State University Faculty Assistant Professor of Social Work

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Job Description:

Metro State University a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System is seeking to hire an Assistant Professor. This is a fixed-term (one year) position within the Social Work department and will start on August 17 2026.

Examples of courses that this position may teach include:

SOWK 321 - Social Work Practice I

• This course examines frameworks for social work practice social work values and ethics ethnic competence in multicultural contexts and the professional relationship skills required for effective beginning social work practice. The stages of the problem solving process are examined in detail with emphasis on working at all levels of client systems: individuals and families; groups; and communities and organizations. An understanding of theories of culture and of multicultural interventions is emphasized.

SOWK 333 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment

• The course emphasizes ecological and theoretical perspectives for social work practice with culturally diverse populations and includes the study of human behavior and development throughout the lifespan.

SOWK 360 - Social Welfare History and Policy

• Students acquire a critical understanding of the historic development of social welfare policy and its implications for contemporary macro practice within the social work profession. Students will analyze formulate and evaluate social welfare policy paying special attention to implications for racial ethnic and cultural communities and the role of social work professionals to intentionally influence equitable policy solutions.

SOWK 522 - Social Work Practice II

• This course emphasizes the theories and skills necessary for social workers to practice effectively at the community and governmental levels and professional ethics and legal responsibilities in individual and family work. Using a case study approach students apply change and comparative analysis theories in multicultural community projects and in the state legislature.

SOWK 582 - Social Work Capstone Seminar

• Students examine the field practicum experience in a mainstream agency applying theories they have acquired throughout the program. Students write a major integrating paper on generalist multicultural social work practice.

Please note: Filling of this position is dependent upon budget.

Responsibilities:
Faculty members are expected to:

• Demonstrate the ability to teach social work courses effectively to a post-traditional student population and contribute to meaningful assessment of student learning.

• Engage in scholarly activity creative achievement and/or research.

• Provide evidence of continuing preparation and study.

• Contribute to student growth and development through advising and assistance.

• Engage in service to the university and community.

• Demonstrate a commitment to serving a diverse student body by delivering a student-centered education and using approaches that support equitable outcomes for all students.

• Provide excellent learning environments through an in-person centered model with the ability to teach online and/or hybrid course content as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A minimum of a masters degree in social work.

• Two years of post- MSW social work practice experience.

• Demonstrated interest in faculty position that prioritizes teaching and emphasizes teaching excellence.

• A plan for scholarly activity creative achievement and/or research in the specified discipline(s) or related disciplines.

• Effective communication skills (written & verbal) to communicate with a variety of persons and groups.

• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with students and colleagues who are culturally economically and linguistically diverse.

• Demonstrated experience collaborating and serving racially ethnically and culturally diverse communities.

• Technical Computer and/or Software skills sufficient to successfully navigate instructional platforms such as D2L Turnitin Zoom and the like.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A doctorate degree directly relating to the social work discipline.

• Demonstrated effectiveness teaching at a post-secondary level.

• Experience developing course curricula at a post-secondary institution.

• Demonstrated contributions to assessment of student learning at a post-secondary institution.

• Professional development and/or expertise in culturally responsive and/or anti-racist pedagogy.

• Experience providing academic advising for non-traditional students at a post-secondary institution.

Salary:

Salary is commensurate with education and experience and is determined by the salary placement process as outlined in the Inter Faculty Organization (IFO) Master Agreement.

Employment for this position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement for the Inter Faculty Organization (IFO) which can be found at on the Minnesota State Employee and Labor Relations website.

For the most current information on the Inter Faculty Organization go to

Application: To apply go to comply with privacy and data practices requirements please refrain from including personal information or photographs in your application materials.

Open Until Filled. Priority Applications must be received by 11:59 PM on Monday June 1st 2026.

Qualified applicants are required to attach the following documents to their online application:

• Cover letter of interest addressing your qualifications for the position.

• Current curriculum vita or resume.

• A statement of your teaching philosophy and examples of teaching effectiveness particularly as it relates to equity and anti-racist pedagogy (limit 2 pages).

• Names of four (4) references with addresses email addresses and telephone numbers; at least two (2) of the references must be able to address teaching effectiveness.

• Transcripts - Valid unofficial copies of your transcript showing conferred/awarded date of your highest attained degree with your name and the academic institutions name/logo are required. If doctoral study is in progress at the time of application submit the most recent transcript showing your course of study and progress to date. We are not able to accept copy/paste word documents with a list of courses/grades. If selected for hire official original transcripts will be required.

