Open Rank Professor in School Psychology

earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Advertised Job Summary

The Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina (USC) invites applications for a tenure-track position of open-rank in School Psychology in the area of child and adolescent mental health. The School Psychology PhD Concentration at USC includes eight tenured or tenure track faculty and two clinical faculty, all focusing on CAMH, with four faculty members focused on effective SBH programming, with a wide range of extramural grant funding from state, federal, and foundation sources. We seek to expand this work by recruiting a candidate that has existing leadership experience in these areas and who has demonstrated commitment to building a high impact research excellence in school psychology. Faculty in the School Psychology Concentration also work closely with faculty and students from Clinical-Community, Quantitative, and Cognitive and Neural Science concentrations.
This position is for a 9-month tenure-track appointment in the Department of Psychology. The position requires a Ph.D. in school psychology or a related field, and a demonstrated record of high impact research productivity, leadership experience in the field of school psychology, and excellence in teaching at the time of the appointment. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue external grants to support their research and to contribute to the academic mission of the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences, through undergraduate and graduate teaching, including courses closely related to CAMH and SBH.

The University of South Carolina is a Carnegie University of Very High Research Activity and of Community Engagement. The Psychology Department, which averages more than $8 million annually in external funding (a clear campus leader) has 80+ doctoral students in concentrations presented above, with more than 1400 undergraduate majors in psychology. The greater Columbia (state capital) area hosts historical and cultural attractions, festivals, performing arts and sporting events, parks and considerable outdoor recreation, and an easily accessible airport.

The University of South Carolina is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution. Women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender (including transgender), gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDs status, military status, national origin, pregnancy (false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth, recovery therefrom or related medical conditions, breastfeeding), race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other bases under federal, state, local law, or regulations.

Required Education and Experience

The position requires a Ph.D. in school psychology or a related field, and a demonstrated record of high impact research productivity, leadership experience in the field of school psychology, and excellence in teaching at the time of the appointment.

Preferred Qualifications

The Department seeks candidates with particular interest in working with racially or ethnically diverse populations, and whose scholarship focuses on child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), effective school behavioral health (SBH) programming, and community-school partnerships. Preference will be given to faculty who are at the associate or full rank. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and multicultural humility in an educational and work environment as well as in the engagement of diverse communities in school psychology research. Priority will be given to candidates from APA accredited school psychology programs or closely related disciplines. The successful candidate will be joining a highly collegial and supportive professional network of high impact scholars.

Desired Start Date

08/16/2026

Job Open Date

09/04/2024

Open Until Filled

Yes

Special Instructions to Applicant

Applications require: 1) letter of application; 2) curriculum vita; 3) research statement; 4) teaching statement; and 5) contact information for three references. Submit application and documents at https://uscjobs.sc.edu/. Applications are being reviewed beginning December 1, 2025; however, the position will remain open until filled. Inquiries about this posting should be directed to Dr. Samuel McQuillin at MCQUILLS@mailbox.sc.edu.

Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This position is open until filled. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.

Quicklink for Posting

https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/175161

EEO Statement

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender (including transgender), gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDs status, military status, national origin, pregnancy (false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth, recovery therefrom or related medical conditions, breastfeeding), race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other bases under federal, state, local law, or regulations.

Organization

Working at University of South Carolina

With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.

The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.

Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas - hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment - but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.

By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.

Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.

In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.

South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.

The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.

South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.

The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.