Overview
The Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University (NIU) invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor or associate professor position in sport management. We seek a dedicated and innovative individual to join our well-established and rapidly growing sport management program (approximately 250 students enrolled since its 2019 inception). We invite applicants who are eager to contribute to a caring, committed, and collaborative professional environment that focuses on promoting excellence and engagement in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and service.
While not all candidates will engage in each area, key expectations include demonstrating commitment to the academic success of a diverse student population through teaching and service activity; examining the impact of anti-racism programs among pre-service and in-service educators; engaging with stakeholders in identifying and implementing solutions to increase academic equity and inclusion; developing, implementing, and investigating programs to support students to timely degree completion; or creating and researching programs that serve the social and emotional learning of underserved populations. Moreover, we are especially interested in candidates who bring expertise and connections from applied settings to students in the program.
Advanced assistant professors are strongly encouraged to apply. This position is a permanent, tenure-track or tenured position with salary based on experience. There is also an opportunity for a leadership role within the program and department.
Department, University, and Community Description:
With nearly 700 students, the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at NIU has a highly regarded regional and national reputation for the quality of its graduates, and its programs have been highly commended by external accreditation agencies. Faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their research and leadership in the area of professional service. We invite you to contribute to a caring, committed, and collaborative professional environment that focuses on promoting excellence and engagement in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and outreach and service. This presents a rewarding professional opportunity for a highly qualified, enthusiastic, and motivated individual to join our team and further enhance the program’s regional, national, and international reputation. Furthermore, we seek faculty who embrace NIU’s mission of providing opportunity to a diverse student body by providing them with access to high quality education and hands-on involvement in research and community engagement.
The department offers undergraduate majors in the areas of Physical Education (B.S. Ed. Teacher Certification), Kinesiology (B.S.), and Sport Management (B.S.). At the graduate level, the department supports the equivalent of 25 full-time graduate assistantships through the offering of degrees in Sport Management (M.S.), Kinesiology and Physical Education (M.S.) with specializations in exercise physiology, physical education pedagogy, and sport and exercise psychology, Athletic Training (M.S.), and a doctorate in Kinesiology and Physical Education (Ph.D.). The department also offers several minors and certificates, including minors in Sport Management, Sport Sales, Sport Journalism, Esports Industry Professions, Sport for Development and Social Change, Coaching, Physical Education, and Kinesiology.
NIU is a comprehensive research university offering programs from the baccalaureate through the doctorate. Colleges include business, education, engineering and engineering technology, law, liberal arts and sciences, health and human sciences, and visual and performing arts. On-campus enrollment is approximately 16,000 students. The university also offers more than 200 extension courses each semester to students in communities throughout northern Illinois.
The main campus is located in DeKalb, 65 miles west of Chicago’s “Loop” and 40 miles southeast of Rockford with education centers in Rockford and Naperville. DeKalb/Sycamore, with a population of about 60,000, is a modern paradox, a rural/urban community. It is simultaneously recognized for its manufacturing and rich farmlands. The site of the first manufacturing of barbed wire and the development of hybrid seed corn are evidence of its diversified history. The blend of industry and agriculture, coupled with the cultural and recreational facilities of the university and supplemented by easy access to Chicago and Rockford, provide an enjoyable environment in which to live.
Position Summary
The Assistant or Associate Professor in Sport Management will have the opportunity to teach undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral level courses. Courses are offered face to face, hybrid, and through online formats.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Teaching areas are flexible depending upon the strengths of the successful applicant, but will include a combination of undergraduate/graduate courses in the areas of sport marketing, sales, finance, management, esports, college athletics administration, communications, and/or law;
- Contribute in the areas of scholarly productivity; grant procurement; student mentorship; university, college, and departmental committee service;
- Contribute to the establishment of partnerships with professional organizations within both the Illinois region and nationally;
- Participate in student recruitment and retention initiatives, develop innovative department/college curricular and programmatic initiatives, including, but not limited to, industry outreach activities and programs that serve to benefit students in the program;
- Service on thesis and dissertation committees;
- Program development, student advisement and mentoring;
- Serving on program, department, and university committees;
- Service to the profession, and developing and maintaining a line of research and publication.
Minimum Required Qualifications
- Earned doctorate in sport management or relevant related field by time of appointment (ABD considered with established defense date);
- Evidence of capability to engage in and publish research and present at professional meetings;
- Demonstrated knowledge and awareness of professional developments related to area of specialization;
- Demonstrated evidence of teaching and service activity that demonstrates a commitment to the academic success of students from multi-cultural backgrounds.
Additional Requirements
N/A
Preferred Qualifications
- Evidence of teaching effectiveness at the college level; record of scholarly collaboration in the field;
- Capability to write grants to obtain external funding;
- Skill in use of instructional and computer technology in course delivery;
- Experience and interest in student mentorship and sport industry outreach;
- Experience in student recruitment and retention initiatives;
- Program leadership experience;
- Past work experience in or connectedness to the sports industry;
- Desire to further the College of Education’s efforts to enhance inclusion and belonging through mentoring of students, curricular examination, and service work.