• Additional materials may be requested at a later date.

If you have other questions related to this job announcement please contact Human Resources at 651.793.1275 or email at

For TTY call Minnesota Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-.

Notice: In accordance with the Minnesota State Vehicle Fleet Safety Program employees driving on university business who use a rental or state vehicle shall be required to conform to Minnesota States vehicle use criteria and consent to a motor vehicle records check.

Description of College/School/Unit:

The College of Community Studies and Public Affairs is comprised of the School of Community Studies and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Departments of Psychology Human Services Social Work and Public and Nonprofit Leadership make up the School of Community Studies. The college offers thirty programs that include undergraduate graduate and certificate programs.

The School/Academic Department:

The Social Work Departments social work program has been accredited since 1997 under the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). The program was reaccredited under the new CSWE 2015 Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and is pending reaffirmation under the CSWE 2022 EPAS.

The mission of the Social Work program is to integrate the values knowledge and skills inherent to social work into an academic program that will enable multi-culturally competent bachelors level students to engage in generalist social work practices that will meet the needs of the increasingly diverse Twin Cities communities.

This program will prepare students for generalist social work practice with client systems of various sizes and types with special emphasis on Native Americans and communities of color. This program will build on a Liberal Arts base and will provide a curriculum foundation that contains the professions values knowledge and skills. As an applied discipline this program is an in-person centered cohort-based model.

Metro State University empowers learners to transform their lives and communities through relevant student-centered education in an inclusive anti-racist and supportive learning environment.

Metro State University provides an excellent inclusive and engaging education to eliminate opportunity gaps and empower our students to lead our communities to a prosperous and equitable future. The university offers programs leading to baccalaureate masters and applied doctoral degrees. We provide accessible high quality liberal arts professional and graduate education with continued emphasis on marginalized groups including adult learners. Metro State is a five-time recipient of the Insight into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award most recently in 2023. Federally recognized as a Minority Serving Institution its employees serve more than 9000 post-traditional learners two-thirds of whom identify as belonging to communities of color or American Indian nations are first in their family to attend college and/or are eligible for Pell Grants. Since we do not operate residential facilities Metro State University students all commute to class locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area or take their courses wherever they are through our many distance-learning and hybrid course offerings allowing Metro State to truly be where learning meets living. Metropolitan State is recognized by CollegeNet as a leading higher education promoter of social mobility for students (Ranked # 12 out of 1398 in 2025). Recognized in 2008 and 2016 by the Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement the university is committed to academic excellence and community engagement through curriculum teaching scholarship and services designed to support an urban mission. As a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Metro State University actively works to achieve the Equity 2030 goal of the system with initiatives to close disparities among student groups that focus on academic programs policies and procedures and effective student addition equity and anti-racism strategies are focused on building an inclusive and welcoming campus climate hiring and retaining a diverse workforce and developing our capacity to serve students in a culturally responsive manner. The university is in the second year of its current Strategic Plan that emphasizes its legacy of student success by becoming the regions premier institution for high-quality accessible and equitable education promoting social mobility and community engagement.

Visit the Metro State University website to learn more about the university our programs and our students. Learn more about Minnesota State Colleges and Universities at their website.

Metro State University is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race sex color creed religion age national origin disability protected veteran status marital status status with regard to public assistance sexual orientation gender identity gender expression or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer we actively seek and encourage applications from women minorities persons with disabilities and individuals with protected veteran status.

The university provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Benefits Information:

At Minnesota State we take your well-being and work-life balance seriously. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that features low-cost medical and dental insurance with affordable deductibles employer-paid life insurance short- and long-term disability and pre-tax healthcare and dependent care accounts with a roll-over option. To further support your holistic health employees also have access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health legal and financial counseling. Detailed plan details rates and coverage choices can be reviewed directly via the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) website.

To support your life outside of work our package includes 12 paid holidays generous vacation and sick time and six weeks of Paid Parental Leave. We also help you secure your financial future with a robust Pension Plan 457(b) and 403(b) retirement accounts and various investment options. Furthermore we invest in your growth by providing dedicated professional development and tuition waivers for both you and your dependents. Please note that specific benefit eligibility and coverage levels may vary depending on the type of position employee classification and collective bargaining agreements.

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