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Professor of Practice and Director of Industry Relations in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) at the Pennsylvania State University, the first industrial engineering department founded in the world, is pleased to announce a search for an outstanding non-tenure track hire with a start date as early as spring 2023 for a Professor of Practice and Director of Industry Relations. The title of Professor of Practice is reserved for persons who may not have a traditional academic background but have accumulated a decade or more of high-level engineering and leadership experience in the private or public sectors. Such individuals typically have a wealth of knowledge that is of great value as it is shared with the University's students and other faculty. Applicants must have an earned a Master’s Degree or terminal degree in Industrial Engineering or a closely related field by the expected start date and have excellent verbal and written communication skills. This is a term position funded for three years from the date of hire with an excellent possibility of renewal.

The primary duties of the Professor of Practice and Director of Industry Relations will be to connect with industry to provide direction to and engagement with the Department, to procure projects from industry for our capstone senior design projects, to manage the capstone senior design course and advise student teams, and to instruct other classes aligned with the individual’s expertise. This position also serves as the IME Department’s Project Coordinator within the Learning Factory’s Capstone Design Program (https://www.lf.psu.edu/), providing guidance and input to this program. The expected teaching load for this position is four courses per year, in addition to the year-round duties associated with the Director of Industry Relations. Additional information on academic ranks, including Professor of Practice, can be found in Penn State’s AC21 policy. This position will collaborate and liaise with the College’s Office of Corporate and Industry Engagement to nurture, develop, and strengthen industry partnerships.

The Department is especially interested in candidates who are passionate about teaching, who will provide leadership and innovation for the Department’s student design offerings, and who will aggressively pursue and procure engagement with industry. The Department is also especially interested in candidates whose background and/or service interests promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, such as differing economic circumstances; personal characteristics; philosophical perspectives; social, racial, economic, and ethnic diversity; sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; and physical abilities. We believe that these differences bring great strength to our university. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to fostering a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, that leverages the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engages all individuals to help them thrive.

Interested applicants should submit: a cover letter, a Curriculum Vitae, a one- to two-page statement including your plans for industry engagement and capstone senior design preparation, a one-page statement of how you have previously supported and promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion in your past work as well as how you plan to do so at Penn State, and a list of 3-5 references. Early applications are encouraged, as consideration will begin once applications are received. Applicants who apply before November 15, 2022, and submit all requested materials, will get full consideration. Please apply at https://hr.psu.edu/careers.

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