Job Opportunities

Date Posted: 06/19/2020

Soka University of America seeks a part-time instructor to teach non-music majors jazz piano and theory, and direct a small ensemble, three contact hours per week with possible expansion. Some additional responsibilities (e.g., participating in campus music events, preparing end-of-semester recitals.) Position begins in February, 2021. 

Qualifications: Masters degree (or above) or equivalent professional performing experience and college-level teaching experience required. Demonstrated ability to attract students to jazz studies, and ability to teach jazz in the context of Afro-American history and culture also important. SUA especially welcomes applications from candidates from underrepresented minorities.

SUA aims to foster rewarding intellectual relationships among faculty and between faculty and students through collaboration and mentoring. An appreciation of the centrality of peace, global citizenship, freedom, and human rights is the founding impetus for the university and its mission.

Salary: Salary competitive and commensurate with experience.

Application Information: Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, a one-page statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness (if available), and contact information for three professional references (no recordings at this time, please). Please submit your application by clicking on this InterFolio link by September 1, 2020, for full consideration. Employment is contingent on the completion of a successful background check.

Please send any inquiries to this email address: facultyrecruiting@soka.edu

Soka University of America is an equal opportunity employer.

Date Posted: 06/19/2020

Soka University of America seeks a part-time instructor to teach non-music majors vocal technique and direct a chorus, four contact hours per week.  Some additional responsibilities (e.g., participating in campus music events, preparing end-of-semester recitals.) Position begins in February, 2021.

Qualifications: Masters degree (or above) in voice or choral conducting required, college-level teaching experience required. Professional performing experience and demonstrated ability to attract students to vocal ensembles also important. SUA especially welcomes applications from candidates from underrepresented minorities.

SUA aims to foster rewarding intellectual relationships among faculty and between faculty and students through collaboration and mentoring. An appreciation of the centrality of peace, global citizenship, freedom, and human rights is the founding impetus for the university and its mission.

Salary: Salary competitive and commensurate with experience.

Application Information: Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, a one-page statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness (if available), and contact information for three professional references (no recordings at this time, please). Please submit your application by clicking on this InterFolio link by September 1, 2020, for full consideration. Employment is contingent on the completion of a successful background check.

Please send any inquiries to this email address: facultyrecruiting@soka.edu

Soka University of America is an equal opportunity employer.

Date Posted: 06/19/2020

Soka University of America (SUA) seeks a part-time instructor to teach two sections of Introduction to Photography online to non-majors for the Fall Semester 2020.

Qualifications: Qualified candidates will hold an MFA or other practice-oriented terminal degree or have equivalent professional experience and have demonstrated success teaching at the college or university level. Under the current circumstances, obviously, experience teaching fundamental principles of digital photography online will be a major positive. SUA especially welcomes applications from candidates from underrepresented minorities.

Description: The semester will run from early September through early December (13 weeks of instruction plus a final exam week.) Up to a total of 20 SUA students will be participating, very likely from their home countries if not their homes, in time zones around the world. The successful candidate will have practical ways of engaging students in learning principles of visual media and functional techniques of digital photography, as well as encouraging creativity in widely diverse circumstances.

SUA aims to foster rewarding intellectual relationships among faculty and between faculty and students through collaboration and mentoring. An appreciation of the centrality of peace, global citizenship, freedom, and human rights is the founding impetus for the university and its mission.

Salary: Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. 

Application information: Please submit letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching effectiveness, a one-page statement of teaching philosophy and contact information for three professional references. Do not send work samples at this time. Please submit your application by clicking on this InterFolio link by July 24, 2020, for full consideration. Employment is contingent on the completion of a successful background check.

Please send any inquiries to this email address: facultyrecruiting@soka.edu

Soka University of America is an equal opportunity employer.

Date Posted: 06/25/2020

Soka University of America (SUA) is offering a full-time Reference and Instruction Librarian position. We seek candidates who will proactively build collaborative relationships with the members of the SUA community, provide effective research consultations and engaging instructions, and develop library programs which contribute to the University’s commitment to academic excellence.

