Psychology Professor - Tenure Track at Tacoma Community College

Who We Are

Priority Consideration Date:  September 3, 2024       

Located in the scenic Puget Sound area with Mount Rainier in the distance, Tacoma is the third largest city in Washington State with a thriving and diverse community of over 200,000 residents.  Tacoma Community College (TCC) was built on the ancestral territory of Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Puyallup and Squaxin Island Tribes. The 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty forcibly removed them to Reservations to make way for colonizers; we recognize the privilege of utilizing this land has come at great cost. We honor the resilience of the Puyallup and Squaxin Island people, who still live here, defend their rights, and contribute greatly to the well-being of our community. Our institution aims to increase partnerships and community ties with the local indigenous populations. Moreover, TCC stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the Black community by further strengthening collaboration with the Black Student Union as well as community entities such as the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, the Tacoma Urban League, and local black-owned businesses.   In addition, we strongly support the Stop Asian Hate movement and have an active Asian Pacific Islander Student Club as well as an Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Coalition. TCC is committed to developing more culturally responsive curricula by infusing and incorporating more educational content focused on the lives, experiences, and contributions of Native, Black, Asian, and other marginalized communities. We continually strive to become an anti-racist institution.  
 
To grow our workforce, we are seeking creative, collaborative faculty who are reflective of the diverse community we serve. Tacoma Community College is a public Associate- and Bachelor’s-granting institution that serves a student-body of approximately 12,000 students.  Our students are 27% students of color, 60% female, and have a median age of 26.   We embrace our identity as a community college.  Our faculty are engaged in innovative work to improve student retention and program completion, and community success.  According to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, TCC ranks high on measures of active learning and academic challenge, thanks to our creative and scholarly faculty.  
 
We are specifically focusing on improved support for traditionally marginalized populations, including Black/African- American, Indigenous, People of Color, Dreamers, justice-involved, immigrants and refugees, Veterans, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. To this end, TCC seeks applicants who:

• Value intellectual curiosity and innovative teaching
• Welcome difference and model respectful interaction with others
• Recognize and honor the important role that diversity brings to an educational community
• Are committed to educating a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population
• Are committed to teaching in a community college setting
• Care deeply about student success 
• Intentionally support and promote efforts related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Honor TCC’s mission promoting equitable access to educational opportunities
• Reflect the diversity of our community

Essential Functions

• Prepare and teach General Psychology, Research Methods, Lifespan Development, and Human Sexuality. 
• Work with Social Sciences and Health Professions faculty on program and curriculum development. 
• Collaborate across disciplines to develop new courses. 
• Instruct and assist in the growth and success of a diverse population of students through careful preparation of course materials, effective teaching methods including hybrid and online andragogy, and informed critical feedback on assignments and discussions including student learning outcomes. 
• Provide service to the College, including curriculum development and participation in college committees, shared governance, and appropriate professional development activities. 
• Advise, mentor and assist students, helping them to formulate sound educational and career plans, or direct students to appropriate campus resources.
• Participate in department, division, and college governance.
• Participate in ESBS Division and College Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) efforts and work towards promoting an anti-racist curriculum. 
• Participate in the college’s professional development and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion events. 
• Participate in the recruitment and retention of psychology students, particularly historically under-represented groups. 
• Participate in program review and instructional assessment. 
• Participate in institutional effectiveness and college accreditation activities.
• Utilize the college LMS, Canvas, for additional course-related engagement across all course modalities (in-person, hybrid and online). 
• Provide course-related communication, consulting and support via scheduled office hours and email accessibility. 
• Comply with state and federal laws applicable to professional duties and responsibilities.
•  Follow established procedures in area such as submitting syllabi, grades, bookstore orders, and other related administrative procedures. 
• Collaborate on strategies to facilitate success for historically underserved populations.
• Work in support of the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities of the college.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Duties of the position require the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Competence to teach a variety of college-level courses. 
• Ability to effectively respond to the broad-ranging needs of a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with students, faculty, and staff. 
• Ability and willingness to develop well-coordinated relationships with other academic divisions and institutions. 
• Experience in recruiting and retaining historically underserved students. 
• Experience in reviewing, developing, and assessing curriculum. 
• Experience with instructional technology and online learning managements systems (e.g. Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle).
• Experience integrating technology into teaching and learning including LMS/CMS software. 
• Experience with integrating social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and international influences to promote positive change, health, and empowerment at individual and systemic levels.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in projects and initiatives. 
• Cultural self-awareness and cultural sensitivity to diverse populations of students and colleagues. 
• Dedication to remaining current in discipline. 
• Willingness to using contemporary teaching techniques such as collaborative, inquiry-based, active, and experiential learning, integrative learning communities, and individual and group student projects. 
• A strong commitment to serving as an accessible mentor to students.
• A strong commitment to helping students improve their writing and critical thinking skills, and to assessing those skills. 
• A strong commitment to continuing professional development. 

• Master’s degree in Psychology from an accredited college or university.
• Demonstrated successful teaching experience in a diverse environment, engaging in activities that promote equity and the success of underrepresented students.
• Enthusiasm for cultural diversity in the curriculum and the classroom, and reflection on how this manifests particularly in teaching psychology.
• Graduate course work in psychology including Multicultural Psychology, Community Psychology, Lifespan Development, and Research Methods.
• Experience in developing a psychology curriculum employing an EDI and anti-racist lens.

• Experience teaching Psychology at the community college level. 
• Experience teaching or doing research in Native/Indigenous communities, Latinx communities, Black/African American communities, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, or other traditionally marginalized populations.
• Ph.D. in Psychology

• Successful completion of a criminal history background check prior to employment

Application Process