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 'America's 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 'America's 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 'America's Best Employers by State' list.
Western Carolina University is the UNC system's 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.
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Position Summary |
The primary location of this position is on the main Cullowhee, NC campus.
The Psychology Department at Western Carolina University (WCU) invites applications for a 9-month tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate professor level, with a projected begin work date of August 2025. The typical teaching load is 3-3 (Fall/Spring), consisting of both undergraduate and graduate courses. Supervision of graduate students in the McKee Clinic or External Practicum is included in the 3/3 teaching load.
The successful candidate will show evidence of or potential for success in the teaching and supervision of students in our APA accredited post-masters Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Health Service Psychology (Combined Clinical- School) program and our scientist-practitioner oriented MA program in clinical psychology. (For those with school psychology background, please see our ad for an assistant/associate professor of school psychology). Each of these programs has a theoretical orientation consistent with behavioral/cognitive-behavioral foundations and accept typically 6 to 8 students per cohort. Relevant to this faculty position is our department's state-of-the art, public-facing McKee Assessment and Psychological Services Clinic, dedicated to providing advanced assessment training for our graduate students (PsyD, SSP, MA) through affordable comprehensive services to individuals, families, and schools in our community. To this end, the eligible candidate needs to have earned a doctorate (PhD or PsyD) in clinical or health service psychology from an APA-accredited program. Being licensed or license eligible as a psychologist in North Carolina is required.
As a teacher scholar, the successful faculty member is expected to maintain a program of meaningful disciplinary research that is engaging to both undergraduate and graduate students. The area of research is open. The department has a dedicated space for cognitive neuroscience (i.e., "the Brain lab") with EEG equipment, and existing research partnerships with schools-, hospitals-, non-profit organizations, and other service providers in the region.
At the undergraduate level, the psychology major is WCU's second largest major with approximately 500 students. The department, college, and university offer faculty internal funding opportunities to support scholarship, conference travel, and professional development. Moreover, WCU is a 12,000-student regional comprehensive university in the University of North Carolina system. The university offers 115 undergraduate programs and more than 40 graduate programs. The campus is located in the picturesque Cullowhee valley between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, just minutes from the town of Sylva, public schools, recreation centers, trails, and rivers. Campus is midway between Charlotte and Atlanta, 50 miles west of Asheville, NC, a city with vibrant art, entertainment, food, and culture scenes, and 20 miles west of Waynesville, NC, the largest town in Western North Carolina with many options for dining, shopping, entertainment, and craft breweries. The entire region is noted for its excellent quality of life and access to outdoor activities.
The Department of Psychology is located in the College of Education and Allied Professions (CEAP). Psychology, CEAP, and Western Carolina University holds inclusive excellence as a core value, and we work together to foster a welcoming community, where all are respected and know they belong.
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