Prospective Faculty

Communication Studies faculty and students

At �鶹��Ƶ, we offer a campus, faculty, and staff who embody the highest standards of teaching and scholarship and align to a framework that's both interdisciplinary and international in perspective. By balancing tradition and education, we foster the development of both skills and values, promoting an open and authentic exchange of ideas and independent pursuit of learning. Because we know that young adulthood is a critical time to absorb, discover, and search for what matters most to you.

The purpose of a �鶹��Ƶ education is to help its students attain their full potential as people, to develop in them a capacity and passion for lifelong learning, and to prepare them for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society. That's why we foster a community where a mature understanding of the Christian faith and lives of service are nurtured and students are encouraged to work toward a just and peaceful world.

�鶹��Ƶ is an undergraduate, residential, liberal arts college.

Founded in 1862 by Swedish immigrants; it is the oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota. The college is guided by five core values: community, excellence, faith, justice, and service.

�鶹��Ƶ offers students a liberal arts education of recognized excellence, provided by faculty who embody the highest standards of teaching and scholarship. Small classes, an active and embracing community, and personal attention are the hallmarks of the College, where many of its more than 2,100 full-time students engage in collaborative research with their professors.

The College is fully accredited and is well known for its strong writing, science, music, and award-winning community service programs. In addition, over 40 percent of students are involved in varsity athletics.

�鶹��Ƶ has hosted a local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa since 1983 and is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference. At �鶹��Ƶ, we seek to foster in students a capacity and passion for life-long learning.

The City of Saint Peter

Saint Peter is a small city of approximately 11,000 residents. Nestled in the , Saint Peter offers many of the amenities and attractions of a larger city without the congestion of a more densely-populated area. Housing is affordable and the city boasts arts venues, restaurants, shopping, and outdoor activities. Other major attractions, including the and metropolitan areas, are within driving distance.

College/city relations are strong. �鶹��Ƶ faculty and staff appreciate the opportunity to be active, involved members of the Saint Peter community; they serve the city in government and advisory roles and play an active part in schools, community art and theatre projects, and other civic organizations. Students also constitute another significant link between town and college, through an extensive network of volunteer opportunities organized by the College’s Campus Activties Office. Volunteer programs include tutoring in the schools, adult literacy and citizenship classes, elder care, and “Big Partners.” An increasing number of courses also bring students into the community in service-learning projects that address identifiable community needs.

For additional information about Saint Peter, visit the website.

City of Saint Peter with Minnesota River

Faculty policies

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty: The annual faculty course load for tenure-track and tenured faculty is six courses. This course assignment is designed to allow �鶹��Ƶ faculty to maintain a balance between teaching and obligations to research, service to the College, and student advising.

Non-Tenure-Track Faculty: The regular course load for full-time non-tenure-track faculty is seven courses per year, generally three each semester.

Performance evaluation (fully described in thesection of the Faculty Book) is the responsibility of individual departments, the Faculty Personnel Committee, and the Third Year Review Subcommittee until a faculty member is promoted to full professor.

The review process includes class visits and student evaluations of teaching. The faculty member under review submits a written statement presenting evidence in support of each criterion for retention and promotion listed in the Faculty Manual (i.e., excellence as a teacher, an emerging pattern of professional activities, an emerging pattern of involvement in the activities of the College, and evidence of sympathy with the mission of the College).

At �鶹��Ƶ, we know that faculty are at the heart of our mission; we are committed to creating a faculty-friendly community where professional success is valued as much as personal wellbeing. Several College policies provide flexibility and support to faculty members throughout their careers.

Professional Leave (Sabbatical)

After six years of active service, faculty members are eligible for a one-semester sabbatical at full pay or a full year sabbatical at two-thirds pay. Anyone granted a sabbatical must provide a report upon return to the College.

Reasonable Accommodation

Anyone with a disability may apply for a modification or adjustment of a job, work environment, policy, practice, or procedure that will enable that individual to enjoy equal employment opportunity with others. Reasonable accommodations are negotiated on an individual basis through the Human Resources Office and the Office of the Provost.

Tenure Clock Alteration

The tenure clock may be stopped for as many as two years for . The clock can also be stopped for catastrophic illness, family emergencies, and for leave without pay. Pauses in the tenure clock must be requested through the Office of the Provost in accordance with our .

Paid Parental Leave

�鶹��Ƶ is committed to supporting faculty in managing their professional and parental responsibilities. Eligible faculty members may take for the purposes of giving birth; preparing for or participating in the birth, adoption, or foster care of their child; and/or caring for their newborn or newly adopted or foster child.

Voluntary Appointment Reduction Option for Tenured Faculty (VARO)

The Voluntary Appointment Reduction Option (VARO) is a program that allows tenured faculty to voluntarily trade income for a reduced teaching appointment. VARO permits faculty to reduce their teaching appointment to reflect personal and professional needs and interests.

Retirement Options for Tenured Faculty

In addition to traditional retirement, the College offers a phased retirement (PRO) option. PRO allows a transition of up to three years teaching a reduced load prior to retirement.

Resources for faculty support

Teaching Support

The John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning (KCEL) is a resource center for �鶹��Ƶ faculty at all stages of their careers. The KCEL hosts events designed to bring together faculty for focused conversation on pedagogy, assessment of student learning, and collaboration among colleagues.

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Research Support

Start-up funds: The College provides start-up funds for new tenure-track faculty members. Start-up funds are negotiated on an individual basis at the time of hire. Amounts vary across fields depending on the costs required to develop a program of scholarship or research. Separate from start-up funds, all incoming tenure-track faculty members are provided library funds to build collections in their discipline.

Internal grants: �鶹��Ƶ strives to support faculty in research and scholarly endeavors. In support of this mission, a number of funding opportunities are available through the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning.

Grant-Writing Support: The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs assists faculty in identifying potential external funding sources, in developing grant proposals for both individual and institutional initiatives, in managing funded projects, and in reporting on the use of grants funds.

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Permanent Residency Assistance

�鶹��Ƶ sponsors and processes several types of permanent residence petitions for those faculty who occupy positions that qualify for sponsorship. For more detailed information on the process as well as qualification criteria, please contact the humanresources [at] gustavus.edu (Office of Human Resources) for additional information.

Health and wellbeing

�鶹��Ƶ supports wellbeing across multiple areas to live a healthy life including: emotional, physical, relational, spiritual, intellectual, career, financial, environmental, and vocational.

The �鶹��Ƶ Wellness as a Community program offers educational opportunities, assessment tools, and physical activity experiences so that employees can achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Programs are available free of charge or at a minimal cost to employees. Personalized fitness appointments and personal training are also available free of charge through the Health and Exercise Science department.

The Health Service Office provides current �鶹��Ƶ employees with on-campus appointments for such minor illnesses as strep throat, allergies, influenza, and more. Insurance is billed for all appointments.

Lund Center is the campus athletics and fitness center and is available at no cost to employees.

Dual career resources

Employment decisions often involve two careers; recognizing the unique challenges facing dual career couples, �鶹��Ƶ has partnered with to provide tools and resources to assist in the search process. HERC offers a searchable database of all academic and non-academic jobs for all Upper Midwest HERC member institutions, as well as a CV/résumé database, and email job alerts. Other services include:

Access to the most comprehensive list of jobs at institutions within a commutable distance.
Dual-career search technology that enables you to search for jobs that meet both you and your partner’s job search criteria.
A library of articles, research, and studies on the dual-career topic.
Links to institutions that have dual-career programs and policies.
Job-seeker webinars on dual-career subjects.

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