Physics Professor - Tenure Track
5 days ago
Tacoma
Who We Are Priority Consideration Date: January 11, 2025 Located in the scenic Puget Sound area with Mount Rainier in the distance, Tacoma is the third largest city in Washington State with a thriving and diverse community of over 200,000 residents. ?Tacoma Community College (TCC) was built on the?ancestral territory of Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Puyallup and Squaxin Island Tribes. The 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty forcibly removed them to Reservations to make way for colonizers; we recognize the privilege of utilizing this land has come at great cost. ?We honor the resilience of the Puyallup and Squaxin Island people, who still live here, defend their rights, and contribute greatly to the well-being of our community. ?Our institution aims to increase partnerships and community ties with the local indigenous populations. Moreover, TCC stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the Black community by further strengthening collaboration with the Black Student Union as well as community entities such as the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, the Tacoma Urban League, and local black-owned businesses. In addition, we strongly support the Stop Asian Hate movement and have an active Asian Pacific Islander Student Club as well as an Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Coalition. TCC is committed to developing more culturally responsive curricula by infusing and incorporating more educational content focused on the lives, experiences, and contributions of Native, Black, Asian, and other marginalized communities. We continually strive to become an anti-racist institution. To grow our workforce, we are seeking creative, collaborative faculty who are reflective of the diverse community we serve. Tacoma Community College is a public Associate- and Bachelor’s-granting institution that serves a student-body of approximately 10,000 students. Our students are 48% students of color, 60% female, and have a median age of 26. We embrace our identity as a community college. Our faculty are engaged in innovative work to improve student retention and program completion, and community success. According to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, TCC ranks high on measures of active learning and academic challenge, thanks to our creative and scholarly faculty. We are specifically focusing on improved support for traditionally marginalized populations, including Black/African- American, Indigenous, People of Color, Dreamers, justice-involved, immigrants and refugees, Veterans, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and the LGBTQIA2+ community. To this end, TCC seeks applicants who: Value intellectual curiosity and innovative teaching Welcome difference and model respectful interaction with others Recognize and honor the important role that diversity brings to an educational community Have experience teaching or doing research in Native/Indigenous communities. Are committed to educating a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population Are committed to teaching in a community college setting Care deeply about student success Intentionally support and promote efforts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion Honor TCC’s mission promoting equitable access to educational opportunities Reflect the diversity of our community The Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SEM) Division, which includes 40 full-time faculty and nearly 60 part time faculty, offers courses for STEM students, who transfer to colleges and universities throughout the nation, our pre-allied health students, and general education courses. We also proudly have a Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program, with the stated goal of diversifying the STEM workforce. The Physics program is housed within the Computer Science, Astronomy, Physics, and Engineering (CAPE) Department. It is a collaborative group of 9 full-time faculty members and 4 part time faculty members. As a Physics professor, you will have the opportunity to provide direction with a focus on increasing diversity within the discipline. REGIONAL SETTING For information on Tacoma and the surrounding area: Position Summary: This is a full-time tenure-track position that would be expected to teach courses in physics, engineering, and related courses. This position reports to the Dean for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SEM) and supports the broader scope of academic pathways at TCC. This position is expected to start in September 2026. This is an on-campus position with opportunities for hybrid and online teaching. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement provides for a 176 day yearly contract running approximately from September 1 to June 15. The faculty member filling this position may be assigned classes to be taught during evenings or on Saturdays, or at our Gig Harbor campus. This position reports to the Dean for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. This position is expected to start in September 2026. Tenure track candidates are supported through a 3-year long tenure process, after which they are eligible for tenure. A one time stipend is paid for achievement of tenure and is currently $2650. Tenure track faculty are assessed primarily on their teaching, service to the college, and community involvement. This may include performing research or writing grants; however the college strongly values other ways faculty choose to advance the college’s mission. Essential Functions Prepare and teach courses in algebra based and calculus based physics, including labs. Instruct and assist in the growth and success of a diverse population of students through careful preparation of course materials, effective teaching methods including hybrid and online pedagogy, and informed critical feedback on assignments and discussions including student learning outcomes. Provide service to the College, including curriculum development and participation in college committees, shared governance, and appropriate professional development activities. Develop, review, and