Faculty – Chemistry/Biology

Southwestern Michigan College; Dowagiac (MI); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, MI seeks a faculty member to teach freshman and sophomore chemistry and biology. The role involves planning instructional materials, using demonstrations and labs safely, and aligning courses with established curricula to support student learning.

The position requires a Master’s degree in chemistry or related field with chemistry credits and strong organizational and communication skills. Collaborative teaching and mentoring duties are expected.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related field.
• Minimum of 18 graduate credits in Chemistry.
• Excellent organization and communication skills.
• Commitment to chemical hygiene and laboratory safety.

Responsibilities

• Teach a variety of freshman and sophomore chemistry and biology courses.
• Develop course materials aligned with curricula and evaluate curricula annually.
• Ensure instructional outcomes meet transfer needs and assess alignment.
• Provide leadership and mentor adjunct faculty to maintain high-quality learning.
• Collaborate with faculty to meet student needs across programs and majors.
• Participate in departmental and college activities including recruitment.

Skills

Excellent organization

Excellent communication

Commitment to safety

Education

Master’s degree in Chemistry or related field

18 graduate credits in Chemistry

Job description

Instruct a variety of Chemistry and Biology courses at the freshman and sophomore level. Faculty in the Math/Science department are responsible for planning and preparing instructional materials and designing appropriate assessment tools to facilitate high-quality instruction. Chemistry faculty in particular are expected to judiciously employ demonstrations and laboratory activities that enhance student learning while minimizing unnecessary hazards. Additional responsibilities include developing course materials that align with the established curricula, engaging in curriculum assessment and evaluation to ensure that established outcomes are met, as well as advising and mentoring students.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related field. A Master’s Degree in a related field may be considered provided the candidate has completed a minimum of 18 graduate credits in Chemistry.
• Excellent organization and communication skills
• A commitment to proper chemical hygiene and laboratory safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree
• Previous teaching experience in higher education
• Online teaching experience
• Experience with the production of distilled spirits

Other Information

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Teach a wide variety of freshman and sophomore level biology and chemistry courses.
• Develop course materials that align with established curricula and evaluate curricula annually to assure continuous improvement.
• Assure that instructional outcomes are met and evaluate them for alignment with the needs of transfer institutions
• Provide leadership and mentor adjunct faculty to ensure a high-quality learning environment in the classroom and consistency in multisession courses.
• Work collaboratively with other college faculty to assure that the needs of students in a variety of programs and majors are met.
• Participate in departmental and college activities including but not limited to recruitment efforts.
• The duties listed in this job description are not all-inclusive, but a list of the major responsibilities. Additional duties not noted in the job description may be assigned by a supervisor.

All applicants must demonstrate the ability to promote active and collaborative learning through a variety of teaching methods, as well as relate to students. Excellent organization and communication skills as well as the demonstrated use of instructional technology are required.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Physical Requirements

Must be able to complete the following with or without a reasonable accommodation:

1. The physical activity of this position.

A. Climbing. Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.

B. Balancing. Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling and walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces.

C. Stooping. Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist.

D. Crouching. Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

E. Reaching. Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

F. Standing. Particulary for sustained periods of time.

G. Walking. Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

H. Lifting. Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position.

I. Hand and Finger Coordination: Ability to perform tasks requiring coordinated
hand and finger movements, including typing, keyboarding, picking, pinching,
and handling small objects

J. Grasping. Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

K. Feeling. Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

L. Talking. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.

M. Hearing. Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.

2. The physical requirements of this position.

Light work. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.

3. The visual acuity requirements including color, depth perception, and field vision.

The employee is required to have visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures

4. The conditions the employee will be subject to in this position.

None. The employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Academic Transcripts

Optional Documents

• Optional Documents