Research Associate

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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Position Available:  Co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy and the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy

Beginning:  start date negotiable

Appointment conditions:

This is a non-tenure line, 48-week, three-year appointment with an excellent possibility of reappointment. Appointment will be made at the open assistant, associate, or research professor rank.   Full University benefits apply. Penn State has a strong commitment to the diversity of its workforce. We encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Leading the Institutes:

The Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy (founded 1985) and Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy (founded 2001) are seeking a dynamic Co-Director to lead the Institutes’ administration and day-to-day management and support research and evaluation projects. This position offers great flexibility in pursuing and managing direct service programming and professional development, research, and evaluation projects consistent with the Institutes’ missions. It also provides the opportunity to engage in meaningful, rewarding work such as influencing adult basic education and family literacy practice, research, and policy at local, state, national, and international scales. With a current staff of 19, the Institutes are known for a collegial, supportive workplace culture and the high quality of our work in adult basic education and literacy, adult English as a Second Language, family literacy, and workforce education. The Co-Director will become part of an intellectually stimulating environment with access to the resources of a top-tier, public research university.

Responsibilities:

Serving as Co-Director for Institute Administration, this position entails writing proposals to secure grants and contracts for the Institutes’ direct service programs, research, professional development, and other activities; directing the Institutes’ externally funded projects; building and maintaining professional relationships with various local, state, and national literacy, adult education, and workforce education groups; managing administrative tasks related to the Institutes, including the supervision of personnel; overseeing two online postbaccalaureate certificates; disseminating research and providing professional development via conferences, workshops, webinars, and other venues; and providing relevant service to the field of adult and family literacy and adult basic education (ABE).

Required qualifications:

• Earned master’s or doctorate in education, program administration, or a closely related field;
• Knowledge of ABE, adult literacy, adult English as a Second Language (ESL), or family literacy research, legislation, and other relevant issues;
• Experience writing grant proposals and securing external grants and contracts;
• Experience managing and directing externally funded projects;
• Experience developing and managing budgets;
• Experience in and evidence of a commitment to working collegially and with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred qualifications:

• Practical experience working in ABE, adult literacy, adult ESL, or family literacy;
• Experience in supervising personnel;
• Experience writing or co-writing publications for academic and non-academic audiences;
• Experience working with state or national adult literacy, family literacy, and/or ABE governmental offices and organizations.

The Pennsylvania State University

Penn State is a comprehensive, multi-campus research university serving all regions of the Commonwealth, as well as the nation and the world in instruction, research, and service roles that require responsiveness to and support from society's public and private sectors. As a land-grant university, Penn State has responsibility for providing a wide array of programs in the professional and technical disciplines, as well as a balanced offering of undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and sciences. Penn State shares with other major research universities the traditional responsibilities to discover, develop, preserve, and disseminate knowledge.

The University Park campus is located within State College, PA, which was recently ranked number 5 in a ranking of top college towns by the American Institute for Economic Research, and number 15 in a ranking of the Safest College Towns in America by Safewise. Located in a valley in the Appalachian Mountains, in Centre County, Pennsylvania, employment at Penn State offers an incredible opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the central Pennsylvania outdoors combined with all the culture, sports, and entertainment a large university community can bring, and is within drivable distance from Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York City. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

The College of Education

The College of Education at Penn State was established in 1923 to deepen and extend knowledge about the formation and utilization of human capabilities. It offers resident degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as an extensive outreach effort aimed at continuing professional development for educators at distant locations.

Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy and Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy

Founded in 1985, the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy (ISAL) in the Penn State College of Education seeks to advance the field of literacy and adult education through collaborative research, development, outreach, and leadership to improve practice, policy, and professional development. ISAL’s initiatives have focused on the contexts of the family, workforce, post-secondary access, and corrections education aiming to improve educational attainment for individuals with unmet literacy needs. ISAL staff assist providers with program design and implementation, instructional delivery, support services, data management, professional development, program evaluation, and related research.

Also housed within the College of Education, the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy provides national leadership that promotes the value of family literacy and supports program improvement through research and its application to practice and professional development. Since its inception in 2001, the Goodling Institute has also focused on practice, research, professional development, and policy.

Application procedures:

Applicants must submit a letter of application documenting qualifications for the position, a current résumé or curriculum vitae, copies of three scholarly publications or other professional writing samples (if available), and contact information for at least three references (name, mail and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers). Applications received by January 15, 2024, are assured full consideration; however, applications will be received until the position is filled. Questions about the position can be directed to:

Dr. Esther Prins

GI/ISAL Co-Director Search Chair

c/o Dmi Myers ([email protected] )

814-865-3274

This job announcement is also available in alternate format. Employment will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.                             

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here .

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. 

EEO IS THE LAW

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