Boulder, Colorado

The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

The Masters of the Environment (MENV) Graduate Program in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Studies Department, one of the nation’s largest professional graduate programs in sustainability, is an interdisciplinary professional master’s degree that equips students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to address complex sustainability challenges. Through our comprehensive approach to professional education, MENV students receive a graduate degree from one of the world’s top universities in environmental sciences, while simultaneously gaining valuable professional experience with an external client organization. The MENV Program values diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. More information here: Masters of the Environment.

About the capstone: All students complete a 9-month capstone project in lieu of a master’s thesis (Feb-Nov annually). The capstone project is accompanied by classroom-based support classes, collectively called Capstone Innovation Lab (CIL) that tracks and supports student professional development and project execution. Each year MENV partners with ~30 organizations as capstone “clients”, providing well over 75,000 consulting hours through our students to industry across numerous sectors, federal, state, and local governments, cities and communities, non-profits, and more. The capstone program pairs small teams of students with partner organizations in a nine-month project to address real-world environmental, sustainability, and business challenges. Projects result in the production of professional-level deliverables and content for client organizations, including management and market development plans (and other planning documents), public awareness and advocacy campaigns, product proposals, proofs of concept, product and program prototypes, and other relevant work products.

This position includes responsibilities in both the academic year and summer, including: developing and delivering capstone curriculum in the MENV program, coordinating recruitment of capstone projects in partnership with external clients, recruiting and coordinating capstone advisor faculty, reporting the impact of capstone projects to drive external engagement with the program, and align and evolve the capstone program with the balance of the MENV graduate program and ongoing student interests. The bulk of the responsibilities take place in the academic year; summer responsibilities typically include capstone client recruitment, capstone project advising, and curriculum development, among others. The position includes a mix of responsibilities and specific workload will be scoped relative to the % FTE. In addition to the areas of responsibility noted above, the following are additional areas of responsibility:

• Capstone Innovation Lab Lead: Serve as faculty lead for MENV’s core Capstone Innovation Lab curriculum. Oversee and develop the curriculum, engage faculty in curricular development, coordinate faculty instruction, coordinate faculty capstone advisors, and advise students.
• Teaching: Teach a portion or all of the in-person Capstone Innovation Lab series. .
• Engage with Industry: Develop and facilitate relationships with external organizations and serve as a resource for the relevant external stakeholders. Work with other faculty to leverage their collective relationships in the relevant content areas. Coordinate capstone client and project recruitment.
• Capstone Advisor: In addition to recruiting Capstone Advisers, the Capstone Lead will also directly advise one or more capstone teams to gain experience and insight into the process and student needs.
• Support Student Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation: Work with the MENV program faculty and staff to support student recruitment, retention, and placement into impactful careers.

All faculty, regardless of % FTE, are expected to contribute “service” to the program, which may include serving on committees, developing and facilitating relationships in the professional field to curate student learning opportunities, and supporting student recruitment, retention, and placement.

We can offer a competitive academic year salary in the range of $65,000-$79,000 for the Teaching Assistant Professor position or $80,000-$90,000 for the Teaching Associate Professor position for half to full-time appointment for a 9-month academic appointment mid-August through early May. This position will have an additional part-time summer contract of at least half time and additional compensation paid at the same monthly rate. This position will come with full benefits. This position is for an initial three-year contract appointment and the opportunity for renewals.

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be dynamic. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

For the Teaching Assistant Professor rank:

• Terminal Degree in the field with 3-5 years of relevant professional experience OR a non-terminal graduate degree and 5-7 years of relevant professional experience OR >12 years of relevant professional experience in the sustainability field.
• Teaching experience at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level, which may include professional learning, thought leadership writing and presentations, conferences, and workshops.
• Maintains active participation and networks in industry and/or professional groups (e.g., board membership, participation and leadership in professional associations, conference presentations).

For the Teaching Associate Professor rank:

All of the above with:

• Minimum 7 years of demonstrated industry leadership credentials and experience at the senior management level or above with significant financial and management responsibilities.
• OR minimum 7 years of higher education experience at the rank of Assistant Professor or equivalent.
• AND Demonstrated experience with teaching, shown through course/curriculum development, integration of service learning, teaching innovation, or development of effective pedagogical methods.
• AND Strong record of delivering professional development (e.g., delivering workshops, presenting at or organizing conferences).

• A spirit of collaboration, a passion for learning and the requisite humility that is required when working in an emergent field with creative, professional students.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, self-directedness, an orientation to detail with a startup mindset.
• Passion for mentoring, teaching, and creating professional opportunities for students in a professional context.
• Demonstration of self-awareness, cultural intelligence, and a commitment to fostering equity and inclusion.
• Experience working with students or professionals from a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds.
• Excitement about contributing to a flagship program in sustainability and the environment.

To apply, please submit the following materials:

• Current curriculum vitae or resume
• Cover Letter, which includes a thorough description of teaching and professional experience in leadership. The cover letter should also include a description of how the candidate will support and encourage a learning environment that includes mentorship, classroom, professional, and experiential and project-based learning.
• A complete application also requires a separate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) statement (1-2 pages) demonstrating the candidate’s commitment to cultivating learning and/or working environments that are equitable and inclusive of diverse students, faculty, and staff with regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, class, disability, and other marginalized identities.

During the application process, you will need to enter contact information for three references, and we will request letters of recommendation and additional materials if needed, as the search progresses.

The review of applications will begin on April 10, 2023. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.