Department of Educational Leadership
College of Education
Assistant Professor in Ed.D. Community College Specialization
Fall 2026

The Department of Educational Leadership at California State University, Fullerton, invites applications for a tenure‐track Assistant Professor position in Ed.D. Community College Specialization with an appointment to begin fall 2026.

California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) is an equal opportunity employer and a minority-serving institution with a Hispanic-Serving Institution designation. CSUF is firmly committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community and the curriculum and fostering an inclusive environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Candidates who can contribute to this goal through their teaching, research, advising and other activities are encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences. Individuals advancing the University’s strategic diversity goals and those from groups whose underrepresentation in the American professoriate are particularly encouraged to apply.

CSUF is committed to retaining all faculty and has established affinity groups you can join to support your success.

Position
The Department is seeking an outstanding faculty colleague to join departmental efforts in preparing reflective scholar practitioners committed to just, equitable, and inclusive education. CSUF Educational Leadership faculty are committed teachers and scholars who bring research and creative discovery to problems of practice in higher education settings. They teach broadly in the curricula of the department, advise students, and serve on departmental and university-wide committees. CSUF faculty have the opportunity to regularly apply for CSUF and CSU grants that provide additional research funding and assigned time. Our department is highly collaborative and endeavors to support its faculty in pursuing professional goals and opportunities in and beyond our campus and local community.

Position Responsibilities

• Develop and teach graduate-level courses in community college leadership and related areas.
• Chair and serve on doctoral dissertation committees.
• Maintain an active research agenda leading to peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
• Participate in curriculum development and program improvement efforts.
• Advise and mentor doctoral students.
• May have opportunity to also contribute to Masters of Science in Higher Education Program.
• Engage in service at the department, college, university, and community levels.

Teaching Assignments May Include

• Community College Leadership and Governance
• Higher Education Policy and Politics
• Research Methods (Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed Methods)
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education
• Organizational Theory and Change
• Dissertation Development and Research

Required Qualifications

• Earned doctorate in Higher Education Leadership, Community College Leadership, Educational Leadership, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise or leadership experience in community colleges or postsecondary education.
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness at the graduate level.
• Strong record or promise of scholarly productivity.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse student populations, including Latinx, Black, Pacific Islander, and other historically marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated ability to infuse equity-minded practices into teaching, scholarship, and service.
• Research agenda addressing issues of equity, student success, or leadership in community colleges.
• Experience with online teaching and integrating technology into instruction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional leadership experience in community colleges (instructional or administrative roles).
• Experience mentoring graduate or doctoral students.
• Familiarity in chairing dissertation committees, including dissertation in practice (DiP) methodologies.

Application
A complete online application must be received by electronic submission to be considered. To apply, please visit http://hr.fullerton.edu/careers/Faculty.php, choose full-time faculty, search for the position 551366, and provide the following required materials:

• Cover letter in which you respond to the required qualifications
• Curriculum vitae
• Research statement (500 words maximum)
• Teaching statement (500 words maximum)
• Candidate statement on commitment to inclusive excellence (no more than 500 words):
  • Inclusive excellence is a strategic framework that recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in achieving organizational success and high-quality learning and teaching. It's a way of thinking and acting that integrates these values into all aspects of an institution, from curriculum and pedagogy to recruitment and hiring. Essentially, it means that excellence is not just about achieving high standards, but also about ensuring that all members of the community have the opportunity to thrive and contribute (Williams et al., 2005).
  • With the Inclusive Excellence Statement, we aim to learn about the applicant’s perspective on their past and present contributions to and future aspirations for promoting and engaging with a diverse student population. This statement should showcase the candidate's professional experience, intellectual commitments, and/or willingness to teach and create an academic environment supportive of all students, including but not limited to those of diverse ages, abilities, cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, languages, religions, and sexual orientations.
  • Cal State Fullerton serves a student body that reflects the rich cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic mosaic of Southern California.  Please provide concrete examples of how you, as a faculty member, will support our students in one or more of the following areas, which fall under the areas of awareness and understanding, experience and commitment, and future plans.
    1. Your contributions (past, present, or future) to embedding perspectives that are reflective of the student population into your teaching and/or scholarship.
    2. Your experience in service activities that are reflective of a diverse student population.
    3. Your experience and commitment to mentoring and providing opportunities to a diverse student body inside and outside the classroom environment. 
    4. Your experience integrating creative activities that are inclusive of the identities of our student body and communities.
• A list of three references with relevant contact information
  • Semi-Finalists must submit three letters of recommendation. Please have these ready for the referents to submit. On the References page of the online application, enter information and email addresses for three referents who will provide a confidential letter of reference for your application. At the appropriate time in the search process, they will receive a request via email along with information on uploading the letter. You can verify that CSUF has received each letter by logging back into your applicant portal.
  • Finalists will be asked to have each of their three referents submit a letter of recommendation. Please have these ready for the referents to offer should you proceed to this search phase.
• Semifinalists may be asked to submit additional materials for further consideration (e.g., scholarly articles, portfolio, etc.).
• Graduate Transcripts (unofficial copies are sufficient for initial review)