revise curriculum. Advise and mentor students, helping them to formulate sound educational and career plans Participate in SEM Division and College equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts and work towards promoting an anti-racist curriculum. Participate in the recruitment and retention of science and engineering students, particularly historically under-represented groups, such as black, brown, and female students. Collaborate on strategies to facilitate success for historically underserved populations. Participate in program review and instructional assessment. Work in support of the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities of the College. Perform other related duties as assigned. Qualifications Duties of the position require the following knowledge, skills and abilities: Ability to effectively respond to the broad-ranging needs of a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population. Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with students, faculty, and staff across campus. Ability to recruit and retain historically underserved students into science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics. Provide leadership in projects and initiatives. Review, develop, and assess curriculum. Cultural self-awareness and cultural sensitivity to diverse populations of students and colleagues Knowledge of, and willingness to use, contemporary teaching techniques such as collaborative, inquiry-based, active, and experiential learning, integrative learning communities, and individual and group student projects. Knowledge of, and adherence to, best practices for safety in the classroom and laboratory environments. Dedication to remaining current in the discipline by continual professional development. Ability to serve as an accessible mentor to students. Required education and experience: Master’s degree in physics, engineering, or a closely related field. Preferred Qualifications: Teaching experience in community colleges. Ability to teach engineering courses such as thermodynamics, statics, dynamics, materials science, engineering graphics, introduction to design, etc. Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to, teaching, mentoring, recruiting, and providing services to Black, Brown, and Native American students. Commitment to incorporating culturally sustaining and inclusive classroom practices into teaching and mentorship. Conditions of Employment: Successful completion of a criminal history background check. Application Process Application Materials & Procedure: Complete application packages must include the following: Tacoma Community College online application. Resume and cover letter describing how your educational background and experience align with the responsibilities and qualifications. Copies of transcripts for all colleges and universities attended (official transcripts will be required for the successful candidate). Tacoma Community College is committed to eliminating barriers and systems of oppression so we may serve all learners and support each other as colleagues. We strive to be an anti-racist institution and value compassion, respect, and continuous improvement. A critical component of this is the understanding that the work of cultivating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) belongs to all employees. Tacoma Community College desires candidates who have two or more of the following characteristics: Knowledge of the challenges faced by minoritized students (historically marginalized or excluded) and a demonstrated commitment to addressing disparities within an institutional setting. Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to, teaching, mentoring, or providing services to support the academic success of minoritized students. Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to incorporating culturally relevant and inclusive classroom practices into teaching and mentorship. Personal connection to the College’s strategic goal of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as the ability to draw on your own positionality to enrich the student experience. Please provide a statement of no more than two pages that address how you meet two or more of these characteristics. Candidates with less work experience should be specific as to how they demonstrate commitment. Candidates with more work experience should be specific about what they have done as well as what they would like to do. Terms of Employment: This is a full-time tenure track faculty position contracted on an annual basis. The salary range for this position is $69,995 to $81,995; any legislative approved COLA will be adjusted later in the new academic year. Placement on the faculty salary schedule will commensurate with educational background and experience per the Faculty Negotiated Agreement 24-27(Download PDF reader)(Download PDF reader)(Article 4.00 Academic Employee Compensation). . Tacoma Community College offers a comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents, including medical, dental, and vision insurance. Life and long-term disability insurance plans, sick and personal leave, reduced tuition for the employee, and retirement benefits are also provided. For more information, please visit our employment page/employment benefits: . A collective bargaining agreement exists, and membership in the TCC Federation of Teachers or payment of a service fee is available anytime upon hire. Evening and off-campus assignments may be a part of the instructional load. Flexibility is required to meet the needs of the department. Degrees must be from accredited colleges or universities recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and verified by the National Clearinghouse. International degrees will be verified for U.S. equivalency. Tacoma Community College values diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Educator. Tacoma Community College provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war. Prohibited sex discrimination includes sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual conduct of various types). Provides reasonable accommodations for qualified students, employees, and applicants with disabilities