The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at the University of Delaware (UD) seeks a Faculty Director for its new Master of Social Work (MSW) program. The MSW program, which has a clinical focus and three specialized areas of concentration (children and families, gerontology, and mental health and substance use disorder) is currently in the process of review for pre-candidacy accreditation status by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Faculty Director will partner with the Program Director and CEHD faculty to train competent and caring social work professionals to serve communities throughout Delaware, the Mid-Atlantic region, and across the nation.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS: Responsibilities will include leadership in hiring and supervising highly productive faculty in the MSW program, maintaining a program of research, teaching in the MSW program, and interfacing with faculty in CEHD and other colleges within UD. The Faculty Director will also work closely with the Program Director on continuous curricular development and assessment, student recruitment, and developing strong ties with communities and other MSW programs throughout Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region. Under the leadership of the Faculty and Program Directors, we envision that the MSW program will develop into a strong, research-intensive academic unit within the College over a five-year period.
The successful candidate will have experience working in a MSW or similar academic program at the rank of associate or full professor. They will additionally have a nationally recognized research program, and experience in securing external grants, with a focus on one of the program’s three areas of concentration (children and families, gerontology, and/or mental health and substance use disorders). The successful candidate must also be a highly competent teacher and mentor of MSW students. A Ph.D. or equivalent in social work or a related field and an MSW from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education are required. The position will currently report to the Dean of CEHD. The Faculty Director, Program Director, and MSW faculty are expected to contribute to a welcoming campus environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and actively engage in confronting racial bias and social injustice.
THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE: Recently climbing to 27th among colleges of education nationally, by U.S. News and World Reports, CEHD is a thriving academic unit of over 1,250 undergraduate and graduate students and 89 faculty with outstanding research and teaching programs. With annual research expenditures of approximately $30 million, the College currently houses a number of large grants with significant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, and several prestigious foundations, including the Gates and Wallace Foundations. The College boasts strong research teams examining the access, opportunity, and outcomes of marginalized communities, housing and food insecurity, social and education policy, leadership and administration, social determinants of health, and early childhood development, care and education. There are also numerous research-practice-policy partnerships and collaborations with human service organizations, early care providers, schools, and school districts.
With roots tracing back to 1743, the University of Delaware combines tradition and innovation, offering students a rich heritage along with the latest in instructional and research technology. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with diversity as one of its core values and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities and people with disabilities. The University of Delaware is the recipient of a NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant, focused on enhancing the climate of the University for women and underrepresented minority faculty. Located in scenic Newark, Delaware, within 2 hours of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., the University is a Land Grant, Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Carnegie Research University (with very high research activity, a designation accorded to fewer than 3% of degree-granting institutions in the U.S.), and with external funding exceeding $326 million. A state-assisted, privately governed institution, the University enrolls approximately 18,000 undergraduates and 4,500 graduate students.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Compensation packages are competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Faculty at the University have regularly received annual cost-of-living and merit salary increases and the benefits package is one of the best in the nation. Relocation and start-up funds are available. The appointment may begin as early as August 1, 2025.
TO APPLY: Applications received by January 6, 2025 will receive first consideration, and applicants received subsequently may be reviewed on a rolling basis. Nominations and expressions of interest will be held in confidence and references will be contacted only with the candidate’s permission. Applicants should include (1) a 2-4 page letter describing their qualifications for the position, including academic preparation, leadership experience, research accomplishments (including external funding), and evidence of effective teaching and mentoring; (2) a brief (no more than 1 page) diversity/equity/inclusion statement discussing how the candidate’s leadership, research, teaching, and/or service address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; (3) curriculum vitae; and (4) contact information for 3 references. Please do not send recommendation letters at this time; we will request letters from semi-finalists. For inquiries, please contact the search committee chair Valerie Earnshaw, Ph.D. at earnshaw@udel.edu
The University of Delaware is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and Title IX institution. For the University’s complete non-discrimination statement, please visit www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html.