Please direct all questions about the position to: Daniel Choi at dchoi@fullerton.edu or call 657‐278‐4023

Application Deadline
To be assured full consideration, all application materials must be received by November 14, 2025. The anticipated appointment date is August 2026.

The College and Department
The College of Education is committed to just, equitable, and inclusive education, with goals to:

• Reach the intersecting social identities of all learners through the critical examination of implicit and explicit biases and privileges in order to provide fair, respectful, non-discriminatory, equitable, inclusive, and humanizing learning environments.
• Teach through an anti-racist lens using culturally and linguistically relevant strategies, including educational technologies and community engagement, to provide equitable opportunities and supports necessary for all learners to attain high-quality outcomes
• Impact schools and communities through a commitment to dismantling systems of oppression by supporting students, teachers, and leaders as citizens in a highly diverse, global, digital world.

In Spring 2024, the College of Education faculty from racially and ethnically marginalized groups comprised 70% of the faculty (all ranks, including lecturers).

The Department of Educational Leadership contains master’s and doctoral programs in higher education and P12 leadership, enrolling nearly 330 students in Fall 2024. This position will focus primarily on the department's Community College Leadership programs. The department uses a distributed leadership model, expecting all faculty to share some of the leadership responsibilities. The highly collaborative teams meet weekly in program meetings and monthly in department meetings.

The Department includes the Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (CREAL), which produces educational assessments, research papers, and conference presentations on issues of access and equity in education. Department Faculty can work closely with CREAL, its students, and faculty.

The Ed.D. in Community College Educational Leadership is designed to develop competence in the following areas: research of practice; change agency; systems thinking; understanding power, politics, and policy; critical communication and self-reflection; community partnerships; and just, equitable, and inclusive education.

Compensation
The Assistant Professor (Academic Year) classification salary range is $5,405 to $11,994 monthly (12 monthly payments per academic year). The anticipated hiring range is $7,193 to $7,334 per month.

Salary offered is commensurate with experience and qualifications. In addition, the California Equal Pay Act prohibits employers from paying its employees less than those of the opposite sex and/or another race or ethnicity for substantially similar work (https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/california_equal_pay_act.htm).

Summer research grants, moving expenses, start‐up funds, and a reduced teaching load may be available.

CSUF Benefits
An excellent comprehensive benefits package includes health/vision/dental plans; spouse, domestic partner, and dependent fee‐waiver; eligibility for campus child‐care (fees apply); and a defined‐benefit retirement through the state system and optional tax-sheltering opportunities. For a detailed description of benefits, please visit https://hr.fullerton.edu/total-wellness/.

New employees hired by the CSU for the first time who first become CalPERS members on or after July 1, 2017, are subject to a 10-year vesting period for retiree health and dental benefits.

CSU Policies
The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and must comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083, revised July 21, 2017, as a condition of employment.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be formally offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or the continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self‐disclose.

Notice of Non-Discrimination based on Gender or Sex and Contact Information for Title IX Coordinator (http://www.fullerton.edu/titleix/about/notice.php).

In accordance with the California State University (CSU) Out-of-State Employment Policy, the CSU is a state entity whose business operations reside within the State of California. It requires hiring employees to perform CSU-related work within the State of California. The employee must be able to accept on-campus instruction, as assigned, and come to campus when needed. The CSU also prohibits hiring and retaining employees working permanently from a business location outside of the United States.

At the time of appointment, the successful candidate, if not a U.S. citizen, must have authorization from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to work in the United States. For information on the University policy on support for non-immigrant probationary faculty visa acquisition, please visit the Faculty/Staff Visas and Permanent Residency page: https://hr.fullerton.edu/risk-management/faculty-staff-visas-permanent-residency/default.php