in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act and Federal Rehabilitation Act. Tacoma Community College is a smoke-free/drug free environment. This recruitment announcement may not reflect the entire job description and can be change and or modified at any time. Tacoma Community College Human Resources 6501 S 19th St Bldg. 14, Tacoma WA 98466 The benefits information presented on this page is a summary of College provided benefits. This information is subject to change and is subject to the provisions of any legislative mandates and College policy changes. For more detailed information about Tacoma Community College (TCC) benefits, please do not hesitate to contact the College benefits coordinator at (253) 566-5024. TCC offers a comprehensive benefits package which include medical, dental, life insurance, and long- term disability insurance through the Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB), along with retirement benefits through TIAA and the Department of Retirement System Eligibility Full-time faculty, classified staff, administrators and professional staff are eligible for benefits. Hourly employees and part-time faculty may be eligible for benefits if, and when, they meet specific criteria and are notified by TCC Human Resources. Effective Date of Coverage Coverage begins the first day of the month following the date of hire, or date of achieving eligibility status. If the date of hire is the first working day of the month, coverage begins immediately. Health Insurance Medical Plans Eligible employees have several medical plan options to select from (provided by PEBB). Employees pay a monthly premium through payroll deduction. Premium Rates Effective January 1, 2024 Resources: PEBB Website Medical Plan information PEBB Medical Plan Comparison Dental Plans Employees choose from three dental plans. TCC covers the full dental premium for employees and enrolled dependents. Resource: Dental Plan Comparison Vision Covered under medical plan chosen. Waiving Medical Coverage If you have other employer-based medical insurance, Medicare or TRICARE, you have the option to waive PEBB medical coverage. Dental is mandatory for all eligible employees and cannot be waived, unless enrolled in dental coverage as a dependent under a SEBB (School District Employee Benefits Board) plan. Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) & Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) & LimitedPurpose FSA FSA & DCAP accounts allow employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars to cover out-of-pocket health care and/or childcare expenses. Members of WFSE (HE CCC) and WPEA, will be eligible to receive a $250 FSA card if employed as of November 1, 2023 with an annual full-time equivalent salary of less than $60,000, and is enrolled in a non-CDHP medical plan as of January 1 of the plan year that FSA funds are made available. This card is issued by PEBB in the following January and does not count against the annual FSA limit, if enrolled in an FSA with Navia. The Limited Purpose FSA is eligible for employees who are enrolled in a consumer-directed health plan (CDHP) that has a Health Savings Account. The Limited Purpose FSA is only for dental and vision expenses. Resource: Navia Benefit Solutions Life Insurance Benefits eligible employees, lawful spouse or same-sex domestic partner, dependent children under 26 years of age are eligible to enroll in life insurance. Coverage is effective first of the month following the date of employment for basic coverage; for optional coverage, amounts become effective the first of the month following approval date. Basic Coverage: $35,000 Basic Term Life & $5,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) This is employer-provided at no cost to the employee. Supplemental Life Insurance Coverage(s): Any supplemental term life insurance and AD&D coverage for employee, lawful spouse, qualified same-sex domestic partner, and family is available at additional cost to the employee. Resource: MetLife Life Insurance Long Term Disability(LTD) Basic LTD: Provides 60% of the first $400 pre-disability earnings, reduced by any deductible income at no cost to the employee. Supplemental LTD: Supplemental LTD coverage to replace at 60% or 50% of full pre-disability earnings is available at an additional cost to the employee. Resource: PEBB Long-Term Disability Insurance PAID LEAVE Classified staff, Administrators, and Professional staff are eligible for paid vacation, sick leave, and personal leave, along with paid federal holidays. Classified Monthly vacation entitlement amounts can vary from 11.33 to 16.67 hours per month depending on the length of state service. Administrator/Exempt Professional vacation leave is 16.00 hours per month. Monthly sick leave entitlement is 8.00 hours per month based on 100% FTE position and will be prorated accordingly if less than 100% FTE. Annual personal leave entitlement varies depending on employee type. Full-time classified, administrators, and professional staff are paid for all federal holidays. Full-time faculty receive 84.00 hours of paid sick leave per academic year along with 28.00 hours of personal leave. Full-time faculty are paid on an annual contract and do not receive pay for federal holidays. Part-time faculty receive sick leave each quarter using a formula based on the total FTE% from the cumulative teaching contracts issued to them that quarter. They would receive 7.00 hours of personal leave if they are issued a multi-quarter appointment at the start of the academic year. Part-time faculty do not receive pay for federal holidays. Part-time hourly and student employees receive 1 hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked in a month (and fractions, thereof). Up to 40 hours of sick leave can carry over from one calendar year to the next. If a part-time hourly or student employee is hired into a full-time position, the sick leave hours earned in the part-time position do not carry over to the full-time position. Part-time hourly and student employees are not paid for federal holidays. Monthly entitlements are given at the beginning of the following month. All employees in salaried positions may take up