Academic Unit Head, Sociology & Anthropology

Working Title: Academic Unit Head Sociology & Anthropology

State Role Title:N/A

Position Type:Instructional / Teaching Faculty

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: College of Arts and Letters

Department: 100034 - Sociology and Anthropology Department

Pay Rate:Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only positionNo

Is this a grant-funded positionNo

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated positionNo

Beginning Review Date:11/18/2025

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginias beautiful Shenandoah Valley the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington D.C. and Richmond VA.

JMU is a selective public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21000 undergraduate and 1800 graduate students with over 1000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts science and technology and professional disciplines at the undergraduate masters and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at James Madison University invites applications for the position of Academic Unit Head (AUH) to begin July 1st 2026. The position is a 12-month tenured faculty appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor with a teaching load of 1-1. The department has 23 full-time faculty members engaged in diverse research programs across numerous subfields within Sociology and Anthropology respectively. Faculty are also highly engaged in professional service at the university local national and international levels. Our faculty provide excellent and creative educational experiences for majors minors and students in other programs across campus in large and small classroom settings including courses that provide hands-on training in research methods theory and analysis. The department also plays a significant role in teaching numerous courses for the General Education program. The department maintains multiple research spaces labs and other pedagogical venues that provide space for support to and training in qualitative quantitative and mixed-methods research methodologies.

The department is part of JMUs College of Arts and Letters which enrolls more than 3100 undergraduate majors and about 150 graduate students across ten academic units. Home to several interdisciplinary centers and institutes the college embraces the teacher-scholar model and encourage excellent applicants within our particular disciplines as well as scholars and teachers eager to work across them.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General expectations:
We seek a faculty advocate who is a collaborative and dynamic colleague with a strong and continuing record of research and teaching experience consistent with appointment at the level of advanced Associate or Full Professor at an R2 institution. The AUH should bring a broad understanding and appreciation for the scholarly interests of our faculty which is reflected in our diverse research programs teaching styles and formats and service activities. The ideal applicant should also understand national trends that will shape the future of higher education including but not limited to shifting enrollment priorities in the social sciences as well as the changing landscape of federal light of recent national trends we seek an AUH committed to supporting our departments mission of providing our undergraduate majors and minors with theoretical and practical skills via the innovative integration of teaching research and service.

Qualifications:

Competitive candidates will have the following qualifications:
A PhD in Sociology or Anthropology
Qualification for rank as an advanced Associate or Full Professor
A track-record of excellence in teaching research and service that demonstrates:
A commitment to collegiality fairness and transparency for all students faculty and staff
A commitment to working with department faculty and staff to support a vision that aligns with college and university goals
An interdisciplinary and collaborative leadership style demonstrated by experience in developing and strengthening collaborative working relationships within and across departments
Excellent management interpersonal and communication skills especially when it comes to addressing multiple competing priorities
A demonstrated capacity to sustain and enhance the trust mutual respect and care that characterizes our supportive work environment and culture of collegial self-governance.

Preferred candidate experiences include a demonstrated track record of:
Leadership experience in administrative roles or supervisory positions which could include but is not limited to large labs centers/departments within a university NGOs or other scholarly organizations
Advocating for faculty/staff and securing resources on their behalf from administrative units
Mentoring in scholarly settings especially faculty mentoring
Developing or redesigning curricula

Additional Posting Information:

Candidates should complete the application through the JMU career site and submit:
A cover letter which includes a discussion of the candidates motivation for applying to the position leadership style and relevant administrative experience.
A curriculum vitae.
A brief pedagogy statement that includes evidence of teaching effectiveness and teaching philosophy (Other Document # 1).
The names and contact information for three references that we may contact later in the selection process.

For more information regarding the position contact the search chair Dr. Kenneth Pearce at

Conditions of Employment:

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age color disability gender identity or expression genetic information national origin parental status political affiliation race religion sex sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access inclusion and diversity for all students faculty staff constituents and programs believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: .

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at or You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office located at 752 Ott Street Harrisonburg VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.