Career Center

The Department of History at Western Kentucky University invites applications for an endowed chair, the Richard Frockt Family Chair, to begin August 2022. We welcome applications from associate and full professors but will also consider applications from advanced assistant professors who have met the requirements for promotion. We seek an established scholar who examines the United States Civil War, the Civil War and Reconstruction era, and/or the legacies of the Civil War, with a strong record of outstanding scholarship, dedicated teaching, and community-based engagement. The successful candidate will lead the department Committee on the Civil War and its Legacies. The department seeks a scholar who will offer undergraduate and graduate history courses and work with the Committee on the Civil War and its Legacies and the department to engage the broader public, create opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in research, connect with student organizations, and engage in outreach to schools and community organizations.

The Department of History at WKU is uniquely positioned to amplify the work of the Frockt Family Chair. The department offers undergraduate majors in History, Social Studies, Legal Studies, Religious Studies, and Asian Religions and Cultures and minors in African American Studies, Latin American Studies, History, Legal Studies, Religious Studies, and Asian Studies. It also offers an M.A. in History. The Social Studies major and the History graduate program train dozens of social studies teachers for regional secondary schools every year. These educators will shape instruction across the Commonwealth. History also houses the Legal Studies program, which the Department of History administers in collaboration with the Political Science Department. As a new major in Fall 2021, Legal Studies is poised for dramatic growth and will train scores of students who aspire to join professions in the law, government, and advocacy. History is also home to a growing African American Studies program that draws students from across the university. Every student at WKU engages the past in History's classrooms when they complete World History, a required core course in our general education program, and many students complete general education elective requirements by taking Religious Studies courses.

Candidates for the position must have a PhD in History or a related field.  Applicants must meet the requirements for Associate Professor and show evidence of a successful and ongoing research agenda as well as a record of engaged teaching. 

Kentucky state law requires all public institutions of postsecondary education to conduct pre-employment criminal background checks to determine suitability for employment.

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is committed to a policy and practice of providing equal employment and educational opportunities to all individuals. In accordance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Revised 1992, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, no form of discrimination or harassment will be tolerated at WKU on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, age, uniformed services, veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or physical or mental disability in admission to career and technical education programs and/or activities, or employment practices.

Persons with disabilities, who need reasonable accommodations to participate in the application and/or selection process, should notify the office of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action/University ADA Services (EEO). To request an accommodation, report/express a complaint, or ask questions regarding WKU's Discrimination and Harassment Policy (#0.2040), please contact Mr. Joshua Hayes, EEO Director/Title IX Investigator/University ADA Coordinator, via email at joshua.hayes@wku.edu or by phone at (270) 745-5121.

The University is also required to investigate complaints of sex and gender-based harassment, also a form of discrimination, and has designated the Title IX Coordinator as the individual responsible for coordinating the investigation and response to such complaints. The Title IX Coordinator for the University is Ms. Deborah Wilkins, who can be contacted via email at deborah.wilkins@wku.edu or by phone at (270) 745-5396. Additional information regarding Title IX is accessible via WKU's https://www.wku.edu/titleix/ website.

Information concerning educational programs offered by WKU are provided at: http://www.wku.edu/atwku/academics.php

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