to five days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member. This is separate from the sick leave or vacation leave. RETIREMENT Retirement participation is mandatory for retirement benefit eligible TCC employees. Employees are offered a choice between two retirement plans and that choice is generally irrevocable while employed at TCC. Classified Employees and (retirement eligible) Part-Time hourly: Classified employees and eligible part-time hourly employees must choose between the Public Employees Retirement Systems (PERS) Plan 2 or Plan 3. More information about these plans can be found at this link: Department of Retirement Systems Plans Faculty: Faculty can choose to enroll in the State Board Retirement Plan (SBRP) with the plan administrator being TIAA or the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) Plan 2 or Plan 3 administered by the Department of Retirement System (DRS). Prior history in any of these plans may limit current plan choice. Click here to compare TRS Plan 2, TRS Plan 3, and SBRP. SBRP -TIAA – This is a Defined Contribution Plan. The employee contributes a mandatory defined amount and the state matches the employee’s contributions. Contribution rates are based on age. TRS Plan 2 – A 401(a) defined benefit plan. TCC and employee contribute a percentage of salary to fund the plan. Your monthly benefit at retirement will be based on your earned service credit and compensation. TRS Plan 3 – A 401(a) hybrid plan with Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution components. The defined contribution portion of the plan is funded through mandatory employee contributions. The employee may choose between six contribution options. TCC contributes to Defined Benefit part. Administrative/Exempt Employees Administrators and Exempt employees may choose to participate in the State Board Retirement Plan (SBRP), administered by TIAA, or the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 or Plan 3, administered by the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS). Prior history in a Washington State Retirement Plan may limit plan choice. Click here to compare PERS Plan 2, PERS Plan 3, and SBRP. SBRP/TIAA – This is a 401(a) Defined Contribution Plan. The employee contributes a mandatory defined amount and the state matches the employee’s contributions. Contribution rates are based on age. PERS Plan 2 – A 401(a) defined benefit plan. TCC and employee contribute a percentage of salary to fund the plan. Your monthly benefit at retirement will be based on your earned service credit and compensation. PERS Plan 3 – A 401(a) hybrid plan with Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution components. The defined contribution portion of the plan is funded through mandatory employee contributions. The employee may choose between six contribution options. TCC contributes to Defined Benefit part. PERS Rates Effective September 1, 2023 TRS Rates Effective September 1, 2023. State Board Retirement Plan (SBRP) - Contributions Rates: Contributions are based on your age: Voluntary Retirement Savings: State Board Voluntary Investment Program (SBVIP): SBVIP is a voluntary, optional, unmatched retirement savings plan, operating under Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), administered by TIAA. SBVIP participants may contribute on a pre-tax and/or after-tax (Roth) basis, up to the annual IRS limit and can start and stop their contributions at any time during employment. Contact Human Resources to start/stop contributions. Deferred Compensation Program (DCP): Tax-deferred savings plan administered by the Department of Retirement Systems. New Full-timeemployees are automatically enrolled in DCP 3 months after hire at a contribution rate of 3%. Employees are sent a notification letter within approximately 30 days of hire. This notice includes information about auto-enrollment and the necessary steps to take if one chooses to opt-out or make changes to their DCP enrollment. Contributions can be changed at any time during employment. Following the initial auto- enrollment possibility, employees would contact DRS to setup contributions and can contribute on a pre- tax basis up to the annual IRS limit. Tuition Waiver Administrative, Classified, Full-time Faculty, and Part-Time faculty employed for more than 50% FTE are eligible to register for space-available classes, up to 10 credits per quarter, with the State Employee Tuition Waiver program. Class registration and any applicable class fee will still apply. Click here for the Tuition Waiver form(Download PDF reader). Liberty Mutual PEBB members may receive a discount of up to 12% off Liberty Mutual’s auto insurance rates and up to 5% off of Liberty Mutual’s home insurance rates. Contact Liberty Mutual at 1-800-706-5525 and mention that you are a State of Washington PEBB Member (client #8246) or visit a local Liberty Mutual office and let them know you are State of Washington PEBB Member (client #8246) for a quote. Collective Bargaining Agreements: WFSE Higher Education Community College Coalition: WFSE (HE CCC) CBA(Download PDF reader) WPEA Higher Education: WPEA CBA(Download PDF reader) WFSE Represented Exempt Bargaining Unit: WFSE-Exempt CBA TCC Faculty Negotiated Agreement: TCC Faculty Negotiated Agreement 01 Which best describes your level of education? Attending HS / Obtaining GED or equivalent Professional certifications, college or other educational certifications High School graduate or equivalent Some College Associate's degree from an accredited college or university Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university Master's degree or higher from an accredited college or university 02 What is the field or discipline of your degree? 03 Do you have experience teaching at a community college? Yes No 04 Do you have the ability to teach engineering courses such as thermodynamics, statics, dynamics, materials science, engineering graphics, introduction to design, etc? 05 Do you have experience in, or demonstrated commitment to, teaching, mentoring, recruiting, and providing services to Black, Brown, and Native American students? Yes No Required Question
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