SMU 26-27 - Associate or Full Professor of History of the American West and Director of the Clements Center for Southwest Studies

Southern Methodist University • Dallas, TX

7d • Onsite

About The Position

Southern Methodist University’s Clements Department of History invites applicants to serve as Director of the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies and hold a tenured appointment in the History Department at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The appointee should be positioned for promotion in the near term. Areas of expertise may include the North American West, the U.S. Southwest, U.S.-Mexico borderlands, or related fields.

The director will support fellows and emerging scholars; develop collaborative programming; cultivate community; and strengthen the Center’s national and international reputation. The director will also be an integral member of the History Department and foster close integration of the Center’s programs with the department’s academic mission. The successful candidate will advise and direct graduate students and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in relevant fields.

The Clements Center, established in 1996, hosts a competitive fellowship program, symposia, collaborative seminars, and public programming, and sponsors the David J. Weber book prize with the Western Historical Association. The position offers opportunities to engage with SMU’s research collections and campus institutions, including the Rees-Jones Library of the American West, DeGolyer Library, Bridwell Library, Bridwell Press, Meadows Museum, and Archaeological Research Center. The Rees-Jones Library is expected to open in Fall 2027.

The Clements Department of History has 15 full-time faculty members and a graduate program emphasizing the southwestern United States, the West, ethnic Mexicans, U.S. political and diplomatic history, the colonial era, and religious history. SMU is a private, nonsectarian university of about 12,000 students in University Park, near Dallas. The university and surrounding region offer opportunities for scholarly engagement with academic centers, archives, museums, and historical institutions.

Requirements

• A distinguished and sustained record of scholarly publication and intellectual leadership in the history of the North American West, U.S. Southwest, U.S.-Mexico borderlands, or a closely related field appropriate for tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
• A record of excellence in teaching.
• A record of professional and/or institutional service.
• Capacity to provide intellectual and administrative leadership appropriate to directing a major research center.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated experience advising and mentoring graduate students, including doctoral students.
• Interest in making significant contributions to the department’s graduate program.

Responsibilities

• Direct the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies.
• Support fellows and emerging scholars.
• Develop collaborative programming and cultivate community.
• Further enhance the Center’s national and international reputation.
• Integrate the Center’s programs with the broader academic mission of the History Department.
• Advise and direct graduate students.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate classes in relevant fields.
• Contribute intellectual and administrative leadership to the Center and professional and/or institutional service.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed