The University of Oklahoma (OU) is embarking on a transformational endeavor to grow the newly established OU Polytechnic Institute (OUPI). The aims are to further strengthen the educational landscape of the state, provide students with a unique educational experience that will enable them to be successful throughout their careers and respond to industry's need for a well educated, highly skilled and adaptable workforce to meet current and future needs.  The Institute will be in Tulsa at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center campus. Enrollment for the inaugural class began this August and classes will start in August 2024. This position is being posted now to allow hired faculty leaders time to develop curriculum, plan programming, hire faculty, and initiate research. The position is expected to be a 9-month appointment with the option for 3 additional months of support.

OUPI seeks applicants for a full-time ranked renewable term Associate or Full Professor position with teaching emphasis in cybersecurity and related fields. Prospective applicants should be passionate about teaching and mentoring students and will be instrumental in designing and implementing new degree programs. The OUPI will offer bachelor’s completion (junior and senior level classes only) and graduate degree programs focused on innovation and advanced technology to meet growing workforce demands in areas including cybersecurity, software development and integration, artificial intelligence and advanced computing, health information systems, advanced mobility, and digital manufacturing. Threading through these areas are competencies in data science.  The targeted start date is negotiable, perhaps as soon as November 2023.

The successful candidates will provide leadership in curriculum innovation, will be outstanding and effective communicators who enjoy and contribute to a shared camaraderie with faculty, staff, and students, and will show empathy in student interactions. Areas of creative activity emphasis may include but are not restricted to pedagogical methods, curriculum enhancement or design, student recruitment and retention, K-12 outreach, etc.  Examples of creative activity output may include presentations at national or international conferences/symposia on computing and/or engineering education and/or publication in educational journals.

The University of Oklahoma is a Carnegie-R1 comprehensive public research university known for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, serving the educational, cultural, economic, and healthcare needs of the state, region, and nation from three campuses: the main campus in Norman, the Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and the Schusterman Center in Tulsa. The University of Oklahoma enrolls over 30,000 students and has more than 2,700 full-time faculty members. OU-Tulsa, a branch campus, is located on a beautiful campus crowned by the Schusterman Center and includes new state-of-the-art classrooms and research facilities. Tulsa was recently voted as one of the top 10 places to live by Relocate America and is an economically sound and inviting community located in the Green Country of Northeastern Oklahoma. A burgeoning art scene, including four art museums, and a revitalized downtown area add to the sense of activity and culture that are available in Tulsa. Visit tulsa.ou.edu and soonerway.ou.edu for more information.

Candidates must have the requisite record of professional experience, research, scholarship, teaching and mentoring to hold the rank of associate or full professor in cybersecurity or a related field. Applicants must have earned a doctoral degree in a computing-related field by the date the position starts and teaching experience at the college level in cybersecurity or a closely related field. Experience with computing student education through teaching and student mentoring is required. Evidence of scholarship in computing and/or engineering education is preferred.

Applicants are invited to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement that describes how their background and career goals will support the success of OUPI students, and the contact information for at least four references. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. Documents should be uploaded to https://apply.interfolio.com/132860. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries may be sent to the search committee chair at teri.reed@ou.edu.