Program Director (open rank, NTT/TT faculty)

The College of Health Sciences (CHS) at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) is offering the first Bachelor's of Science in Criminal and Justice Studies (CJS) degree on MU's campus starting in the 2025-2026 school year. MU's CJS program is designed to provide education, training, and experiential opportunities for students interested in working in juvenile or adult court services, parole or probation, law enforcement, child welfare investigations, forensic social work, first responder, and other associated professions, as well as applicants interested in pursuing an advanced degree program in law or related area of study.

The CJS program faculty are seeking applicants to fill the role of inaugural director for this new and exciting degree program at Missouri's flagship institution. The position is open to all ranks (Assistant, Associate, Full) as nontenure track (NTT) or tenure track (TT) faculty. Faculty position offered will be commensurate with candidate's credentials and experience.

The minimum qualifications for this position are a graduate degree (master's or doctoral) in Social Work, Criminology, Sociology, Psychology, or related field and related experience within one of the many branches of the juvenile or criminal justice systems (e.g., law enforcement, juvenile or adult courts, child welfare, corrections, etc.).

Candidate's will be evaluated on experience and future capacity for the following general job duties:

• Research and scholarly productivity (for TT position)
  • Evidence of successful scholarship (publications in high impact journals, presentations at national/international conferences, social media and other emerging sources of information)
  • Past success and future potential to engage in externally funded research
  • Capacity to work with undergrads and graduate students in research and writing
• Administration and service duties for the program, CHS, and MU
  • Prior experience working within the criminal justice system
  • Years of service in a supervisory role within the criminal justice system
  • Capacity to administer a program with consent and approval of involved faculty
  • Working with diverse persons
  • Curricular design and refinement
  • Working with CHS college recruitment, overseeing student advising, and shaping this exciting new course of study
• Teaching
  • Advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students
  • Designing and teaching college level courses
  • Ability to use diverse sources of technology
  • Capacity for clear verbal and written communication
• Other related duties as appropriate to the position

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Applications must be submitted online at https://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/academic (search for Job Opening 54724). Along with the online application please include a current curriculum vitae (CV), a cover letter that specifically addresses prior experience in criminal justice and/or social work practice, teaching, and research, a sample of scholarly work, and three letters of recommendation. Please have letters of recommendation sent to Aerin Melvin, Human Resource Specialist III, at amelvin@healt.missouri.edu.

If you have questions, please email the Chair of Search Committee, Dr. Clark Peters at peterscm@health.missouri.edu .

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications after February 15, 2025. Application review and interviewing will continue until the position is filled.

The new CJS degree program is housed within the College of Health Sciences, MU School of Social Work (SSW), which has the mission to promote leadership for social and economic justice by preparing students for professional excellence and leadership in practice, research, and policy. The CJS major builds on a highly successful Criminal Justice minor and the SSW's tradition of community engagement, research, and teaching on topics including corrections, juvenile justice, and court programs. The MU-SSW has 23 faculty (52% tenure/tenure track and 48% non-tenure track) and staff support for academic and research functions- including grant writing, pre-award, and post-award support. Presently, the MU-SSW has about 450 students (Pre-majors, BSWs, MSWs, and PhDs) and offers an MSW/MPH dual degree program, a joint MSW/PhD program, and a minor in Criminal Justice. The MU-SSW is home to the Integrated Behavioral Health Clinic which is a faculty-supervised and student-facilitated clinic offering free social, emotional and behavioral health supports to under-insured persons. The School is a partner in the Missouri Prevention Science Institute, with a host of projects in local education and community agencies, and home to the Collaborative for Criminal and Juvenile Justice Priorities. The MU-SSW is nationally ranked among the top ten comparable research-intensive public schools of social work in Academic Analytics, a database comparing scholarly work, citations, federal grant funding, and national awards. Visit our website at http://ssw.missouri.edu/ for more information and to learn about our faculty's research and teaching.

CHS's mission is to improve the health and well-being of others. Every day, CHS faculty, staff, and students work towards changing lives through the integration of teaching, service, and discovery. The CHS is the University of Missouri system's only college of health sciences with aligned professions in public health, speech and language sciences, diagnostic sciences, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and health psychology. The CHS is home to the Center for Health Policy which hosts staff and access to many national and international data sets including one of the few Federal Statistical Research Data Centers. Learn more about the CHS and faculty by visiting https://healthsciences.missouri.edu/.

MU is a member of the Association of American Universities, a state land grant institution, and a Carnegie Foundation designated Doctoral/Research University. The University's 33,000 on-campus students represent every US state and 120 countries.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Values Commitment

We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person's success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate.

In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research, and engagement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri System is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy applies to all employment decisions including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotions, pay practices, benefits, disciplinary actions and terminations. For more information, visit https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/eeo or call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-2146.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.