Nov. 30, 2021

Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) is a multi-campus university renowned for its extraordinary learning environment and highly personalized educational experience. As a comprehensive university with more than 19,000 students, Laurier has grown rapidly in research intensity while at the same time preserving our well-earned reputation for excellent undergraduate teaching and learning. With a multi-campus and multi-community culture, Laurier offers students an exceptional range of more than 100 academic programs. As a leader in higher education for more than a century, Laurier has offered students a transformative experience, an ethos that is offered in Laurier’s intention to inspire lives of leadership and purpose.

Laurier is taking a step toward Indigenization and reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by hiring six new Indigenous faculty members and six new Black faculty members. The initiative is part of Laurier’s broader Faculty Rejuvenation efforts to advance strategic academic and research goals, enhance academic excellence and student experience, and strengthen collaborative and interdisciplinary initiatives.

Laurier’s campuses and locations are on the Haldimand Tract, within the traditional territories of the Neutral, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. A short 2.5-hour drive of 18 First Nations communities, including the Six Nations of the Grand River— the most populous First Nation in Canada — and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford both have large urban Indigenous populations. There are 12 Métis councils within a 3-hour radius. We recognize the unique heritages of Indigenous peoples and support their right to preserve and express their distinctive Indigenous cultures, histories, and knowledge through academic programming, research, and co-curricular activities. Laurier honours Indigenous knowledge through diverse ongoing initiatives, programs, funding events, and positions, including the university’s Indigenous Student Centres, its Centre for Indigegogy, the Indigenous Knowledge Fund, Indigenous Education Week and the annual Indigenous Research Symposium. Laurier welcomes a regular stream of Visiting Elders and has an Indigenous Curriculum Specialist, not to mention a growing number of Indigenous faculty, students, and staff.

About the Campus

Waterloo/Kitchener: Nestled around one city block, Laurier’s Waterloo campus is home to more than 15,500 students in undergraduate and graduate studies. Known for its small community feel, the campus is a welcoming environment for students and staff. The Waterloo Region, consisting of the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich, is home to Canada’s fastest-growing technology sector and is part of the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor. Neighbouring Laurier's Waterloo and Kitchener campuses are The Healing of the Seven Generations, White Owl Native Ancestry Association and the Grand River Metis Council.  Located approximately one- hour west of Toronto, the Waterloo Region offers a unique blend of modern, energetic urban centres and scenic, rural landscapes, and is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Waterloo Region is renowned for higher education and research. Internationally recognized research organizations also make their home in Waterloo: the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Balsillie School for International Governance Innovation.

About the Position

Faculty and department/area: Faculty of Education

Position location: Waterloo

Area of specializations: Teacher Education and Indigenous Pedagogies, Indigenous Research Methodologies, or Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Rank/s of the position: Open rank

Type of position: Tenure track 

Faculty/department/program description: Through research, scholarship, service, and leadership, the Faculty of Education’s mission is to prepare educational leaders who inspire lives through learning in collaboration with community partners.

The Faculty of Education, established in 2007, began with a small core faculty offering one program: the Bachelor of Education, Primary/Junior division. In a little over a decade, the Faculty has grown in size and scope with the addition the Bachelor of Education, Junior/Intermediate division; Master of Education, Interdisciplinary, and Master of Education, Student Affairs field; International Education Studies (in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts), and; an Education Minor. Additionally, the Faculty offers several highly subscribed outreach programs including a Mental Health in the Classroom certificate and Additional Qualifications courses for practicing K to 12 educators. The Faculty of Education has long demonstrated a commitment to Decolonization and Indigenization and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The Faculty formalized its commitment to Indigenous education well before the release of the Truth and Reconciliations 94 Calls to Action. Faculty members and staff have embraced this commitment, which can be seen in formal and informal curriculum and organizational practices. Our education programs emphasize Indigeneity and inclusion, and we seek to continue to disrupt and question Western epistemologies and colonization. In our evolving Decolonization and Indigenizing Strategic Plan, the Faculty seeks to create an engaging environment for Indigenous students, staff, and faculty; support the development of foundational knowledge and understandings related to Indigenous worldviews, teachings, perspectives, and research approaches; deepen connections with Indigenous partners and communities; enhance resources in the area of Indigenous education and; ensure Indigenous knowledge is integrated across all courses and programs. Additionally, the Faculty of Education sponsors the Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE), a university-wide research centre whose mission is to be a leader in interdisciplinary research and knowledge mobilization related to education in a changing world. The Centre serves as an incubator for education research. One of the focus areas (called vines) of CLRiE is “Indigenous ways of education.”

