Working Title: Academic Unit Head - Department of English

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: 100020 - English Department

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 10/27/2025

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 Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. 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 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s 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 English at James Madison University invites applications for the position of Academic Unit Head to begin July 1, 2026. Candidates should hold an appropriate terminal degree and have attained the rank of Full Professor or advanced Associate Professor. The AUH is a 12-month tenured appointment with a 1-1 teaching load.

The Department of English, which has approximately 40 full- and part-time faculty, offers a B.A. and M.A. and serves students in the university’s general education program. It houses the University’s thriving creative writing minor, and faculty teach and work with interdisciplinary minors and centers, including: African, African American and Diaspora Studies; American Studies; Book Arts; Digital Studies; Disability Studies; Environmental Humanities; Film Studies; Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies; Linguistics; Medieval and Renaissance Studies; Queer Studies; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; World Literature; and the Furious Flower Poetry Center.

English is part of JMU’s College of Arts and Letters, which enrolls more than 3,100 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:

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate a collaborative leadership style that involves working with colleagues both within and beyond the academic unit; articulate an ambitious, future-oriented vision for the department that includes attracting new faculty and students to the program; help the faculty identify and achieve emerging program priorities; manage enrollment; support faculty teaching, research, and creative scholarship in a variety of subfields; and effectively advocate for the department in the ever-changing and challenging landscape of higher education.

Qualifications:

Candidates should hold an appropriate terminal degree and have attained the rank of Full Professor or advanced Associate Professor.

Additional Posting Information:

Applicants will submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a list of three references.

The cover letter should be approximately three pages and answer the following questions:
What motivates you to apply for this position?
What are some of your ideas about how English can thrive in the coming years?
What are the most important challenges you see facing English departments at public universities and how would you address them?
How do you describe your leadership style?

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: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. 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.