Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) is a multi-campus university renowned for its extraordinary learning environment and highly personalized educational experience. As a comprehensive university with more than 19,000 students, Laurier has grown rapidly in research intensity while at the same time preserving our well-earned reputation for excellent undergraduate teaching and learning. With a multi-campus and multi-community culture, Laurier offers students an exceptional range of more than 100 academic programs. As a leader in higher education for more than a century, Laurier has offered students a transformative experience, an ethos that is offered in Laurier’s intention to inspire lives of leadership and purpose.
Laurier’s campuses and locations are on the Haldimand Tract, within the traditional territories of the Neutral, Anishnaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. A short 2.5-hour drive of 18 First Nations communities, including the Six Nations of the Grand River— the most populous First Nation in Canada — and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford both have large urban Indigenous populations. There are 12 Métis Councils within a 3-hour radius. We recognize the unique heritages of Indigenous peoples and support their right to preserve and express their distinctive Indigenous cultures, histories, and knowledge through academic programming, research, and co-curricular activities. Laurier honours Indigenous knowledge through diverse ongoing initiatives, programs, funding events, and positions, including the university’s Indigenous Student Centres, its Centre for Indigegogy, the Indigenous Knowledge Fund, Indigenous Education Week and the annual Indigenous Research Symposium. Laurier welcomes a regular stream of Visiting Elders and has an Indigenous Curriculum Specialist, not to mention a growing number of Indigenous faculty, students, and staff.
The Brantford Campus is interwoven into Brantford’s downtown core with more than 3000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 80 full-time faculty, and 18 different programs across four different faculties. Laurier’s Brantford campus is home to numerous research centres such as the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa. The City of Brantford is approximately a one-hour drive along the QEW and Hwy. 403 from Toronto and the Niagara Region and boasts a healthy arts and culture scene, world-class trails system for walking and biking, and a strong slate of festivals and events.
Faculty and Department/Area:
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Leadership Program
Position Location:
Brantford with program courses offered in Brantford, Waterloo, and Online
Area of Specializations:
Leadership, Leadership Studies, Organizational Leadership, or work that shows a demonstrated leadership focus in related fields such as Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Studies, Sociology, Psychology, or Administrative Studies.
Rank/s of the Position:
Assistant Professor
Type of Position:
Tenure-track
Faculty/Department/Program Description:
The Faculty of Human and Social Sciences (FHSS) offers a Minor and Option in Leadership, and degrees in Criminology, Game Design and Development, Community Health, Policing, Psychology, and Public Safety. FHSS promotes continuing education for professionals through the Centre for Public Safety and Well-Being and promotes research through Laurier Brantford’s Centre for Research on Security Practices. Students identify and explore social issues and build real-world connections between what they learn in class and the downtown community just outside the classroom door.
The Faculty currently has nearly 1,500 students and 40 full-time faculty, as well as many part-time instructors. It was founded in 2013, with foundational programs such as Psychology and Criminology as well as many new and innovative programs in a variety of areas.
The Leadership Program, within the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences on Laurier’s Brantford campus, is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary program focused on undergraduate leadership education. The program explores, from a liberal arts perspective, a range of historical and emerging contemporary resources relevant to the challenges facing leaders and organizations today. Focusing on undergraduate education, the program offers a Leadership Option and a Leadership Minor. For more information about the program, including a list of faculty please visit the Leadership Program webpage.
Position Summary:
The Leadership Program is seeking a scholar to help further prepare students for a multicultural workplace and society. The successful candidate will have an active voice in shaping leadership education at Laurier by contributing to the longer-term vision of the program and enhancing the current course breadth to ensure it is relevant and reflective of the society in which students live and work. In addition to providing high quality teaching, the incumbent will also be engaged in developing and expanding upon the existing experiential leadership development initiatives, both locally and/or internationally, with a focus on providing community-based leadership development opportunities for students. The Faculty of Human and Social Sciences is very interdisciplinary and collaborative, and the incumbent will get a chance to work with other scholars across the faculty and Laurier.
Qualifications
A strong scholar with a promising record of research in the field of leadership including leadership theory and/or leadership pedagogy. The scholar should be prepared to provide high quality and effective teaching in the field of leadership as well as the capacity to engage in experiential leadership development initiatives both locally and/or internationally. Able to teach a selection of existing courses in the undergraduate Leadership Option and Minor and enthusiasm to develop additional electives within their area of expertise, including the development and teaching of online courses.
Preference will be given to candidates with a PhD or near completion of a PhD in the fields of leadership, leadership studies, organizational leadership whose work is in related fields such as gender, diversity and inclusion studies, sociology, psychology, or administrative studies. A research focus on leaders and leadership practice, specifically in the areas of Black leadership, African Canadian leadership, Black entrepreneurship, the African & Black diaspora, or community organizing, would be an asset but not a requirement.
Deciding to Become a Candidate
The following is a list of the steps we anticipate in the recruitment process for this position. We would also like to bring to your attention several key issues we would recommend you consider as you navigate the search process.
How to apply
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by including the following in their application. Please note that additional materials may be requested through the review process as required by the home department.
• a letter of interest including the candidate’s research and teaching interest and where this best aligns with Laurier’s academic programs;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a statement on teaching philosophy, and any evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as a course syllabus, a peer teaching review, or student feedback).
• a research plan outlining the candidate’s prospective or in-progress research for the next three to five years (max 2 pages) including two sample publications, reports or other scholarly outputs (whether in-progress or complete)
• the names and contact information of three referees.
• information on membership in an African Diasporic community that has been historically racialized as Black and/or lived experiences of anti-Black racism. This information can be included in a separate statement or within the letter of interest.
Applications can be addressed to Mike Young, Executive Search Associate and submitted electronically to myoung@boyden.com. Review of applications will begin on October 29th and will continue to be collected and evaluated until all of the Inclusive Excellence cohort positions are filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply once interested as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to employment equity and values diversity. Laurier welcomes applications from qualified members of the equity-seeking groups. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, as per Canadian immigration laws, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obligated to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenships; however, all applicants must include one of the following statements in their cover letter:
Yes, I am a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
No, I am not a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Applicants are encouraged to address any career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research and teaching, in accordance with Tri-Council definitions and guidelines.
Laurier strives to make our application process accessible and provides accommodations for both applicants and employees as outlined in Policy 8.7. https://www.wlu.ca/about/
If you require assistance applying for this position, to obtain a copy of this job description in an accessible format, or would like to discuss accessibility and accommodations during the recruitment process please email equity@wlu.ca.