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Assistant Professor, Community and Economic Development, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Position Number: 1227845
Location: Macomb, IL
Position Type: Economic and Business Development

Assistant Professor, Community and Economic Development, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

About Western Illinois University:
Western Illinois University, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, serves nearly 10,000 students at its traditional, residential four-year campus in Macomb, IL and its metropolitan, non-residential campus in Moline, IL. Compliance to state and federal hiring standards is coordinated through WIU's Office of Equal Opportunity & Access.

Western Illinois University is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including, but not limited to, minorities, veterans, women and individuals with disabilities. WIU has a non-discrimination policy that includes discrimination based on an individual's membership in the following classes: sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and any other classes protected by state or federal law.

Job Description:
APPOINTMENT: August 16, 2018, or as soon as possible after that date. This is a tenure-track, nine-month position.

RESPONSIBILITIES: As a tenure-track faculty member in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), the selected candidate will be expected to: 1) establish a substantive research program in applied community and economic development with applications to rural areas of Illinois, the Midwest, and North America. The research program is expected to inform the Institute's outreach activities with an emphasis on sustainable local economies, rural development policy, community quality of life, community planning and design, and rural environmental sustainability, among other issues. The selected candidate is expected to secure extramural funding to support a robust research program; 2) teach two courses per semester and advise graduate students in a growing M.A. degree in community and economic development; 3) engage in community outreach activities aligned with the faculty member's research and teaching expertise, and; (4) participate in broad-based university and departmental committee work and professional service.

RANK & SALARY: Negotiable, commensurate with experience. Western Illinois University offers a competitive benefits package including domestic partner benefits. For full benefit information visit: http://www.wiu.edu/vpas/human_resources/benefits/.

Requirements:
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Ph.D. in Rural Sociology, Geography, Applied Economics, Planning, Political Science, Public Administration, or related discipline. The selected candidate will have a demonstrated interest and expertise in teaching and conducting research on topics related to rural and small town community and economic development within a North American context.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Coursework, experience, and scholarly activity in community and economic development with a focus on small towns and rural communities. Specific research, teaching, and outreach emphases of interest include, but are not limited to, social inequality, entrepreneurship, demography, sustainability, community leadership, renewable energy, cooperatives, community quality of life, GIS applications to community development, and/or other topics relevant to rural development. Teaching experience at the undergraduate or graduate level. Successful experience in external fund-raising. Work experience in an inter-disciplinary setting. Demonstrated ability to link theory and practice/application.

For a degree to be considered, it must be conferred from a regionally accredited degree-granting institution of higher education (or equivalent from an international accrediting body).

Additional Information:
THE INSTITUTE: The Institute was created in 1989 to monitor rural conditions, develop innovative outreach programs, conduct research on rural issues, and evaluate public policies affecting rural areas. In 2016, the Institute began to offer an M.A. degree in Community and Economic Development, which currently has 18 students. The Institute has worked in over 500 communities across rural Illinois and beyond to provide programming in the areas of strategic visioning, business development, rural transit, and community and economic development planning. External funding to support this community outreach comes from agencies such as the USDA, EDA, AmeriCorps, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, among other agencies. The Institute has a staff of 25 M.A. and Ph.D. specialists. Additional information is available at www.iira.org.

THE UNIVERSITY: Recognized as a "Best Midwestern College" by the Princeton Review for 14 consecutive years and as one of 37 public universities ranked a top tier "Best Midwestern University" by U.S.News & World Report, Western Illinois University (WIU) serves nearly 10,000 students at its traditional residential campus in Macomb and its metropolitan, non-residential location in Moline, Illinois.

The WIU-Macomb and -Quad Cities campuses are comprised of accomplished faculty, state-of-the-art technology and facilities, and a wide range of academic and extracurricular opportunities. Western is a comprehensive university offering 66 undergraduate and 38 graduate degree programs, which includes an Ed.D. in educational leadership and a Ph.D. in environmental studies. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1, the University's 566 full-time faculty members teach 96 percent of all undergraduate and graduate courses, in addition to eight pre-professional degree programs and 19 certificate programs.

Western offers a broad-based athletics program, sponsoring 19 NCAA Division I intercollegiate varsity sports. Football competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision through the Missouri Valley Football Conference; all other varsity sports compete at the Division I level through The Summit League. WIU is the cultural center of the region. University Libraries house an extensive collection and offer online database access to thousands of academic periodic journals and publications.

WIU-Macomb, IL (Student Population: 8,109): A traditional, residential four-year campus with select graduate programs, including a doctorate in education, WIU-Macomb is located in the heart of west central Illinois in Macomb (population 20,000). Macomb is an Amtrak city with twice-daily service to Chicago. Macomb is located approximately 75 miles from the Quad Cities International Airport (Moline, IL) and 70 miles from the Greater Peoria Regional Airport (Peoria, IL).

WIU-Quad Cities (Student Population: 1,332): The only public university in the Quad Cities area, WIU-QC offers select undergraduate and graduate programs, including a doctorate in education and a doctorate in environmental studies, at its metropolitan, non-residential campus in Moline, IL (population 44,000). The Quad Cities (population 376,000) rests on the banks of the Mississippi River and is comprised of Moline and Rock Island in western Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf in eastern Iowa. Moline, Illinois is home to the Quad Cities International Airport.

Application Instructions:
APPLICATION: Complete applications include:
1) a letter of application
2) current curriculum vita or resume
3) the names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of three current professional references
4) copies of unofficial academic transcripts and any certifications/licenses required, official copies will be requested of selected candidate

Please upload the requested documents by clicking APPLY NOW or by navigating to the WIU Employment page at the following URL http://www.wiu.edu/employment/

**Note** In order to upload Individual documents must be under 2 MB in size.

Screening will begin on June 22, 2018, and continue until the position is filled.

Western Illinois University endeavors to provide a safe environment for its employees and students and requires candidates to submit to a background investigation upon offer of employment. Employment is contingent upon compliance with University policies and procedures relating to the receipt and evaluation of information contained in the background investigation.

Questions regarding the search may be directed to: Dr. Chris Merrett, Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, at: cd-merrett@wiu.edu.

For assistance with the online application system contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309)298-1977 or via email at eoa-office@wiu.edu.

To Apply, visit:
https://wiu.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=98128