Position Highlights

The W.A. Franke Honors College is searching for an Assistant or Associate Professor of Practice with expertise in an area related to sustainability, environmental systems, resilience studies, or a closely aligned field to support the leadership, instruction, and development of the Future Earth Resilience (FER) minor, while also contributing to the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) degree program. The FER minor prepares students to address pressing environmental and societal challenges through interdisciplinary approaches grounded in systems thinking, innovation, and applied problem-solving.

In addition to the faculty title, this position will hold the additional title of Program Director of the Future Earth Resilience minor. In this leadership role, the candidate will oversee the academic direction, curriculum development, faculty coordination, student recruitment, and strategic growth of the FER program. The Program Director will work collaboratively with Honors faculty, college leadership, and external partners to ensure that the minor remains forward-looking, rigorous, and responsive to emerging global environmental challenges.

This position is renewable annually but may rotate at the discretion of the Dean and Associate Dean.

The candidate will also teach within the BCII program, contributing to transdisciplinary curriculum that integrates knowledge across fields to address complex, real-world problems. BCII is an international award-winning dual-degree program that equips students with future-oriented skills and knowledge to tackle rapidly evolving global challenges. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to teach within their disciplinary area of expertise while also fostering transdisciplinary learning that connects environmental resilience, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving.

We seek a candidate who demonstrates experience engaging with global environmental challenges and who has established networks in relevant industries, research communities, governmental organizations, or non-profit sectors that could enrich both the FER and BCII programs. Experience developing experiential learning opportunities, industry or community partnerships, and applied research initiatives will be highly valued.

Duties & Responsibilities

This career-track appointment is not eligible for tenure.

• Teaching and Curriculum Development (60%):
  • Teacher four 3-unit HNRS Courses for the academic calendar year
  • These will consist of a mix of BCII and FER courses, exact distribution to be decided in consultation with the Associate Dean.
  • Teach either: Two 1-unit HNRS Courses for the academic calendar year, or One 1-unit UNIV 101 Honors section and one 1-unit HNRS course, or Co-teach two 3-unit HNRS courses associated to the BCII program, or equivalent as approved by supervisor.
  • Mentor and support other University of Arizona faculty to deliver FER courses that foster transdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and systems-level analysis.
  • Support the onboarding of industry, government, and/or community partners for the FER internship.
  • Design and implement additional HNRS courses within the FER program to cultivate advanced forward-thinking and cross-disciplinary skills.
• Scholarship, Research and Creative Inquiry (20%):
  • Engage in and disseminate scholarship related to areas of Honors education, teaching/learning, curriculum/pedagogy development or interdisciplinary research.
  • Scholarly activities include all phases of the research and creative productive process, from background investigations through publication and dissemination.
• Service and leadership (20%):
  • Serve on internal Honors committees such as scholarships, curriculum, awards, and/or a project of special interest.
  • Hold appropriate office hours each week (typically 1.5 hours per week per 3-unit class taught).
  • Participate in and contribute to faculty meetings and FER-related discussions.
  • Participate in and contribute to events at the W.A. Franke Honors College.
  • Program Director of Future Earth Resilience: Curriculum Oversight, Faculty and Course Coordination, Student Engagement and Outreach, Assessment and Reporting

All additional teaching, service, and scholarships must follow the internal Honors Faculty Annual Performance Review and Policy Guidelines. Additional duties may be assigned.

This workload distribution is subject to change based on the needs of the college or performance criteria

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty, and external partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D.
• A record of accomplishment of research or scholarship in areas relevant to sustainability and/or transdisciplinary education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in leading courses in the fields of sustainability and/or transdisciplinary practice.
• Experience in higher education teaching and course development that incorporates experiential learning, critical thinking, and transdisciplinary approaches.
• Experience in leading collaborative projects between students and external partners would be advantageous.