Job Details

Assistant Professor - Counseling - 001618

Position Number: 6109582
Location: Cullowhee, NC
Position Type: Counseling

Assistant Professor - Counseling - 001618

Western Carolina University

Department: Human Services

About WCU:

Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes Best Employers lists each year. Including:
2024 - Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes Americas Best Midsize Employers list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.
2023 - Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes Americas Best Midsize Employers list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries.
2022 - Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes Americas Best Employers by State list.
Western Carolina University is the UNC systems westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.
Employees of WCU are provided a comprehensive benefits package as well as other resources, policies and programs to ensure a happy and healthy work/life balance. Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans - eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire. Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. Optional disability plans are also available.
Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses. Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year. Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately. Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.
WCU offers an abundance of training and development programs, certifications, workshops and conferences - many of which are offered free of charge.

Position Summary:

Western Carolina University (WCU) invites applications for a 9-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position in the graduate Counseling program. Anticipated starting work date is August 1, 2025. Review of applications will be on a rolling basis starting April 1, 2025 and continue until position is filled.

The Counseling Program is located in the Human Services Department in the College of Education and Allied Professions. The Human Services Department (HS) is a diverse department offering a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in fields intended to meet a variety of human needs.

The successful candidate will teach, supervise, and advise students in a CACREP-accredited, masters degree program in Counseling (school and clinical mental health counseling specialties) at the WCU instructional site at Biltmore Park in Asheville, NC. Courses are offered to students in day and evening sections with the expectation of faculty working 1-2 nights per semester.

Duties:

Teach three courses per semester (Fall/Spring; 60%) and advise students in the Counseling Program. Summer teaching opportunities for additional compensation available. Teach courses such as: introduction to professional counseling (school), children and adolescents, leadership and advocacy, helping skills, group counseling, career development, and practicum/internship, among other CACREP core courses or self-developed electives.
Conduct scholarship and research activities according to the department and university guidelines (20%).
Provide program, department, college, and university service (20%). Assist with student recruitment activities, review student admissions applications, monitor student progress, and collaborate with schools and clinical agencies on professional development and outreach services. Work collaboratively with faculty in the program. Perform other related service duties as requested.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required for this position:
Minimum Qualifications:

Earned doctorate in counselor education by December 2025. ABD by 2025.
Experience as a school counselor.
Licensure/license eligibility as a school counselor.
Evidence of, or potential for, expertise in masters-level teaching in CACREP core curriculum and school counseling specialty area.
Experience and commitment to working with a wide variety of populations.
Evidence of, or potential for, scholarship and service.

Preferred Qualifications:

Doctoral degree in counselor education from a CACREP-accredited doctoral program.
North Carolina K-12 school counseling licensure or eligibility.
Experience as a school counselor at the elementary school level.
Experience or interest in teaching courses: introduction to professional counseling (school), children and adolescents, leadership and advocacy, helping skills, group counseling, career development, and practicum/internship.
Demonstrate promise for excellence in teaching, a record of scholarship, and service.

Position Type: Permanent Full-Time

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Application materials must be submitted online. Review of applications will be on a rolling basis starting April 1, 2025 and continue until position is filled.

Please include a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts from highest degree earned* and a list of three professional references with full contact information.

For questions or additional information please contact Dr. Nancy Valverde, Search Committee Chair, at: nvalverde@wcu.edu

*All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript of their highest attained degree, showing all completed coursework and the date the degree was conferred. The transcript must state Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or a similar phrase. For candidates who are ABD, please submit your most recent doctoral program transcript along with your masters degree transcript, if you hold such a degree. The masters degree transcript must have a notation such as Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or similar phrase, to verify it as your highest completed degree.

AA/EOE
Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; ethnicity; religion; sex; pregnancy; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; national origin; age; disability; genetic information; political affiliation; National Guard or veteran status, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, and policies, and the policies of The University of North Carolina. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process please call (828) 227-7218 or email at jobs@email.wcu.edu.

University Safety
The Western Carolina University Annual Safety Report is available online at University Annual Safety Report or in hard-copy by request at the office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 227 HFR Administration Building, Cullowhee, NC 28723 (828-227-7147) or the Office of University Police, 111 Camp Annex, Cullowhee, NC 28723 (828-227-7301). The report, required of all universities participating in Title IV student financial aid programs, discusses crime statistics, procedures for reporting suspicious or criminal activity, security, police authority, crime prevention strategies, university policies on substance abuse and sexual offenses, workplace violence and fire safety.

To apply, please visit: https://jobs.wcu.edu/postings/30499