The mission of SUA is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. Daisaku and Kaneko Ikeda Library supports our students, faculty, and staff in their endeavors to meet their academic and personal goals as we all work together toward fulfilling the SUA mission. To that end, the library actively engages in teaching information literacy skills, facilitates access to information, and provides spaces for scholastic collaboration and intellectual exploration. The values we uphold are our principles that guide our actions and decisions.

Candidates should demonstrate responsiveness toward and understanding of diverse student backgrounds, especially with regard to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture, ability/disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity and have a willingness to facilitate the university’s mission to develop global citizens.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Conduct effective patron interviews and respond to reference/research questions using print and online resources in person, by email/chat, or telephone.
• Design and provide information literacy instructions for specific disciplines, class assignments, capstones, and theses. The instructions must be engaging, relevant, effective, and student-centered.
• Partner with faculty and Writing Center to conduct engaging information literacy sessions to Writing 101 and 301 students.
• Review syllabi, attend campus events, build relationships, and communicate with the campus community to learn and respond to their changing needs. Some events are scheduled during or on weekends.
• Reach out to other departments and student groups to support their educational programs by consultations and collaborative partnership.
• Design assessment instruments, use them to collect data on information literacy sessions, analyze, and write up the results.
• Help maintain thorough and accurate records of reference and instruction activities. Plan, implement, evaluate, and improve the services.
• Follow national standards and best practices, update learning objectives, policies, and procedures to ensure a consistent and effective information literacy program.
• Stay informed of any changes made to online resources and the copyright law. Maintain up-to-date tutorials and research guides.
• Test and evaluate new electronic products.
• Provide library orientations to incoming students and faculty. Promote information literacy instruction classes to the faculty.
• Promote the library collections and services to the campus community by writing monthly articles for SUA Today and maintaining the library’s social media platforms.
• Create and display various library signage, including library display boxes.
• Monitor relevant listservs; attend conferences, workshops, and webinars.

Candidates should have:

Education

• Master’s degree in information and/or library science from an ALA-accredited school

Experience

• Three years of relevant working experience in providing reference service and information literacy instruction. Demonstrated effective teaching skills employing student-centered pedagogy.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Strong evidence of a collaborative spirit and a service-oriented attitude.
• Capacity for developing and sustaining effective relationships with students, faculty, and staff in the university setting.
• Ability to provide responsive service to the entire academic community with tact, courtesy, and an attitude of “going the extra mile.”
• Ability to work both independently and on a team, exercising excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Regular exercise of independent judgment, creativity, and initiative to surpass goals.
• Strong attention to detail. Ability to work accurately with a high level of efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to organize time and schedule efficiently.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and adjust priorities in a changing environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of social justice issues, diversity, and inclusiveness.
• High proficiency in personal computer systems and knowledge of emerging technologies as they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position.
• Knowledge of and eagerness to learn new technologies and their applications related to the job responsibilities.
• Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills in English. Strong skills in proofreading and editing. 
• Ability to carry out duties in accordance with the American Library Association Code of Ethics, general work ethics, and professional standards.

Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge and experiences to support the students and faculty of Life Sciences.
• Experience in creating user-friendly LibGuides and BrightSpace courses.
• Ability to read and write a foreign language(s).
• Experience with grant writing.

This position may include some weeknight and/or weekend hours.

About SUA:

SUA seeks to cultivate global citizens and critical thinkers with expansive worldviews prepared to provide leadership in a rapidly changing world based on the founder Daisaku Ikeda’s remark:  “What our world most requires now is the kind of education that fosters love for humankind, that develops character—that provides an intellectual basis for the realization of peace and empowers learners to contribute to and improve society.”

Students come from all over the world and are invited to take courses in any of our five concentrations: Environmental Studies, Humanities, International Studies, Social and Behavioral Studies, and our newest concentration, Life Sciences. Our Life Sciences concentration will open in 2020-2021 academic year.

For more information on the university, please see our website.

Application review will begin immediately. The position will remain open, and applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Employment is contingent upon the completion of a successful background check.

To apply, send a letter of interest, resume, and three professional references to:

Human Resources
Re: Reference and Instruction Librarian 
Soka University of America
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
E-mail: jobs@soka.edu

Soka University of America is an equal opportunity employer.