"Alerted.org

Non-Tenure Track Instructor and Debate Coach

Categories: College of Humanities & Social Science

Position TitleNon-Tenure Track Instructor and Debate Coach

About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Communication Studies Department, and the Western Washington Debate Program supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Department currently has 10 full-time and additional part-time faculty serving approximately 200 undergraduate majors. We focus on the centrality of human communication for understanding our relationships, our communities, and ourselves. Our teaching, scholarship, and service nurture inclusive discourse, critical thinking, and cooperative solutions in a diverse global community. We offer opportunities to develop communication skills and explore communication theories within a rigorous liberal arts program. Learn more about the Communication Studies Department athttps://chss.wwu.edu/communication-studies

The Forensics program is home to the Western Debate Union, a co-curricular organization that offers WWU students access to a national caliber intercollegiate debate experience involving in-depth preparation and coaching at the hands of skilled argumentation experts to attend competitions hosted throughout the country (and across the globe in some cases). Tournaments, weekly business meetings, practices, and sessions with coaches occur throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters and are accessible to all WWU students regardless of skill level or prior experience. The majority of students who join have no prior speech or debate experience but find the program rewarding, and a key outlet for establishing community and friendship through reasoned argumentation. The Western Debate Union is committed to building student research, critical thinking, communication, and community-building skills.

About the Position

The Department of Communication Studies at Western Washington University (WWU) invites applications for a Non-tenure track faculty position with a 1-year renewable teaching position in Communication Studies starting September 16, 2025. Renewal is contingent upon budget approval from the university. We seek a communication scholar who can teach Introduction to Argumentation and Debate at the undergraduate level. The teaching load is 6-8 courses per academic year on a 10-week quarter system (i.e., teaching at least 2 courses in each of three quarters per year).

The successful candidate will also have service duties as a Debate Coach for the WWU Debate Program. The debate coach will be primarily tasked with two major responsibilities. First, they will provide essential support for student participation in competitions. They do so by working closely with students throughout weekend tournaments to prepare their arguments and provide advice and guidance prior to the start of individual debate rounds. They also adjudicate debate sessions among other participating schools at a tournament (the providing of judging is a required criteria for event attendance at most tournaments). The Debate Coach also provides help with travel logistics throughout a tournament, such as driving, ensuring students can access lodging, and providing supervision over undergraduate students throughout the trip. Second, they serve as argument and research instructor to aid student preparation prior to attending tournaments. Such work includes holding published “office hours” to review student work and provide feedback, conduct practice sessions, and attend business meetings.

Required Qualifications

+ Master’s Degree in Communication Studies or related field;

+ Evidence of effective teaching at the college or the university level;

+ Experience coaching and teaching intercollegiate academic debate or related competitive experience in intercollegiate academic debate.

+ Current driver’s license, clean driving record, and ability to travel regionally, nationally, and internationally for competition while overseeing students.

+ Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse students and staff, including a demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications

+ Ph.D. in Communication Studies or related field;

+ Experience with research-based debate formats (i.e. CARD, NDT-CEDA policy debate, NFA-LD).

+ Experience coaching multiple formats of intercollegiate debate.

Conditions of EmploymentAll employees must comply with our Immunization policies, includingProof of Rubeola Measles Immunity (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1300.01-Requiring-Proof-Of-Rubeola-Measles-Immunity) within 60-days of hire. Please reach out [email protected] you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

The non-tenure track faculty appointment, the teaching per credit range is $1,028- $1,350, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Typical teaching responsibility is 8 credits per quarter (fall, winter, spring).

For the accompanying non-tenure track service Debate Coach appointment, the 10.5 month hiring range is $22,749-$29,574, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Following academic years will be subject to the Dean’s approval.

Benefits Information

Benefits Overview for Faculty Positions (https://hr.wwu.edu/files/2022-06/Benefits-Faculty.pdf)

Bargaining Unit

United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

To be considered for the position, application materials must be submitted via WWU’s PageUp, Western's online employment management system. Candidates should upload the following as part of a complete application: 1) a letter of application specifically addressing their qualifications; 2) a CV; 3) a separate statement addressing their demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating learning and working environments that are equitable and inclusive of students, faculty, and staff with diverse social identities and backgrounds; and evidencing their commitment to fulfill teaching and mentoring responsibilities in ways that provide equitable and inclusive learning environments for all students (refer to WWU's ADEI webpage); 4) evidence of successful teaching (e.g., philosophy on teaching, student evaluations, course materials, etc.); 5) graduate transcripts; 6) A separate statement outlining your philosophy of debate teaching that addresses how you would approach coaching and teaching Collegiate Advocacy Research Debate (CARD). CARD format and philosophy details are available for review athttps://www.westerndebateunion.org/pnwdebate; and 7) the contact information of three references. For questions regarding the position, application process, or department, contact Christa Schulz, Department Manager, at 360-650-2670 [email protected].

Closing Date Notes

Application review begins August 1, 2025; position is open until filled"

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.02-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-A-Protected-Class-Interim) andProhibiting Discrimination Based on Sex (https://policy.wwu.edu/POL-U1600.04-Prohibiting-Discrimination-Based-on-Sex-Interim) . Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225;360.650.3307(voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [email protected]

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services (https://hr.wwu.edu/workplace-accommodation) ,360.650.3751or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs [email protected]. The report can be found at:Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (https://studentaffairs.wwu.edu/annual-security-and-fire-safety-report) .

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes asexual misconduct background check (https://hr.wwu.edu/sexual-misconduct-background-checks) .

Job no: 502628

Advertised: Jul 21 2025 09:00 Pacific Daylight Time

Applications close: