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Biology Professor (Tenure Track)

Tacoma Community College - HR
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Priority Consideration Date: January 26, 2025

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 10,000 students.  Our students are 48% 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, neurodivergent people, and the LGBTQIA2+ 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.
  • Have experience teaching or doing research in Native/Indigenous communities.
  • 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.

The Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SEM) Division, which includes around 38 full-time faculty, offers courses for STEM students, who transfer to colleges and universities throughout the nation, our pre-allied health students, and general education courses.  We also proudly have a Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program, with the stated goal of diversifying the STEM workforce.  The position will be in the Biology Department, which is part of the Biological, Earth, Environmental, and Sciences (BEES) department.  There are approximately 9 full time faculty members and 13 part time faculty members. As a Biology professor, you will have the opportunity to provide direction with a focus on increasing diversity within the discipline.  

REGIONAL SETTING

For information on Tacoma and the surrounding area:  https://www.tacomacc.edu/tcc-life/life_in_tacoma 

Position Summary:

TCC, winner of the 2020 Association of Community College Trustees Equity Award for the entire Pacific Region, invites you to apply for the position of Biology Professor (Tenure Track). This full-time position entails teaching Introductory Cell Biology and Anatomy and Physiology for Allied Health students as well as Organismal Biology for science majors.  

This is an on-campus position. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement provides for a 176 day yearly contract running approximately from September 1 to June 15. This position occasionally may be assigned classes to be taught on evenings or weekends, or at our Gig Harbor campus.  This position reports to the Dean for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.   This position is expected to start in September 2025. Tenure track candidates go through a 3-year long tenure process that is supportive in nature.

This is for TWO openings.

 

 

Essential Functions

 

  • Prepare and teach courses in Introductory Cell Biology and Human Anatomy & Physiology for Allied Health students and Organismal Biology for science majors (approximately 15 instructional contact hours per week of lecture and lab).
  • 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 pedagogy, 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.
  • Develop, review, and revise curriculum.
  • Advise and mentor students, helping them to formulate sound educational and career plans
  • Participate in SEM Division and College equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts and work towards promoting an anti-racist curriculum.
  • Participate in the recruitment and retention of science and engineering students, particularly historically under-represented groups, such as black, brown, and female students.
  • Collaborate on strategies to facilitate success for historically underserved populations.
  • Participate in program review and instructional assessment.
  • Participate in institutional effectiveness and college accreditation activities.
  • 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:

  • 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 across campus.
  • Ability to recruit and retain historically underserved students into science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics
  • Ability to teach a range of courses in biology to a variety of students, including general education, allied health, and majors.
  • Provide leadership in projects and initiatives
  • Review, develop, and assess curriculum.
  • Cultural self-awareness and cultural sensitivity to diverse populations of students and colleagues
  • Knowledge of, and willingness to use, contemporary teaching techniques such as collaborative, inquiry-based, active, and experiential learning, integrative learning communities, and individual and group student projects.
  • Knowledge of, and adherence to, best practices for safety in the classroom and laboratory environments.
  • Dedication to remaining current in the discipline by continual professional development.
  • Ability to serve as an accessible mentor to students.

 

Required education:

  • Master’s degree in biology or a closely related field

 

Preferred experience:

  • Teaching experience in both classroom and laboratory settings
  • Teaching experience in community colleges
  • Experience in, or demonstrated commitment to, teaching, mentoring, recruiting, and providing services to Black, Brown, and Native American students.
  • Commitment to incorporating culturally sustaining and inclusive classroom practices into teaching and mentorship.

 

Application Process

 

Complete application packages must include the following:

  1. Tacoma Community College online application.
  2. Resume and cover letter describing how your educational background and experience align with the responsibilities and qualifications.
  3. Copies of transcripts for all colleges and universities attended (official transcripts will be required for the successful candidate).
  4. Tacoma Community College is committed to eliminating barriers and systems of oppression so we may serve all learners AND support each other as colleagues.  We strive to be an anti-racist institution and value compassion, respect, and continuous improvement.  A critical component of this is the understanding that the work of cultivating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) belongs to all employees.  Please address both parts below.
    1. Please provide a teaching philosophy that shows how you reflect on your own positionality, how you use your cultural capital to enrich the student experience, how you value and encourage student application of cultural capital, and how you can help us to move towards the College’s strategic goal of advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion.
    2. How do you incorporate antiracism into your teaching practices?

 

Terms of Employment:

This is a full-time tenure track faculty position contracted on an annual basis.  The salary range is $68,000 to $80,000 per year. Placement on the faculty salary schedule will commensurate with educational background and experience per the 2024 Faculty Negotiated Agreement (Download PDF reader) (Article 4.00 Academic Employee Compensation).  Tacoma Community College provides a generous comprehensive benefits package, inclusive of considerate paid time off, competitively affordable medical-dental plans, substantial life insurance options and broad range of retirement plans. A collective bargaining agreement exists with the Tacoma Community College Federation of Teachers (AFT local 2196.) Degrees must be from accredited colleges or universities recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and verified by National Student Clearinghouse. International degrees will be evaluated for US equivalency.

Tacoma Community College values diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Educator. Tacoma Community College provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war. Prohibited sex discrimination includes sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual conduct of various types). Provides reasonable accommodations for qualified students, employees, and applicants with disabilities in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act and Federal Rehabilitation Act. Tacoma Community College is a smoke-free/drug free environment. This recruitment announcement may not reflect the entire job description and can be change and or modified at any time.

Tacoma Community College 

6501 S 19th St Bldg. 14, Tacoma WA  98466   

 www.tacomacc.edu/careers