BCAS - Associate Professor/Full Professor and Department Chair of American Culture & Society –530859

The University of Alabama•Tuscaloosa, AL

About The Position

The University of Alabama’s J. Frank Barefield Jr. College of Arts and Sciences seeks an administrative faculty member to serve as Chair of the Department of American Culture and Society, with an appointment beginning August 1, 2027. The department was formed in January 2026 by combining the Departments of Gender and Race Studies and American Studies. Its programs include undergraduate majors in African American Studies and American Studies; minors in those areas, Women’s Studies, Southern Studies, and Sociology; and master’s programs in Women’s Studies and American Studies. Department courses enroll more than 11,000 students annually. The department is interdisciplinary, with faculty teaching and conducting research in their fields while participating in writing groups, seminars, and a speaker series. The chair will provide leadership across the diverse fields represented in the department, build a supportive community among faculty, staff, and students, and strengthen student engagement and departmental relationships. The role includes supporting faculty at all career stages, communicating the relevance and contributions of the department’s disciplines, managing resources and budgets responsibly and transparently, and maintaining involvement in research and teaching. The chair will also oversee curriculum development and program assessment in collaboration with faculty. The position requires a tenured faculty appointment in African American Studies, American Studies, Sociology, Women’s Studies, or a related field, with interdisciplinary training or experience, as well as a record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional service. Preferred qualifications include leadership that supports collaboration, transparency, and shared governance; interdisciplinary collaboration, community building, and student engagement; faculty mentoring and support for retention, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure applications; and experience coordinating innovative student recruitment and retention strategies. Applicants must submit a letter of interest, a statement on leadership and interdisciplinarity, and a current CV with contact information for three references. Application review begins November 15, 2026, and continues until the position is filled. The final candidate must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation, including review of social media and other internet sources.

Requirements

Tenured faculty appointment in African American Studies, American Studies, Sociology, Women’s Studies, or a related field, with interdisciplinary training or experience.
Demonstrated record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional service.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated leadership skills supporting collaboration, transparency, and shared governance.
Experience in interdisciplinary collaboration, community building, and student engagement.
Evidence of mentoring faculty and facilitating successful applications for faculty retention, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure.
Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating innovative recruitment strategies for student enrollment and retention.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate knowledge of the disciplines represented in the department and advocate proactively for the department’s interests.
Build a strong, supportive departmental community among faculty, staff, and students.
Promote meaningful student engagement with the department and its disciplines.
Strengthen relationships and a shared sense of purpose within the department.
Listen and respond thoughtfully to faculty needs and concerns at all career stages.
Communicate the value, contributions, and relevance of the department’s disciplines to audiences within and beyond the University.
Make strategic decisions about departmental resources in alignment with the academic mission and the needs of faculty, staff, and students.
Manage departmental budgets responsibly and transparently.
Maintain involvement in research and teaching.
Establish or maintain, in collaboration with faculty, a system for curriculum development and program assessment.