Renewable Contract Professor of Public Policy

Department/Organization
225101 - School of Leadership & Policy

---

Rank
Professor

---

Position Summary
The University of Alabama School of Leadership and Policy (SLP) invites applications for one or more renewable contract faculty positions in Public Policy, at the rank of professor, beginning August 2027. We seek teachers and mentors who will prepare students to analyze, shape, and carry out public policy. The SLP will open its doors for classes in fall 2027 as the first new college-level unit established at The University of Alabama in 60 years; as a new school, the SLP offers faculty a rare opportunity to help build a curriculum and set of programs from the ground up.

---

Detailed Position Information
These are teaching- and student-focused appointments in the undergraduate and graduate public policy programs. Preparation for this role can come from academic training alone or from a combination of academic training and practical experience. We expect to hire multiple faculty and understand that an individual candidate may not meet all of the preferences below. We will build a faculty whose strengths are complementary.
Beyond classroom teaching, faculty in these positions will support students directly and will build the school's relationships with the organizations that host and hire them. This work may include career advising and mentoring, supervision of the public policy capstone and student internships, development of experiential learning programs and courses, identifying capstone clients and internship sites, and connecting students to employers. Faculty appointed at this rank will be expected to take a leading part in that work and to help set the direction of the school's programs as they develop. Assignments are made by the department chair or dean and will reflect the needs of the school and the strengths of each faculty member.
Research is not a condition of these appointments and carries no weight in evaluation, reappointment, or promotion.
Appointments are for a three-year term and are renewable. Reappointment depends on documented performance, continued departmental need, and continued availability of funding.
We offer a competitive salary and relocation assistance.

---

Minimum Qualifications
Candidates must hold either a doctorate or other terminal degree in a relevant field, or a master's degree combined with professional contributions in public policy that confer professional stature commensurate with the rank of professor. Relevant doctoral fields include public policy, public administration, economics, political science, and related disciplines in the social sciences. We also welcome candidates whose doctoral training lies elsewhere but whose expertise and teaching bear directly on public policy.
All candidates must present a record of teaching and professional accomplishment appropriate to the rank of professor, and must demonstrate the capacity for undergraduate and graduate teaching and for mentoring students.

---

Preferred Qualifications
Teaching. Applicants should demonstrate the ability to teach in the SLP's public policy curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses include Economics of Public Policy, Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Research Methods in Public Policy, Values in Public Policy, Communicating Public Policy, the Policymaking Process, and Leadership in Public Policy. Experience directing or teaching a capstone course in public policy is particularly valuable. Teaching experience may have been gained in a university or in professional settings such as government agencies, legislatures, the military, or policy organizations, including through training, executive education, or professional instruction. Successful candidates will help build out the curriculum by developing additional courses that reflect their own expertise and areas of specialization. Policy expertise. We welcome candidates whose expertise bears on the policy challenges facing Alabama and its communities. That expertise may have been developed through scholarship, professional practice, or both. Analytic preparation. We are particularly interested in candidates prepared to teach the analytic core of the curriculum, including policy analysis and evaluation, economics for public policy, and the research methods sequence. Professional experience. Candidates whose qualifications are based on practical experience should have led the design, adoption, implementation, or evaluation of public policy in government, the military, the nonprofit sector, or private industry. Mentoring. We seek candidates who are committed to student development and who show evidence of it, whether through teaching, advising, supervising, coaching, or developing junior colleagues. Candidates coming from practice will often bring a network of contacts who can serve as employers, internship hosts, capstone clients, and guest speakers. Program building. We value candidates who have created something and run it, whether a course sequence, an internship or fellowship program, a training curriculum, or an applied learning program. Candidates at this rank should be prepared to help lead the SLP’s academic programs.

---

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Applicants should submit a cover letter explaining how their academic training, practical experience, or both prepare them to teach and mentor students in public policy. Applicants should also submit a curriculum vitae or resume, a teaching statement, contact information for three references, and graduate transcript (need not be official transcript at this time). The teaching statement should describe the applicant's approach to teaching, prior teaching experience, the courses they are prepared to teach, and what they aim to accomplish with students. Applicants should include any available evidence of teaching effectiveness. Review of applications will begin Dec. 15 and continue until the positions are filled. Questions may be directed to Dr. Joseph L. Smith at jos.smith@ua.edu.

---

About the Division/College/School
The School of Leadership and Policy (SLP) is the first new college-level unit established at The University of Alabama in 60 years, created to build on the University's history of educating effective leaders and policymakers. UA President Dr. Peter J. Mohler is committed to establishing a nationally recognized institution dedicated to advancing leadership and policy education for the next generation of changemakers. The SLP faculty will blend tenure-track and contract faculty with professors of pp (BA and MPP) and organizational leadership (BA), with plans to add an online BA and in-person and online master's degrees in organizational leadership.
The SLP focuses on leadership across sectors, not partisan politics. Its interdisciplinary, practice-oriented curriculum emphasizes skills, not ideology: ethics, collaboration, data literacy, communication, economic analysis, systems thinking, public problem-solving, and evidence-based practice. The SLP will prepare students of all backgrounds to become effective leaders, policymakers, and public servants who contribute to the social, economic, and civic well-being of Alabama and the nation. Students will be exposed to multiple viewpoints and will engage directly with public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector through internships, policy labs, and community-based projects, developing the perspective and skills needed to address complex challenges with practical solutions.
As a new school, the SLP offers faculty a rare opportunity: the chance to help build a curriculum, a research culture, and a set of programs from the ground up. The SLP will bring together faculty across leadership and public policy, whose research and teaching will regularly reach practitioners: elected officials, civil servants, and business and nonprofit leaders working to solve real problems. The SLP will be housed in the historic Farrah Hall, now undergoing a $40M renovation to create modern classrooms, offices, and labs.

---

About the University
The University of Alabama, the Capstone, is the state of Alabama’s flagship public university and its oldest and largest public university, founded in 1831. UA is an R1 institution in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the top tier of doctoral research universities. UA enrolls a record 42,431 students from all 67 Alabama counties, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 95 countries. In fall 2026, Graduate School enrollment reached 6,484 students.

University of Alabama students continue to win prestigious national awards. Sixty-nine UA students have been named Goldwater scholars, including three for 2026-27. The University of Alabama has produced 17 Rhodes scholars, 16 Truman scholars, 43 Hollings scholars and 21 Boren scholars. The Fulbright Program selected 10 UA students for awards for the 2026-27 academic year. UA was named a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students, a distinction it has now earned nine times in the last 11 years.

UA appeared on 15 U.S. News & World Report lists ranking the Best Online Programs, including seven programs ranked in the top 10 of their respective lists. UA made Time magazine’s list of Best Colleges for Future Leaders 2026. Forty current UA faculty members have received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, one of the nation’s most prestigious recognitions of top-performing young scientists, in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

UA made Forbes’ 2026 lists of America’s Top Colleges and Best Employers for Company Culture. According to the UA Center for Business and Economic Research, UA’s total statewide economic impact is $3.4 billion and 15,238 jobs.

---

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.

The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.