The Department of English in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY seeks to fill a tenure-eligible faculty position at the Professor level for the Chair of the Department of English. This is a 9-month position in the regular title series with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. We seek an accomplished scholar and visionary leader to build upon the department's strengths and guide it towards continued success and innovation.
The Department of English at the University of Kentucky includes more than 30 distinguished faculty members, 275 majors and minors, and 60 graduate students. The department has research strengths in British, American, African American and Global Anglophone Literature, and in Film Studies. The Creative Writing division includes award-winning authors of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The department offers a rich and diverse educational experience in Creative Writing and Literature and Film studies, housing four degree programs: a B.A. in English, M.F.A. in Creative Writing, an M.A. in English, and a Ph.D. in English. The department plays a vital role in the University’s mission to foster academic excellence, advance research, and promote access, community, and engagement across the campus and the Commonwealth.
The successful candidate will:
- Have a distinguished record of scholarship and teaching that qualifies for appointment with tenure at the rank of Professor.
- Demonstrate significant administrative leadership experience and strategic financial resource management.
- Demonstrate a track record of growing student enrollments, enhancing student retention and success.
- Exhibit a strong commitment to access, community, and engagement in an academic setting.
- Demonstrate excellent communication, decision-making, as well as interpersonal skills to effectively lead and advocate for the department.
- Show an ability to engage with alumni, donors, and external stakeholders to advance the department’s mission.
- Demonstrate that their own research and teaching experience as well as goals will support and advance the accomplishments of the faculty. Communicate their plan for growing faculty accomplishments and expanding the expertise of the English Department in directions that sustain the breadth of its creative writing, literary studies, and film studies coverage.
A PhD in English or an MFA/PhD in Creative Writing is required.
The Chair of the Department of English will provide strategic administrative leadership with a focus on managing change, growing enrollments, and fostering curricular innovation. The normal term of office for a Department Chair is four years, renewable for a second four-year term. Specific key responsibilities include:
- Strategic Leadership and Vision: Lead the department in articulating and executing a clear and ambitious strategic plan that enhances the department’s academic profile in line with the university’s goals. The Chair must be prepared to advance the mission of both divisions: Creative Writing and Literature and Film, through collaborative leadership with each division’s director and with the directors of graduate and undergraduate studies for each division.
- Change Management: Effectively navigate and lead the department through periods of transformation, both in terms of academic initiatives and institutional priorities.
- Financial and Resource Management: Oversee the department’s financial resources, ensuring effective budgetary planning, allocation, and stewardship.
- Student Recruitment, Retention, and Success: Develop and implement strategies to enhance student recruitment and retention in both undergraduate and graduate programs. The Chair will also champion initiatives that support the academic, professional, and personal success of students, to include creating and maintaining programs that enhance student advising, mentorship, and career preparation, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for postgraduate opportunities, whether in further education or the workforce.
- Faculty Development and Mentorship: Support the professional development of faculty, fostering a collaborative and inclusive academic culture.
- Collaboration and Advocacy: Serve as an advocate for the department within the university and externally. The Chair will collaborate with other departments, college leadership, and university administration to enhance interdisciplinary opportunities and ensure that the department’s strengths are well-represented. Externally, the Chair will engage with alumni, donors, and other invested parties to advance the department’s mission and secure financial and institutional support.
Applicants must include the following: 1) cover letter outlining the candidate’s vision for the department, and commitment to teaching, research, and service, 2) CV, 3) Statement summarizing the candidate's administrative and leadership experience, including preparation for this role (upload as specific request 1). In addition, please provide the names and contact information of three references when prompted in the academic profile. This information may be utilized to solicit recommendation letters from your references within the employment system.
Questions about this search should be addressed to Dr. Allison Burkette, Department Chair, Department of Linguistics, University of Kentucky (
allison.burkette@uky.edu) & Dr. Brad Plaster, Department Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Kentucky (
brad.plaster@uky.edu).
Review of applications will begin on December 15, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.
