Description

Title: Assistant Professor, English

Area: College of Arts and Sciences

Department: English

Telework Availability: On-Campus Position

Employee Classification: Tenure Track Faculty (Full-time)

Appointment Percentage: 100

Months per year: 9

Salary Range: The budgeted annual salary that the University reasonably expects to offer for this position is $69,945. The internal salary range is $69,945 - $74,608.

Review Date: October 27, 2025

Is this position eligible for relocation reimbursement or a signing bonus?: Yes

Job Purpose:

Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA is searching for a skilled writer-teacher to join our teaching-centered and research-active English Department as a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor specializing in creative nonfiction writing, beginning Fall semester 2026.

We wish to welcome a colleague whose creative work helps the department build bridges to emerging and established programs across campus. We are especially interested in creative writers with active publication records in creative nonfiction and the ability or interest to teach creative writing courses in multiple genres.

In addition to an active record of creative writing or creative inquiry, we seek candidates with a demonstrated commitment to excellent undergraduate teaching that promotes inclusive, accessible, and equity-minded learning environments. Teaching responsibilities include 3 courses per semester of first-year writing and upper-division creative writing (18-credit annual course load), with the potential to teach other courses in the major and University Core in the future, as determined by department need and candidate's interest and expertise. The department values innovative teaching, and the teaching load for this position will regularly include first-year writing. As such, we are also looking for candidates with innovative and research-informed composition pedagogy in addition to a demonstrated ability to teach creative writing.

Candidates will be expected to participate in the development of a dynamic undergraduate program. In addition to maintaining an active agenda for creative and/or scholarly work, all members of the department contribute to and participate in student advising and mentorship, reflective and effective teaching, department assessment and evaluation, academic citizenship, program development, and recruiting.

The College of Arts and Sciences also encourages faculty collaboration, and opportunities exist for interdisciplinary teaching and research projects with University partners including Women and Gender Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Environmental Studies, Honors, and the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology as well as other programs on campus.

Who We Are

Gonzaga University is a primarily undergraduate institution committed to teaching excellence. Gonzaga is a Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic institution, and is therefore interested in candidates who will contribute to its distinctive mission of educating students "for lives of leadership and service for the common good." The University is committed to fostering "a mature commitment to dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet." As an institution committed to "whole person education," Gonzaga University welcomes applicants of any faith tradition, spiritual belief, or no faith, as well as applicants of all identities, including applicants across the gender and sexuality spectrum.

Gonzaga University is an internationally prominent university with a faculty dedicated both to innovative teaching and to socially aware and justice-oriented research. University centers of global engagement include Colombia, Zambia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Italy, where Gonzaga has an established branch campus. We know that our recognition as a premier institution of higher education depends on the diversity of our community and our intellectual endeavors. We believe that excellence and inclusive teaching and learning environments are mutually interconnected. In alignment with Gonzaga University's mission, we expect applicants to demonstrate a strong commitment to issues of social justice, diversity, global engagement, and care for/solidarity with vulnerable and marginalized communities. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, staff, and students, and who can contribute to the departmental ethos and campus climate of inclusivity are encouraged to identify their experience and vision in these areas.

The English Department and the College provide support to faculty for developing engaging, inclusive, interactive courses that meet our learning objectives. In addition, Gonzaga's Center for Teaching and Advising provides regular faculty development and education opportunities, including an optional New Faculty Learning Community program to support new faculty throughout their first year at Gonzaga. The University is committed to inclusive excellence and actively promotes the success of a diverse population of undergraduate students, staff, and faculty.

Gonzaga's campus sits adjacent to downtown Spokane, WA, along the Spokane River in the Inland Northwest's most metropolitan region. We exist on the traditional and current homelands of the Spokane people, one of the Interior Salish speaking tribes of the region. Spokane is Washington's second largest city and boasts a vibrant restaurant, entertainment, and arts community; it is also home to a diverse array of neighborhoods and popular outdoor recreational areas.

For more information on our mission, please visit: https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/our-mission-jesuit-values/mission-statement

Essential Functions:

• Demonstrates effective teaching and methods for student learning and assessment. Faculty will teach three courses each semester (3-credits each, 18-credits per year) in first year-composition and upper division creative writing, with additional opportunities at the lower and upper division levels as needed by the department.
• Establish a program of creative or scholarly activity and publish works of creative writing, creative inquiry, and/or scholarly practice in venues appropriate to the discipline.
• Engage in the life of the university as an academic citizen, including mentoring senior writing projects, serving on committees at department and university level, academic advising, and supporting the administration and coordination of our undergraduate Writing Concentration in English.
• Support the department, university, and discipline through service and other forms of academic citizenship as a colleague united in a common educational purpose and a shared University mission.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD or MFA in creative writing or closely related field; ABDs with the expectation of degree in hand by July 15, 2026, will also be considered
• Demonstrated experience designing, teaching, and assessing effective learning experiences in first-year writing and creative writing, including at least three years as instructor of record teaching composition and/or creative writing courses
• Evidence of an active record of achievement in creative writing and the potential for future work
• Demonstrated evidence of teaching and mentoring methods that foster an inclusive academic environment for learners from a variety of backgrounds and identities, including those historically marginalized and underrepresented in higher education

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated record of publication/activity in creative nonfiction with ability to teach upper division courses in multiple genres
• Evidence of interest in innovative and research-informed pedagogies
• Evidence of ability to develop and teach new courses in English that align with emerging and established programs across campus (e.g., health equity, data science and informatics, film studies, medical humanities, environmental studies, women and gender studies, critical race and ethnic studies)
• Demonstrated record of student advising, mentorship, and development
• Ability or interest in developing or teaching interdisciplinary seminars (such as Gonzaga's University Core First-Year Seminar)
• Ability or interest in advising student publications
• Ability or interest in organizing visiting writer events

Educational Requirement:

Terminal Degree

Physical & On-Campus Requirements:

In-Office Presence - Ability to work on-site in typical office setting and participate in in-person meetings with colleagues: 5 days/week

Standing/Sitting - Ability to remain in a stationary position for a prolonged period: Often (50%-75% of time)

Walking - Ability to move about on foot to accomplish tasks: Often (50%-75% of time)

Lifting/Carrying - Ability to move or transport objects up to a specified weight: Rarely (1%-49% of time)

Attention to Detail - Ability to focus on detailed tasks for extended periods: Daily (>75% of time)

Problem-Solving - Ability to identify and resolve issues effectively: Daily (>75% of time)

Required Application Materials:

(1) Cover letter
(2) Curriculum vitae
(3) A statement that demonstrates your experience and responsiveness to the academic and psychosocial needs of students from diverse backgrounds, including evidence of effective and reflective college-level teaching in an undergraduate English program that emphasizes a humanistic identity and mission like Gonzaga's
(4) Two sample course syllabi of courses taught by applicant
(5) Writing portfolio, including a statement of writing principles and writing samples (two shorter CNF pieces or excerpts from book-length manuscripts); web links to writing materials are acceptable
(6) Unofficial copies of graduate school transcripts

Names and contact information for at least three (3) professional references will be collected from advancing candidates during the interview process. References will be sent a link to upload a confidential letter of recommendation.

Please direct questions about this position to Jeff Dodd, Search Committee Chair, English Department, [email protected]. This position remains open until filled; to ensure consideration, please submit by 10/27/2025. For assistance with your online application, please call the Human Resources department at 509-313-5996