Assistant Professor, Honors College/Justice S

Job Description

Job Description

Westminster University

Assistant Professor, Honors College / Justice Studies

Full-Time, Benefited)

Start Date : August 2025

Salary Range : $60,000-$62,873.88

Position Summary

Westminster University invites applications for a full-time Assistant Professor appointed jointly in our nationally recognized Honors College and our interdisciplinary Justice Studies program to begin in August 2025. The successful candidate will demonstrate a record of excellence in teaching and a commitment to liberal arts education. They will have the freedom to engage in cutting-edge pedagogical practices like team-teaching and conduct interdisciplinary work collaboratively with colleagues across the university.

The teaching load consists of 24 credit hours per year, split evenly between the Honors College and Justice Studies. Because Westminster faculty often teach across disciplines and programs, candidates with interdisciplinary expertise who can teach in a variety of areas in the social sciences and humanities are especially welcome. For example, the Honors College currently has five full or shared faculty lines and an additional twenty or so faculty with disciplinary appointments who teach regularly together in its curriculum; therefore, experience with team-teaching is highly desirable.

The Justice Studies program is interested in candidates with global perspectives on law, with a focus on social justice and marginalized communities, who would be prepared to teach Justice Studies classes like “Power and Social Change” “Law and Society,” “Global Ethics and Justice,” “Humanitarian Justice,” and “Theories of Punishment”; and Political Science classes like “Courts, Law, and Social Justice” and “Political Philosophy.”

The Honors College is interested in candidates with interdisciplinary orientations who can demonstrate the ability to collaborate with a wide range of faculty from different disciplines in our signature team-taught, discussion-based seminars like “Global Welfare and Justice,” “Foundational Conversations,” and “Science, Power, and Diversity,” among others. Because the Honors College is a national leader in ensuring access to honors education by groups historically underserved by higher education—e.g., 33% of the fall 2024 incoming first-year Honors College class consists of first-generation students (compared to 28% for the overall Westminster entering class)—the successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to supporting such students.

Due to our small, liberal arts environment, responsibilities also include mentoring / advising students outside the classroom, participating in co-curricular activities, and serving on shared governance committees.

Westminster University’s commitment to diversity and global learning is revealed in its core values, mission and vision statements, and learning goals. We seek colleagues who are prepared to facilitate the learning of all students, including those from groups historically underrepresented in higher education, such as students of color, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, and first-generation college students.

About the Institution

Westminster University (formerly Westminster College) is a private, independent, and comprehensive university in Salt Lake City, Utah. Students experience the liberal arts blended with professional programs in an atmosphere grounded in wellness. With the goal of enabling its graduates to live vibrant, just, and successful lives, Westminster provides transformational learning experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students in a student-centered environment. Faculty focus on teaching, learning, and developing distinctive, innovative programs, while students thrive on Westminster’s urban Sugar House campus within minutes of the Rocky Mountains.

Learn more about Westminster’s students, classes, NCAA Division II athletics, and commitment to service and sustainability on the About Westminster University webpage. Our YouTube channel features more information to answer the question What's it like to work at Westminster University? Westminster’s numerous accolades include #1 in Best Value School in the West (US News and World Report 2023) and a Green College (Princeton Review). Additionally, Salt Lake City was ranked the best metro area for jobs by the Wall Street Journal in 2023.

Westminster is the only post-secondary institution in the state of Utah awarded grant funding by the US Department of Education to host the Ronald E. McNair PostBaccalaureate Achievement Program. McNair programs serve low-income and first-generation college students and / or students from groups underrepresented in graduate study. Of the 169 graduates who have gone through the Westminster University McNair Scholars Program since 2003, 72% (122) of students have an advanced degree or are currently in graduate school; 42% (71) have master’s degrees; 5.9% (10) have professional degrees; and 12% (21) have PhDs.

Required Qualifications :

• A Ph.D. in a relevant field completed no later than August 2025.
• Teaching experience at the post-secondary level.
• Demonstrated teaching excellence.
• Ability to teach a range of the classes listed above.
• Demonstrated ability to employ teaching practices that generate active and engaged learning.
• Experience supporting the learning and success of students from groups historically excluded from higher education.

Preferred Qualifications :

Salary and Benefits :

The 9-month starting salary at the Assistant level will be in the range of $60,000-$62,873.88. Additional funding is available by application for conference travel and summer student research advising. Benefits information can be found on the Employee Benefits website.

Application Instructions :

Applications will be reviewed starting on February 21st; applications received before this date will receive full consideration. A complete application that demonstrates competencies in the above qualifications will include the following materials (no other materials will be considered) :

Salary : $60,000 - $62,874