Constitutional History Chair at VMI

[The following announcement appeared on H-Net.  DRE]

The Virginia Military Institute seeks a tenure-track associate or full professor for a newly endowed chair in United States Constitutional History, to begin in August 2021. Candidates should be well-prepared to develop and teach a new, core-curriculum, upper-division introduction to United States Constitutional history. Core curriculum courses are required of all cadets.

The normal teaching load of nine credit hours per semester includes six credit hours of the new upper-division course in Constitutional History plus three credit hours per semester of an upper-division elective course as mutually agreed with the department head. Enrollments in all courses are capped at 21 or fewer students per section.

This position includes significant administrative duties related to the new course and to VMI’s commitment to ensuring that our graduates possess a thorough grounding in the principles and substance of the United States Constitution. The successful candidate will oversee other faculty teaching the course, represent the course as a member of VMI’s Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, and coordinate extracurricular speakers and events.

Minimum requirements include an earned Ph.D. in United States history and substantial teaching   experience bearing directly on the United States Constitution and its history. The most attractive applicants will have a genuine interest in developing and overseeing a core curriculum course, and significant experience managing both people and resources. We seek a colleague enthusiastic about joining a vibrant teaching department, and expect all our faculty members to maintain active research interests in their topical specialty. The successful candidate, whether hired at the associate or full professor level, will enjoy an accelerated tenure and (if applicable) promotion clock.

Preliminary Skype interviews with long-list candidates will precede fuller interviews. Normally, the department invites finalists for full-time faculty positions to VMI for two days of meetings, interviews, and tours. Due to the pandemic, this may not be possible. While we will bring candidates to VMI if conditions allow, we are prepared to interview finalists for this position during November or early December via videoconference, to include a teaching presentation via Canvas to a pilot upper-division course in the “American Civic Experience.”

VMI is a public, four–year, undergraduate military college of approximately 1,700 students, about half of whom accept commissions as officers in the armed forces upon graduation. Teaching excellence in a liberal arts setting is our first priority.  Faculty members who are United States citizens wear uniforms and adhere to military customs, but military experience among the faculty is neither required nor expected. For more information about VMI and the Department of History, please visit our web site at http://www.vmi.edu .

Applicants must complete an online state application and submit letters of interest, curricula vitae, and an unofficial transcript of all graduate course work on-line [here].

In addition to the materials submitted online, applicants should have three letters of recommendation (including comments on teaching) and samples of scholarship not readily available in electronic format sent directly to: U.S. Constitutional History Search Committee, Department of History, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA 24450. Please do not mail hard copies of letters of interest, curricula vitae, or application forms directly to the department.

Applications will be accepted until midnight, 12 October 2020.

In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal education and employment opportunities, VMI encourages women, minorities, disabled individuals, and veterans to apply. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are also encouraged to apply. VMI will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with documented disabilities to ensure equal access and equal opportunities with regard to employment, educational opportunities, programs and services.