(Fall 2015) U of Arkansas (Little Rock) - VAP (x3) CJ, open

[Ar]

University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Department of Criminal Justice
Visiting Assistant Professors of Criminal Justice (R97294), (R97396), R97128)

Department of Criminal Justice The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Department of Criminal Justice invites applications for three (3) nine month Visiting Assistant Professor positions for the 2015-2016 academic year (will begin fall 2015). We are seeking an individual with expertise in statistics and quantitative research for one position (R97294), while the specialization area for the two other positions is open (R97396; R97128). Closing date for all positions is July 27, 2015.

UALR offers a quality education as one of the South’s leading research universities with one-of-a-kind connections in Arkansas’s thriving capital city. Situated in the heart of Little Rock, UALR offers a dynamic learning environment where students immerse themselves in the traditional college experience and take advantage of opportunities inside the class and out. The Trojan community is a diverse one, with nearly 12,000 students from all over the world and from all walks of life.

Created in 1972, the Department of Criminal Justice at UALR is the flagship criminal justice program in the state. We offer a wide array of educational opportunities to meet all academic levels, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Our academic programs (AS, BA, MA, MS, and PhD) prepare students for work in law enforcement, corrections, and juvenile and adult justice agencies, as well as high level research and academic positions. The department houses three centers: the Center for the Study of Environmental Criminology, the Juvenile Justice Center, and the Senior Justice Center. Please visit ualr.edu/criminaljustice for more information about the department.

These positions include a teaching load of 12 hours each semester in either face-to-face or online formats as needed. The candidate will be expected to be able to teach within any of our academic programs as needed and to work positively with faculty, staff, and students at UALR. For the position with expertise in quantitative research (R97294) and position R97128, a willingness to teach and engage with doctoral students on research projects is desirable. Preference will be given to applicants who have earned a Ph.D. (or completed all PhD requirements before employment commences) in Criminology, Criminal Justice, or closely related field. Applicants must have an ABD status in Criminology, Criminal Justice or a closely related field. A J.D. (law degree) is not appropriate for this position.

Application materials must be submitted through the online application system. Additional information about this position and application requirements are available under the Jobs link on the Human Resources’ website at ualr.edu/humanresources/. Incomplete applications will not be considered. This position is subject to a pre-employment criminal and financial history background check. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication and/or adverse financial history alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and actively seeks the candidacy of minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities. Under Arkansas law, all applications are subject to disclosure. Persons hired must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States.

[Be Careful]

This place has done some incredibly "sketchy" things in the past when they have hired folks. My advice would be to be cautious and to only accept if you have no other option.

[Shocked]

you mean a place putting out calls for 3 VAPs for THIS FALL might not be the most functional place? Color me shocked.

[Shocked Too]

Not to mention that they want someone to teach their grad stats and interact with their doctoral students while teaching 12 credits per semester. Sounds like they may have a number of problems, including being realistic.

[plus]

Plus they want a VAP to teach grad-stats. Seems very unusual.

What angers me is that they got the OK from admin to hire for THREE VAP positions but evidently can't get the OK to make a tenure-track hire. WTF? A competent Chair would go back to admin and say "can we make 1 or 2 T-T hires instead of the three VAPs, please?"

[asdf]

I don't have any inside information about this search. But a late call for several fall VAPs is probably pointing to some issue on the administrative side of things, rather than department failings. No faculty member wants to do a bunch of last-minute hires in the summer.

I'm amused by the "anger" expressed in the last post. Tenure-track lines are hard to negotiate. Is the poster seriously suggesting that the entire course load of three full-time VAPs could be covered by one (or even two) junior TT profs? Get real. It's obvious that Little Rock needs some warm bodies, quick, to fill some serious holes in their schedule. Again, no knowledge of this college on my end, but it looks like a few somebodies are going to get some intense teaching experience soon. Hopefully they'll be able to leverage that into something good for the next market.

[Hmm]

Is it possible that faculty left, creating these positions late in the game?

[Zombie Sociologist]

Jul 9, 2015 9:55:17 GMT -5 Hmm said:

Is it possible that faculty left, creating these positions late in the game?

I know that one of their tenured faculty recently took a job somewhere else.  I'm pretty sure that person taught at least one of the grad stats.