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Northland College

Assistant Professor of Outdoor Education

 Tenure Track Position: Academic Year 2009 (Filled: 2/9/09)

Northland College

For more information: Northland College Human Resources-Jobs

Northland College seeks an outstanding Outdoor Educator to advance the Outdoor Education program mission of preparing socially responsible, ecologically informed professional educators to teach in, about and for the outdoors. (See the program web site at http://www.northland.edu/oe)

We are seeking a team-oriented individual who will teach a broad range of theory and skills courses serving students throughout the program and the college, and who can act as an advisor to outdoor education majors. The successful candidate will help re-define the role of Outdoor Education in the contexts of environmental and social sustainability and assume a leadership role within the Outdoor Education profession in developing a new paradigm for conducting environmentally sound field operations.

Courses will include, among others: Group Process and Leadership, Winter Travel and Living Skills, Wilderness Expeditioning, Water Travel, Land Travel and Earth Skills and Human Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why. Other responsibilities include academic advising, co-instruction of integrated and cooperatively taught courses, supervision of student teaching assistants, work-study students, internships and independent studies, management of course budgets, active participation in the growth, development and administration of a dynamic, liberal-arts oriented outdoor education program, and service to the college at-large through committee work and leadership in the academic institution.

Minimum Qualifications Desired: Master’s degree required Doctorate strongly preferred in a discipline supportive of Outdoor Education, significant professional experience instructing in field-based outdoor education programs, and demonstrated proficiency in classroom teaching at the college level. Also required are: Instructional experience in summer and winter expeditioning,  current certification in Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and personal technical proficiency and instructional abilities in three or more of the following skill areas: traditional to modern winter travel skills, woodcraft and earth skills, land and water travel skills and the application of sustainability concepts to the field of Outdoor Education. The successful candidate will demonstrate evidence of a high level of initiative as well as the ability to work effectively and collaboratively.

Additional Desirable Qualifications and Characteristics: Successful, full-time, college teaching experience, instructor status with one or more large and reputable Outdoor Education programs such as NOLS, OB, or NOC, experience teaching diverse populations, teacher licensure, teaching natural history or environmental education.

The Outdoor Education Program at Northland College has over a 30-year history in the academic arm of the institution and has historically been one of the largest academic programs at Northland College. The Outdoor Education program provides students with the skills, knowledge, experience, and confidence to enter the profession as an educator and a leader. At Northland, students work with faculty who are redefining the role of outdoor education in environmental and social sustainability, providing experiences in outdoor, experiential and environmental education to children and adults, and engaging people of all ages and abilities in establishing sustainable relationships with nature and humanity.

While in the program, students gain an understanding of the principles that effective outdoor education experiences are founded upon, read the works of leading outdoor educators, gain perspective from historical expeditions, and embark on their own experiences within the woods, waters, and wilderness of our region. Students may also develop advanced professional skills and knowledge during their junior and senior years under the close supervision and support of program faculty. Finally, students join a family of graduates who are experienced teachers of universally designed outdoor experiential and environmental education activities and skilled in sustainable outdoor living and travel principles and practices.

We believe:

·         Through a highly innovative and experiential undergraduate curriculum, our graduates are prepared to teach environmentally-based, socially-integrated, and effective educational experiences to a wide range of audiences for educational, therapeutic and/or recreational purposes.

·         Socially responsible teachers value, include, and integrate diverse populations into the field of outdoor education regardless of age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religious belief, ethnicity, racial, or socio-economic background.

·         Ecologically informed teachers, capable of engaging students in effective and affective education, are an essential ingredient in achieving sustainable interdependency between humanity and nature.

·         Exposure to wilderness, wild lands, and their associated values are critical in the development of ecologically informed teachers. This exposure acts to nurture and guide our students and faculty while providing stark contrast to trends in contemporary society. 

·         Outdoor education professionals share the common responsibilities of building and maintaining competency in content knowledge and technical skills of the field, becoming and continually improving as effective educators, providing ethical and competent leadership, managing risk appropriate to the goals of the experience, and maintaining personal fitness appropriate to his/her duties.

·         Cognitive, affective, social, and psychomotor teaching proficiency includes awareness building, knowledge and content acquisition, critique and synthesis, examination of attitudes and behaviors, and pre-professional practice within the classroom and the broader community.

·         Teachers and students share responsibility within the higher-education environment for the preparation of the student for career or graduate education possibilities.

The College invites candidates to apply who are exceptional teachers, dedicated to interdisciplinary teaching, supportive of the program mission and philosophy, interested in servant leadership to the College and community, and committed to the College’s environmental and liberal arts mission and values. This is a full-time, nine-month, tenure track position starting academic year 2009. Applications for the position will be reviewed beginning November 3, 2008.

Applications

Interested applicants should submit a letter of application which include a statement of teaching philosophy and a statement on experience in, or work with, diverse communities, a curriculum vitae, teaching evaluations, and the names, phone numbers and addresses of at least three references.

Deadline for completed applications is November 3, 2008.

Candidates are encouraged to submit application materials electronically in PDF format to humanresources@northland.edu.

Northland College has adopted a strategic initiative to increase the diversity of its faculty. The College provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Northland College is an affirmative action employer. People of color, women, and others who would provide diverse perspectives to our College are encouraged to apply for this position.