The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU is in the process of recruiting for 8 tenure-track or tenured positions to start in Fall of 2011. These positions are not specifically designated for any one program, but are open to all disciplines in the school. The Sociology program in the School includes both B.S. and M.S. programs.  Currently, we have 200+ undergraduate majors and 20+ graduate students.  The faculty has expertise in multiple research methodologies including demography, social network analysis, quantitative and qualitative methods.  Both the graduate and undergraduate programs are grounded in a strong theoretical foundation in social structural bases and processes of social inequality around social class, race, and gender.  The M.S. program has two tracks—thesis and applied.  Here is the official position announcement. TEN TENURE-TRACK OR TENURED FACULTY POSITIONS              The L. Douglas Wilder School at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will be filling 10 or more tenure-track or tenured positions in the coming two years.  As part of this major recruitment we are inviting applications and letters of interest for 8 positions to begin in Fall 2011, contingent upon funding.  The appointments are broadly structured and can potentially contribute to any of our fields.  Applicants are encouraged to clearly identify the fields closest to their research and teaching.              Our largest programs at the graduate level are professionally oriented master’s degree programs in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Urban and Regional Planning, and a Ph.D. program in Public Policy.  We are particularly interested in candidates who identify with one or more of these areas.  The disciplinary training of applicants can be in any of the above fields or in the social sciences, especially Political Science and Sociology (where we have undergraduate and graduate programs).  The ability to contribute to research and teaching in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will be an added advantage.  A Ph.D. degree or equivalent by the time of hiring and potential for high quality scholarship and teaching is required for all positions.  Senior scholars must have a distinguished record of research, teaching, and service and those with documented ability to secure external research funding will be preferred.  Junior faculty must have the potential for external funding and a strong research agenda.  Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU is required.              Faculty research interests in the Wilder School include sustainable urban development, geospatial planning and technological applications, state and local government, social equity, gender, health policy, policing, corrections, crime prevention, comparative international development, political institutions, security studies, and the study of disasters and genocide.  We are currently part of the College of Humanities and Sciences, the largest College at VCU.  Planning is underway to give the Wilder School free-standing status as one of the Colleges and Schools at VCU under our Provost.  While most of our appointments will be at junior ranks, senior scholars are welcome to apply.  We are particularly interested in senior scholars who lead research groups who might want to explore the possibility of joining us.  We envisage that such groups will be led by a tenured colleague and will include one or more junior colleagues.  Under VCU’s new President and under new leadership in the Wilder School we are committed to providing a research rich environment for our new colleagues.  Senior scholars are invited to contact Dr. John Accordino (jaccordi@vcu.edu), Chair of the Search Committee, or Dr. Niraj Verma, Director of the Wilder School (nverma2@vcu.edu). Altogether the Wilder School has 2500 students and an alumni base of over 11,000 making it the largest group with the College of Humanities and Sciences.  We have nearly 100 full-time faculty and researchers who are housed in the School and in its research and consulting units, including the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Performance Management Group, Transportation Safety and Training Center, Urban Development Group, and the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute.  Together, the School’s research and contract volume exceeds $8 million annually.    Named after the Honorable L. Douglas Wilder, former Governor of Virginia and the first elected African-American Governor in the United States and now a Distinguished Professor in the School, the Wilder School is and wants to be a School where competing perspectives thrive and where a common interest in the betterment of society knits these perspectives together.  Richmond, the capital of Virginia, provides extraordinary opportunities for those interested in governance in all its meanings, including the study of government at local and state levels.  Washington, D.C., which is a two hour drive away, provides additional national and international opportunities for our students and faculty.    Applications for these positions should be submitted via email and should include a cover-letter and a detailed CV including names of three references, one sample of scholarship, and evidence of teaching effectiveness to Mrs. Tina Braden at tbraden@vcu.edu .  Review of applications will begin on December 1 and continue until positions are filled.  References will not be contacted without checking with the candidates.  For more information about our programs please visit our website at www.pubapps.vcu.edu/gov/   Virginia Commonwealth University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer.  Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Julie Honnold, Ph.D. Sociology Program L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University