Central Washington University is recruiting an Assistant Professor to join our Science and Mathematics Education team in Ellensburg, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they enhance the vision for the University. The role is a campus-based position, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting. We're offering a competitive salary plus the awesome CWU benefits.
Who we are:
We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students' Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.
Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. You'll find robust academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~8,300 students.
Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, for seven out of eight years, CWU was a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. RentCafe has also named CWU #13 of the Top 20 Best College Towns in the U.S. in 2025.
Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.
Tour our campus in Ellensburg here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjdhOegDa9A
What we offer:
Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more: Benefits, Perks, and Leave and Total Rewards Calculator.
The Role:
This position is a unique opportunity to serve as a mathematics educator in a College of the Sciences. The Science and Mathematics Education Department (SMED) consists primarily of content education specialists joint appointed in both their content area department and SMED. This position will allow the candidate to be joint appointed in the mathematics department and SMED. The mathematics department is an active and vibrant department that includes actuarial, applied mathematics, data science, and mathematics education degrees. SMED is a highly collaborate department that is primarily responsible for the certification of middle and high school teachers in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, environmental studies, mathematics, and computer science through the TeachSTEM program. TeachSTEM is based on the nationally recognized UTEACH model of teacher preparation.
Members of both departments are committed to excellence in teaching, promoting student-centered pedagogies, and contributing to the overall STEM education ecosystem in WA state. As a regional comprehensive university, we strive to expand post-secondary education access to populations that have historically been underrepresented in this space. As the original state normal school CWU has a long history of preparing highly qualified teachers to support the education needs of the communities we serve.
The primary responsibility of this position is to prepare STEM educators through teaching mathematics content courses and STEM pedagogy courses, supporting interdisciplinary teacher education service activities, and contributing to mathematics education scholarship. The successful candidate will teach pedagogy courses designed for pre-service middle and secondary STEM teachers in our UTEACH model of teacher preparation (CWU TeachSTEM), mathematics content courses that serve mathematics education majors exclusively and those that serve students from across the University including elementary pre-service teachers, and other courses aligned with their expertise using high-impact, student-centered instructional strategies.
Faculty hired jointly in SMED and another department will be reviewed under the SMED Evaluation Criteria. A central pillar of SMED's philosophy is to recognize the duality of disciplinary expertise and STEM education expertise. Faculty members' teaching, scholarly, and service duties involve work in both SMED and their disciplinary departments as appropriate. Partnerships, collaborative efforts, and teamwork both within and beyond the departments and the university are highly valued. Tenure and promotion requires faculty to contribute to both SMED and disciplinary department mission and goals, and to support colleagues in accomplishing its mission and goals in a team environment.
This position is an in-person position on the Ellensburg campus. The faculty member who accepts this position must be willing to commit to teaching on the Ellensburg campus and have the desire and skills to effectively teach in-person and online or in web enhanced courses via both synchronous and asynchronous formats.
Minimum Qualifications: Please address in your cover letter:
Ph.D. or Ed.D. in mathematics education, statistics or data science education, or related field with background in mathematics education. (ABD candidates may be considered; however, the terminal degree must be completed within one year of the start date.)
Demonstrated preparation to teach mathematics education courses for pre-service middle and secondary teachers.
Demonstrated potential for evidence-based teaching effectiveness and excellence in undergraduate mathematics and statistics content courses.
Willingness to teach a wide range of courses at all levels and modalities.
Evidence of work with K-12 teachers and/or students related to mathematics teaching and learning.
Ability to develop and maintain an active program of scholarship in mathematics education, including demonstrated potential for published scholarship.
Ability to work collaboratively across departments and colleges and contribute to interdisciplinary teacher preparation initiatives.
Teaching, research, service or other experience that has prepared the candidate to contribute to CWU's commitment to the success of students from a variety of backgrounds.
Preferred Qualifications (please address in your cover letter:)
Demonstrated engagement with mathematics education research. Expertise in modeling-based mathematics, statistics, or data science education and/or STEM education for multilingual learners preferred.
Familiarity with role of clinical practice in teacher education, including experience supervising candidate clinical practice experiences.
Demonstrated commitment to developing mutually beneficial relationships with partner K-12 schools, school districts, and community partners
K-12 classroom teaching experience and university-level teaching experience.
Experience working in a collaborative environment and/or utilizing a variety of teaching methods that foster success for all students.
Potential to mentor and educate students who will serve pluralistic populations.
Accountability/Dependability: Accepts responsibility for quality of own work; acknowledges and corrects mistakes. Shows up on time, meets standards, deadlines, and work schedules.
Judgement: Makes timely, informed decisions. Analyzes options and determines appropriate course of action.
Teamwork: Promotes cooperation and mutual support to achieve goals. Encourages participation and mutual support.
Adaptability/Flexibility: Responds positively to changing business needs and responsibilities. Adapts approach and methods to achieve results; recovers quickly from setbacks and finds alternatives.
Commitment to Belonging: Values the uniqueness of every individual and fosters an environment where everyone feels respected and empowered to thrive.
Don't meet every single requirement? At CWU, we're committed to creating a welcoming and genuine workplace. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. This could be the opportunity you're looking for!
Annual Salary:
$68,000 - $75,000, based on a full-time nine-month appointment.
In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on candidate's current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.
Appointment
Full-Time, Tenure-Track, 9 Month Appointment. Additional Summer teaching may be available. Central Washington University is on the quarter system with appointments from mid-September through mid-June.
Benefits:
CWU offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, life and disability insurance. CWU Benefits, Perks & Discounts Overview.
Additional Information: For additional information about the University, visit: http://www.cwu.edu
For additional information about Ellensburg, visit: http://www.myellensburg.com
OR http://www.kittitascountychamber.com
NOTE: Sponsorship is not available for this position at this time.
