Two (2) Tenure-Track Associate/Full Professors, Fall 2025
Location
Nashville, TN
Description
The University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work (UTCSW) invites applications for two associate or full professor positions for our Nashville campus in all areas of social work practice and research that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and/or environmental justice. The ideal candidate will bring an interprofessional lens to community-engaged research and education. The successful candidate will have strong record of scholarly activity; an established record of substantial extramural funding (for professor level) or intramural and some extramural funding and indication of future sustained record of extramural funding (for associate level); have experience as a mentor to graduate students, post-docs, and pre-tenure faculty; the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the access and engagement goals of the University and will meet the requirements for tenure at the appropriate rank for the University of Tennessee. The position will contribute to the college’s reputation for the highest-quality graduate and undergraduate education, engage with communities and professional organizations in collaborative ways, and help the CSW move forward in our commitment to anti-oppressive practice, access to education, inclusive excellence, and social justice, as defined by the Council on Social Work Education.
Candidates for this position must have earned their Ph.D. in social work or a related health, social, or behavioral science field, such as public health or public policy. We seek candidates who can lead in an area of social work research or build on the College’s existing areas of research strength, while contributing to our broadening interdisciplinary and community-based research collaborations.
The University and the College of Social Work
This position is located in Nashville. The University of Tennessee Knoxville recognizes its role as a land-grant, flagship research institution, as stated in the university’s strategic vision that imagines “a world enriched by our ideas, improved through action, and inspired by the Volunteer Spirit of service and leadership.” (https://chancellor.utk.edu/vision/). The university is currently in the midst of unprecedented growth in enrollment, with approximately 37,000 enrolled students. The University is also a Carnegie Foundation Research (R1) University with the designation of highest research activity and has achieved a Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. Forbes Magazine recently ranked UTK as one of the best places to work in the US, including a ranking of ninth among public higher education institutions in the United States. UTK offers a competitive benefits package, and 9-month tenure-track faculty are eligible for additional summer salary.
With almost 1,000 students enrolled in undergraduate, MSW, DSW, and PhD programs in Knoxville, Nashville, and online, the College is preparing highly skilled and culturally sensitive social workers to address areas of need across the state, the country, and the globe. College faculty conduct interdisciplinary research that focuses on the needs of under-resourced groups.
The College is home to four research centers:
• The Center for Veterinary Social Work is a joint effort between the UTCSW and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine conducting research on the human-animal bond, offering services to the public, and delivering professional certifications and trainings.
• The Social Work Office for Research and Public Service (SWORPS) serves as the College’s applied research hub, providing needs assessment, program evaluation, technical assistance, research services, software application design and deployment, and other resources to human service agencies, to the professional human service practitioners that these agencies employ, and to the social work community at large.
• The Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), a collaboration between UT and the University of Pennsylvania, is an applied research center specializing in cash-transfer research, evaluation, pilot design, and narrative change. The center provides mixed-methods expertise in designing and executing empirical guaranteed income studies that work alongside the existing safety net.
• The Center for Behavioral Health Research (CBHR) conducts a broad array of behavioral health studies of children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities. The CBHR’s research incorporates faculty, staff, and students from a variety of disciplines at UTK and other universities. Since its founding in 1988, the CBHR’s work has been largely funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Other funders include the Health Resources and Services Administration, The W.T. Grant Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and other private foundations and donors.
The College’s research-active faculty and staff are in active partnerships with faculty in several campus units (e.g., the Tickle College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, and Departments of Public Health, Child and Family Studies, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Psychology, among others), theUT Health Science Centerin Memphis, andUT Office of Extension. UTK also has community-based partnerships with numerous state and community agencies.
Campus Location
Nashville is an action-packed and vibrant metropolis with so much more to offer than its famous Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry. It is currently listed as #50 on the U.S. News and World report’s best Places to Live (2024) and offers events such as the CMA Festival, the Nashville Film Festival, Live on the Green, Tomato Art Fest, and the Nashville Pride Festival. Nashville is also home to Vanderbilt University and several HBCUs with dynamic campus activities. Outside of Nashville’s busy downtown Broadway scene, there are lots of unique neighborhoods filled with fantastic ethnic food options and cultural events, with unlimited opportunities to explore gorgeous parks and greenways, both inside and outside the city limits. Nashville is a short distance away from national parks that are great for camping and hiking.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
• Ph.D. in social work or other related field
• Evidence of a commitment to social work values in their practice and research including a social work research agenda that advances concepts and practices inherent in social work such as advancing human rights and social, racial, economic, and/or environmental justice
• Evidence of a research agenda that informs and addresses oppression in all its forms
• Evidence of high-quality teaching at the graduate level, and across modalities
• Evidence of commitment to mentoring graduate students, pre-tenure faculty, and/or post-doctoral fellows who are developing programs of externally-funded research
• Evidence of commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive climate in classroom and research settings in alignment with CSWE accreditation standards
• Candidates for Associate Professor should have preliminary evidence of external funding and clear potential for sustained external funding
• Candidates for Full Professor should have evidence of successful, sustained external funding and experience leading research teams.
Preferred Qualifications
• Master’s degree in social work
• Two years post-MSW direct practice experience, preferably in clinical or macro practice
• Specific research interests in established research areas
• Commitment to interdisciplinary research and collaboration
• Experience teaching courses in clinical social work practice or macro practice
• Experience leading team-based research groups
Application Instructions
Interested individuals should provide: (1) a cover letter addressing research, teaching, and practice experience as well as experience relevant to each required and preferred qualification, (2) curriculum vitae, (3) three sample publications, and (4) contact information for three professional references. In your letter, pay specific attention to your experiences that are not easily found on your CV. Priority consideration will be given to applications submitted by December 1, 2024 though review may continue until an appointment is made. Materials should be submitted electronically http://apply.interfolio.com/155692. Inquiries may be addressed to the search committee chair, Dr. Bridget Freisthler at bfreisth@utk.edu.
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