

In line with TTU's strategic priorities to engage and empower a diverse student body, enable innovative research and creative activities, and transform lives and communities through outreach and engaged scholarship, applicants should have experience working with diverse student populations at the undergraduate and / or graduate levels within individual or across the areas of teaching, research, and service.

Applicants should be committed to collaborating with faculty across the disciplines to engage in rigorous and theoretically grounded research approaches for understanding and improving the educational experiences of students with visual impairments in the United States.

In addition, candidates who have very strong records of scholarship supported by external funding and who have the proven capacity or clear potential to bring externally sponsored research to Texas Tech University are encouraged to apply.

The salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Responsibilities of the successful candidate :

• Teach graduate courses in the visual impairment program as assigned by the program coordinator and the Department.
• Help the Department continue to grow a strong and reputable personnel preparation program at the certification, master's, and doctoral levels.
• Serve as an advisor and mentor for certification, master's, and doctoral students and participate on doctoral committees.
• Collaborate and cooperate with colleagues to fulfill the needs of the programs and the strategic goals of the Programs, Department, and College.
• Establish and maintain a rigorous research agenda with publications.
• Actively recruit students for all levels of the programs.
• Actively participate in service for Department, College, and University committees as well as with stakeholders and professional organizations.
• Actively seek external funding and participate in grant writing with colleagues.
• Develop and foster partnerships with school districts, regional and state agencies, other colleges and universities, and stakeholders for engaged scholarship and collaboration.
• Participate in local, state, national, and international professional organizations.
• Adherence to robust safety practices and compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations is the responsibility of all TTU employees.

Organization

Texas Tech University

Faculty Qualifications

• An earned doctorate in Special Education or a closely related field by December 2024 or August 2025.
• EC-12 teaching experience in visual impairment and visual impairment teacher certification for at least three years.
• Evidence of a potential emerging research agenda in visual impairment.
• Commitment to collaborating with program faculty to meet program needs.
• Ability to contribute to a positive work environment in the Department, College, and University.
• A demonstrated and ongoing commitment to serving diverse student populations.

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the required qualifications, individuals with the following preferred qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply :

• Experience in teaching visual impairment courses at the university level.
• Certification (ACVREP) in orientation and mobility or being open to obtaining certification in orientation and mobility.
• Evidence of a clear research agenda in visual impairment education, including publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Evidence of participation in professional organizations at local, state, national, and international levels.
• Evidence of leadership abilities.
• Evidence of knowledge, skills, and experience in teaching online distance education courses.
• Potential for seeking external grant funding.
• Commitment to developing partnerships with stakeholders for engaged scholarship.
• Experience working with diverse student populations.

Duty Point

TTU Lubbock, main campus and affiliated facilities

Safety Information

Adherence to robust safety practices and compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations are responsibilities of all TTU employees.

Does this position work in a research laboratory?

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please include the following documents in your application :

• Letter of Application
• Current Curriculum Vitae
• Unofficial Graduate Transcripts
• List of three references with complete addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses

Search will close on October 15, 2024.

Questions about this position should be directed to Dr. Rona Pogrund, Search Committee Chair at [email protected] . If you need assistance with the application process, contact Human Resources, Talent Acquisition at hrs.

[email protected] or 806-742-3851 .

Job Type

Full Time

Pay Basis

Monthly

Pay Statement

Compensation is commensurate upon the qualifications of the individual selected and budgetary guidelines of the hiring department, as well as the institutional pay plan.

For additional information, please reference the institutional pay plan by visiting www.depts.ttu.edu / hr / payplan.

Travel Required

None

Grant Funded?

Job Group

Assistant Professor

EEO Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected veteran.

Salary Grade