"Ray Allen Billington Visiting Professorship in U.S. History/The Americas"

Job Details

About Occidental College

Founded in 1887, Occidental is a nationally recognized, private college of the liberal arts and sciences, dedicated to providing a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality -- one that prepares them for leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and pluralistic world.

What makes Occidental special? An intellectually rigorous academic environment. Small classroom settings where students collaborate with professors and their peers while pursuing or discovering their passion. A beautiful residential campus that offers students hands-on engagement with the cultural and intellectual resources of Los Angeles. A community open to stimulating conversation and divergent points of view. Some 2,100 students from 46 states and 28 countries choose from 41 majors and minors and participate in one the country’s top undergraduate research programs. Oxy students routinely win top awards and fellowships; its first Rhodes Scholar was named in 1907. Dedicated to excellence and equity, Occidental also is one of the country’s most economically diverse campuses, according to the New York Times. Some 71 percent of Oxy students receive some form of financial aid; 20 percent are Pell Grant recipients; and 19 percent are the first in their family to attend college.

RAY ALLEN BILLINGTON VISITING PROFESSORSHIP IN U.S. HISTORY/THE AMERICAS

History Department

POSITION SUMMARY

We seek a distinguished historian of the United States/the Americas who will split the 2026-2027 academic year between Occidental College and the Huntington Library. Scholars working in comparative and transnational frameworks are welcome to apply. In addition to researching the Huntington’s collections, the Ray Allen Billington Professor teaches one intermediate or advanced class per semester in the Occidental History Department and delivers the Billington lecture at Occidental College on the year’s research.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND GOALS

• Participate in the Huntington Library Fellows Program while researching an original research project congruent with the Huntington Library Collection
• Teach one intermediate or advanced class per semester in the Occidental History Department, ideally courses that complement existing departmental course offerings.
• Deliver Billington Professor Lecture based on Huntington Library research project during spring 2026 semester.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Requisite training & expertise in the history of the United States/the Americas. Applicants to the Billington Professorship must be Associate or Full Professors in the fields of the United States/the Americas and not a resident of the greater Los Angeles area.
• Requisite fit with Huntington Library archives and strong quality of research proposal.
• Requisite record of effective teaching, specifically:
• Evidence of inclusive teaching pedagogy and/or effective teaching in diverse populations.
• Evidence of experience teaching in relatively small and interactive classrooms. (We pay special attention to liberal arts faculty, but do not automatically prioritize liberal arts applicants over those teaching in other settings, as long as they have experience with interactive pedagogy that fits Occidental's model.)
• Evidence of being able to teach at both intermediate and advanced levels of undergraduate instruction (level 200 and 300)
• Preferred proposed courses and areas of specialty that will complement Occidental History Department offerings and existing faculty and do not duplicate what we offer on an ongoing basis.
• Requisite record of scholarly research and publication.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

The position includes a stipend of between $100,000-$120,000 (depending on rank), $10,000 in research funds, $8,000 in moving expense reimbursement, $10,000 in housing allowance, and office space at both the Huntington Library and Occidental College.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, research proposal for the Huntington, at least two course proposals for Occidental courses, at least two sets of evaluations of undergraduate teaching, and two confidential letters of recommendation. All materials are due no later than 9:00pm Pacific Time (midnight Eastern Time) Monday November 3, 2025. Please submit applications materials via Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/170199

For more information about the Billington Professorship, please contact Search Chair, Dr. Sharla Fett (sfett@oxy.edu) or visit our website at: https://www.oxy.edu/academics/areas-study/history/billington-visiting-professorship-us-history

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Occidental is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. Occidental is strongly committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community and the curriculum, and to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and just environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Candidates who can contribute to this goal through their work are encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences in this area. Individuals advancing the College’s strategic equity and justice goals and those from groups that are underrepresented in the field are particularly encouraged to apply.

A comprehensive benefits package is available that may include some or all of the following: excellent health, dental, life, and retirement benefits; tuition benefits for the employee, spouse, domestic partner, and dependents; additional extras including use of gym facilities and the College Library. For a detailed description of benefits, please visit https://www.oxy.edu/offices-services/humanresources/benefits-information.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Occidental College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with qualifying disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the application or employment process, please contact Human Resources (hr@oxy.edu).

As a condition of hire for a staff position and for appointment to a faculty position, Occidental College requires that all candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment complete an application form (if they have not already done so) and consent to a background check. Satisfactory completion of a background check, along with pre-employment verifications and references are required as a condition of employment, but only as permitted by federal, state, and local law, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Company

Occidental isn’t just any liberal arts college. It fully integrates the liberal arts and sciences with the cultural and intellectual resources of a global city.

Situated on a 120-acre residential campus in the heart of Los Angeles, our location serves as a springboard for putting theory into practice and ideas into action. At Oxy, students spend as much time in the lab, the field, the community and the studio as they do in the classroom.

Oxy is a place for talented, hard-working, curious students to explore their current passions—and discover new ones. They benefit from our small-classroom environment and demanding yet supportive faculty, who are as dedicated to teaching and mentorship as their research. Our distinctive interdisciplinary and global approach gives students the chance to explore new ideas and perspectives, and connect with the world.

With more than 40 majors and minors, one-of-a-kind programs like the Kahane United Nations Program, Campaign Semester and Rebellious Lawyering, and our emphasis on research through the Undergraduate Research Center and senior comprehensives, Occidental lays the groundwork for a compelling intellectual adventure. And the academic rigor on campus is enhanced by internships and partnerships across L.A., Southern California and beyond.

Our graduates are strategic thinkers and effective communicators. Inclusive and consciously collaborative, our students seek to embrace difference and make a difference in the world. Occidental is reinventing the liberal arts and sciences for a new generation of problem solvers, creators and thinkers. It’s an education that is distinctly Oxy.

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Website

http://www.oxy.edu/