Assistant Professor in English and Creative Writing

Job Description Summary, Duties and Responsibilities, Required Qualifications and Preferred Qualifications

The search will remain open until the position has been filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by April 17, 2026. Applications received after April 17, 2026 may be reviewed depending on search progress and needs but are not guaranteed full consideration.

About URI: The University of Rhode Island enrolls approximately 17,000 students across its graduate and undergraduate programs and is the State's flagship public research university, as well as the land grant and sea grant university, for the state of Rhode Island. The main campus is located in the historic village of Kingston, and the Bay Campus is located in Narragansett. Both campuses are near major beaches in a beautiful coastal community. URI is just 30 minutes from Providence, RI and within easy reach of Newport, Boston, and New York City.

The English department has a long and deep tradition of collaboration in shared courses, graduate supervision, faculty association, and public programming. We are seeking to attract a broad pool of job applicants for this position. A key pillar of URI's mission is to "inspire an enlightened community that is characterized by vibrant cultural diversity; that embraces difference; that is built upon a learning environment that fosters respect, understanding, and social justice; and that rejects prejudice and intolerance." Our department seeks candidates whose principles align with that mission. We expect to fill this tenure-track, academic-year position by August 2026.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Creative Writing.
• Maintain a record of publication in the field.
• Advise students.
• Contribute to department, college, and university governance, public outreach, and service.

Qualifications

Required:

1. Must possess or be near completion of a Ph.D at time of appointment. In cases of exceptional achievement, an MFA in Creative Writing or in an appropriate related field will be considered.
2. Demonstrated specialization in Fiction.
3. Demonstrated ability to excel in teaching.
4. Demonstrated proficiency in written communication skills.
5. Demonstrated proficiency in oral communication skills.
6. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with individuals with varied backgrounds and perspectives.

Preferred:

1. Secondary specialization in Creative Nonfiction.
2. Expertise in one or both of the following areas: a. Film; or b. Public Humanities.
3. Publications.

EEO Statement:
URI is unwavering in its commitment to equal opportunity, community, equity, and diversity. In furtherance of its mission to serve and support all learners as the state's public flagship university, URI continues to expand efforts to recruit and retain a broadly representative workforce as well as to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of those efforts. All employment decisions, including hiring, are made without regard to protected status. Qualified individuals with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation by contacting the URI benefits office at 401-874-2416. For TTY assistance, contact R.I. Relay Services at 711.

Union: AAUP - American Assoc of Univ Professors
Status: Academic Year, Full-time, Tenure-track, Permanent
Department: English

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please attach the following 5 (PDF) documents to your online Faculty Employment Application (no single attachment should be larger than 9 MB):
(#1) A letter of application, which includes a paragraph detailing your teaching philosophy (as one complete pdf document).
(#2) Curriculum Vitae.
(#3) A writing sample of recent creative writing of 20-30 pages (as one complete pdf document).
(#4) Other Document - a two course syllabi (as one complete document).
(#5) Official copies of transcripts of all post-baccalaureate degrees held or in progress (as one complete scanned document).

NOTE: Please email three current letters of recommendation to:
Professor Carolyn Betensky at betensky@uri.edu. Names of letter-writers should be listed on CV.

Position Number: 107375
Posting Number: F00521
Posting Date: 03/26/2026
Closing Date:
Open Until Filled: Yes

To apply, visit https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/16578