For more information about the Faculty and its programming, including a list of faculty members please visit the Faculty of Education webpage.

Position summary: The Faculty of Education is seeking a scholar who uses research and teaching to prepare educational leaders who inspire lives through learning in collaboration with community partners. The scholar will have an active voice in shaping the way the Faculty of Education furthers its Indigenization goals, contribute to the longer-term vision of the Faculty, and enhance programming to ensure it is relevant and reflective of the society in which students live and work. The Faculty of Education is collaborative; the incumbent will have the opportunity to work with other scholars across the faculty and Laurier. Community partnerships are foundation to our Faculty of Education; the incumbent will have the opportunity to focus on community-based leadership development opportunities.

Qualifications: You have engaged with scholarship, broadly defined, and have an established or promising record of research or creative practice. To this end, you are:

• A scholar who engages Indigenous ways of knowing, Indigenous research methodologies, or Indigenous pedagogies to inform research in indigenizing and decolonizing education on Turtle Island.
• A scholar who uses Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous pedagogies that will allow them to teach a selection of courses in the Faculty’s Bachelor of Education and Master of Education programs. The ability to teach in the Education Minor or International Education Studies programs would be considered an asset.
• A scholar who shows promise and enthusiasm to develop additional courses within their area of expertise.
• A scholar who shows promise to provide leadership to further the Faculty’s decolonizing education strategy and to help lead the Faculty’s decolonizing and Indigenization goals in alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

We consider the following qualifications as assets for the position:

• An earned doctorate or in the final stages of doctoral studies.
• Teaching and/or leadership experience in K-12 education.
• Registration with the Ontario College of Teachers, or equivalent.

Successful candidates will be emerging or respected scholars and teachers in all career stages, including those who are suitable for appointment at the rank of lecturer, as well as assistant, associate and a full professor. Outstanding candidates without a PhD will be considered if they are a recognized Indigenous knowledge-holder, hold connection to Indigenous communities, employ Indigenous research and teaching methodologies, and have notable scholarly outputs recognized by other Indigenous scholars.

Deciding to Become a Candidate

The following is a list of the steps we anticipate in the recruitment process for this position. We would also like to bring to your attention several key issues we would recommend you consider as you navigate the search process.

How to Apply 

Candidates who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) are encouraged to apply by including the following in their application. Please note that additional materials may be requested through the review process as required by the home department.

• a letter of intent including the candidate’s research and teaching interest and where this best aligns with Laurier’s areas of priority;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a statement on teaching philosophy, and any evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as course syllabus/description, a peer teaching review and student/participant feedback).
• sample publication, scholarly output or writing sample
• the names and contact information of three referees (will not be contacted without the candidate’s consent).
• Indigenous Identity Fraud/Theft has been a significant issue highlighted in the media, and we will be taking steps to confirm Indigenous Identity as part of the recruitment and selection process. The process used to confirm identity is being developed in consultation with the Indigenous Initiatives office.

Applications can be addressed to Mike Young, Executive Search Associate and submitted electronically to wlucohort@boyden.com. Review of applications will begin on October 29th and will continue to be collected and evaluated until all of the Inclusive Excellence cohort positions are filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply once interested as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to employment equity and values diversity. Laurier welcomes applications from qualified members of the equity-seeking groups.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, as per Canadian immigration laws, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obligated to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenships; however, all applicants must include one of the following statements in their cover letter:

• Yes, I am a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• No, I am not a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

Applicants are encouraged to address any career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research and teaching, in accordance with Tri-Council definitions and guidelines.

Laurier strives to make our application process accessible and provides accommodations for both applicants and employees as outlined in Policy 8.7. If you require assistance applying for this position, to obtain a copy of this job description in an accessible format, or would like to discuss accessibility and accommodations during the recruitment process please email equity@wlu.ca.