Assistant Professor of the Practice - Applied Behavioral Science

The University of Kansas seeks an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science to begin January 1, 2024. This position is a full-time, non-tenure-track, limited term, three-year appointment. We are seeking outstanding applicants for an Assistant Professor of the Practice with expertise in the early childhood education, autism services, and behavior analytic practice. The position will be responsible for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and undergraduate practicum courses to prepare students to work in the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center. Duties also involve attending staff and clinical meetings of the Center.

The University of Kansas is the state’s flagship university, an R-1 institution and one of just 66 invited members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). Our university consistently earns high rankings for academics and recognition as a premier research university (engaging in $275 million of externally funded research annually).

KU has 21 programs ranked in the U.S. News & World Report top 25 among public universities, including #1 rankings for graduate programs in public administration and special education. KU has 65 ranked graduate programs and is ranked 24th in best value among public institutions in 2022. KU offers 5,000 courses, 400 degree and certificate programs, and more than 200 fields of study. The University values global engagement with more than 150 programs of international study and cooperative research and offers more than 130 study abroad programs. Student enrollment for the Lawrence-Edwards was 23,958 representing all 50 states and 112 countries.

At KU we make it our mission to educate leaders, build healthy communities, and make discoveries that change the world. We aspire to be an exceptional learning community that lifts each other and advances society. KU’s strategic plan Jayhawks Rising is focused on objectives to accomplish this vision through three mission-based priorities of student success, healthy and vibrant communities, research, and discovery. At the University of Kansas, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are an important part of our culture and university strategic plan. In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, the university actively encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in higher education. Noting the value that differences bring to our organization, students, staff, faculty, and community. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

KU’s research residential campus is in the center of a vibrant and culturally-rich community — a quintessential college town. Visitors, students and new employees from outside the area enjoy discovering the many wonders of Lawrence, including a thriving downtown, diverse local and regional events, area lakes, vibrant arts and music scenes, and an indelible history. Home to nearly 95,000 people, Lawrence is located 45 minutes west of Kansas City and 30 minutes east of Topeka, the state capital. Along with the music, arts, culture and sports experiences offered at KU and in Lawrence, the short drive to Kansas City provides quick access to historic jazz clubs, museums, world-class music and theatre venues, and professional sports teams.

The College emphasizes interdisciplinary, experiential learning and global awareness, houses a vibrant university wide Honors Program that highlights undergraduate research and service activities, and has created strong affiliations with outstanding cross-disciplinary research centers. Faculty and academic staff have emphasized the importance of continuing and expanding on relationships with centers and entities including the Biodiversity Institute, Kansas Biological Survey, Kansas Geological Survey, the Hall Center for the Humanities, the Life Span Institute, the Institute for Policy and Social Research, the Spencer Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum. These relationships have brought a broad range of disciplines together to pursue and conduct sponsored research and education at the international, national, state, regional and local levels, and have created employment structures in which faculty and academic staff share appointments to emphasize collaboration. College faculty and research staff are welcomed as members in all KU’s designated research centers and institutes. The College is home to internationally recognized scholars and scientists who brought in $44M in research funding in FY 2021, nearly 30% of the total funded research at KU Lawrence.

The Department of Applied Behavioral Science is one of the top 10 behavior analytic graduate programs based on research rankings (see Dixon et al., 2015) and second-most research-productive in applied behavior analysis (see Wilder et al., 2015).

Job Duties:
Teaching (90%):

• Teach one undergraduate lecture course in Early Childhood Education in the fall and spring semesters.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate practicum courses in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. These courses involve training and supervising Graduate Teaching Assistants and undergraduate students who complete their practicum work or teaching responsibilities in the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center.
• Responsibilities vary across programs and an exhaustive list of responsibilities is not specified herein. These include but are not limited to:
  • creating and editing trainings, manuals, and student schedules
  • training teachers in their respective classrooms/shifts
  • supervising case managers in all aspects of their position and preparing them for these responsibilities after graduation, which may include:
    • providing oversight of clinical services (e.g., reviewing data, feedback on intervention protocols)
    • assuming case management duties within the broader scope of training case managers (e.g., attend IEP and IFSP meetings, family meetings, team meetings)
    • providing oversight on competency assessments
    • assisting with client intake
  • providing supervision consistent with the fieldwork experience requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, which may include supervising students in overseeing clinical cases in the Center.
• Prepare for and attend all class meetings. Provide timely feedback and instructor/student interaction.
• Administer assignments, tests, evaluate student work, provide timely feedback to students, and assign grades.
• Hold regular office hours for students involved in classes taught.
• Other duties as relevant for the teaching and practice needs of the Child Development Center.
• Adhere to departmental, college and university policies.

Service (10%):

• Participate in departmental service (e.g., attend faculty meeting, graduate studies committee).

Faculty Code:
Faculty members are expected to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, currently viewable at: http://policy.ku.edu/FacultyCodeKULawrence/faculty-code-of-rights.

For more information and to apply online, go to https://employment.ku.edu/academic/26249BR. A complete online application includes the following materials: (1) cover letter; (2) curriculum vitae detailing specific subject areas the applicant is qualified to teach and/or develop; (3) summary of clinical experience; (4) teaching philosophy statement; and (5) the names, email, and contact information for three professional references.

In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application:

• Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Applicants are also encouraged to include or expand upon how they have contributed to building a culture of belonging through DEI initiatives within the required application materials provided.

Application review will begin October 16, 2023 and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

Dr. Pam Neidert
Search Committee Chairperson
Applied Behavioral Science Department
pneidert@ku.edu

Monday October 16, 2023

Monday January 1, 2024