ASSOC OR FULL PROFESSOR, MFA PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Tenure Track Associate or Full Professor and MFA Program Director

The Department of English at the University of Iowa invites applications for a permanent Director of our Nonfiction Writing Program. This is a tenure-track position, at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The position will carry a 1:2 teaching load, in addition to leadership of the MFA program. The Director will work closely with an Associate Director and full-time administrative program assistant, as well as with the chair of the English Department. Duties include: oversight of admissions and recruitment, fundraising, alumni and university relations, curriculum; and service on the department’s Executive Committee.

Profile of the Nonfiction Writing Program: Founded in 1976, the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa is the premier and only standalone nonfiction program in the U.S. A three-year residential program, the NWP accepts ten nonfiction writers each fall, all fully funded by teaching fellowships, with many opportunities for additional research funding. The well-laureled NWP faculty includes John D’Agata, Melissa Febos, Inara Verzemnieks, Tisa Bryant, and Sarah Minor, and recent visiting faculty include Paisley Rekdal, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Kiese Laymon. NWP graduates publish at an unusually high rate, have won every major national literary award, and include Jo Ann Beard, Yiyun Li, Eula Biss, Torrey Peters, and many others.

Profile of the English Department: Located in the first American UNESCO City of Literature, Iowa English is a dynamic department with approximately 900 undergraduate majors, as well as an MA/PhD in Literary Studies and an MFA in Nonfiction Writing. Our undergraduate curriculum takes a fully “hybrid” approach to teaching literature and creative writing. We also offer undergraduate creative writing workshops across genres. Many faculty teach across the whole range of this curriculum. Our 36 tenured or tenure track faculty include recent winners of many prestigious awards and fellowships, including multiple Guggenheims, Fulbrights, National Book Critics Circle, and major fellowships from the NEA and NEH. The University of Iowa provides robust internal support for faculty research and creative work, including a pre-tenure teaching release, post-tenure development leaves, grant and fellowship workshops, and funding for research and conference travel.

Salary is commensurate.

Candidates must submit applications online at: http://jobs.uiowa.edu. Search requisition #75666

Applications must include: (1) a cover letter; (2) a CV; (3) 25 pages of nonfiction writing (4); three letters of recommendation. Review of applications will begin Sept. 5, 2025.

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any misconduct history or pending research misconduct investigation including but not limited to sexual misconduct in prior employment and provide a related release and will be subject to a criminal background and credential check.

The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences.

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