Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on:
December 7, 2025If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details.
Available Title(s):
280-NN_FACULTY - Associate Professor, 290-NN_FACULTY - ProfessorBusiness Title:
Associate Professor/ProfessorEmployee Type:
FacultyPosition Term:
Position Details:
The Opportunity:
Washington State University seeks a visionary leader for the position of Director of the Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service and as a faculty member in the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs (PPPA) in the College of Arts and Sciences. Applications are invited for a permanent, full-time 9-month, tenure-eligible position at the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor as well as a termed, though renewable, administrative leadership appointment as the Director of the Foley Institute for which an administrative stipend will be paid.
The mission of the Foley Institute is to provide public affairs education, engage students in public service, and support academic research on public policy and democratic institutions. As the Director you are expected to interact with and serve the public, build connections with state and national institutions, and create and sustain pathways for students interested in pursuing public service careers.
You will be expected to strengthen your own disciplinary area while fostering collaboration and building connections across PPPA’s multiple disciplines. PPPA engages in scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and public outreach to address the ethical, philosophical, and political challenges facing the world. As a member of PPPA faculty, you are expected to work within the School to prepare students to be effective and engage citizens and leaders equipped with a strong understanding of research methods and a multidisciplinary, problem-solving mindset. Additionally, you are expected to be an effective administrator, while maintaining a strong research agenda in your area of expertise, and contribute to teaching in the School of PPPA.
As the successful candidate is expected to have an exceptional record of collaborative leadership that fosters common goals within a department or program and the broader university community, experience with public service, and a record of effective communication with the university community and the broader public. The successful candidate will also have an outstanding record in research and teaching in American Politics, interpreted broadly. Successful candidates will be expected to begin the four (4) year renewable appointment as Director on August 16, 2026.
As Director of the Foley Institute, the successful candidate will:
Collaboratively develop and implement strategies for the Institute to strengthen its public outreach, interaction with state and national institutions, and student support, ensuring access and opportunity in alignment with WSU’s land-grant mission.
Promote internship and public service opportunities for WSU students
Foster a collaborative culture and environment in the Institute.
Administer and lead the delivery of the Institute’s programs and the regular refresh and renewal of the Institute’s activities
Champion the Institute to the university administration, other university units, and external stakeholders
Engage in fund-raising activities for the Institute.
Oversee the management of the Institute, with budgetary responsibilities for strategic, academic, and operational development
Serve as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences broader academic leadership team and work collaboratively to position the Institute within both college and university priorities
As a PPPA faculty member, the successful candidate will:
Mentor graduate students.
Maintain an active research program, which may include publishing books and in journals, the pursuit of community-engaged scholarship, participation in national and international conferences and colloquia, and service to the discipline more broadly.
Serve on school, college, and university committees and participate in the shared governance of the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs.
Teach graduate and/or undergraduate courses in American politics and/or public policy.
These responsibilities are designed to integrate the Director’s scholarly expertise with the Institute’s applied and educational goals, rather than to serve as a traditional full teaching and research load.
Additional Information:
Annual Salary:
Base Salary Associate Professor: $90,000 - $110,000 Commensurate with experience and qualifications
Base Salary Full Professor: $110,000 - $140,000 Commensurate with experience and qualifications
Administrative Stipend: $15,000 - $30,000 Commensurate with experience and qualifications
In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.
Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty please review the summary of benefits for WSU Faculty and Total Compensation
Required Qualifications for hiring at the Professor level:
Required Qualifications for hiring at the Associate Professor level:
Preferred Qualifications for All Ranks:
A strong record and/or strong potential of securing external funding to support scholarship and institute activities.
Experience engaging with donors, foundations, sponsors, or other funding partners and the ability to communicate the impact of the Foley Institute to diverse audiences and contribute to the college’s broader advancement goals.
About the Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, and Colleges of Arts and Sciences: For more information about the great work we are doing and to view our mission and values, please visit our websites linked above.
Area/College: College of Arts and Sciences
Department Name: Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs / Foley Institute
Location: Pullman, WA
Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.
Cover letter addressing qualifications for this position as well as a response to the following prompt:
As a land-grant university, we have a commitment to ensure access and opportunity in all aspects of our work. The successful candidate for this leadership position will have the experiences, knowledge, and skills to lead the Institute in its research/scholarship, pedagogy, curriculum, and service in ways that reflect and enhance this commitment. Using the job announcement for this position, please list and explain up to three areas of responsibility you see as related to fulfilling this mission.
Curriculum vitae
Future Director’s Statement: In a separate statement, please provide your assessment of the opportunities and challenges that you might face as Director of the Foley Institute. You are welcome to review the current structure and units of WSU’s Foley Institute, but we do not expect a detailed assessment of the unit. Rather we are most interested in your vision of engagement, scholarship, and teaching in such a unit, as well as how you understand your role in meeting the specifics opportunities and challenges that might accompany that vision.
External candidates, upload all documents in the “Application Document” section of your application.
Current WSU Employees (internal candidates), before starting your Workday application, please use these instructions to update your education and experience in your worker profile in Workday.
Internal candidates, upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.
Documents may be submitted as one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF, if possible.
Reference contact information will be requested later in the recruitment process through Workday.
Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34, engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.
Time Type:
Washington State University encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including members of the military and veterans, and persons with disabilities.
WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
In matters of admission, employment, housing or services, or in the educational programs or activities it operates, WSU does not discriminate or permit discrimination by any member of its community against any individual on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, mental disability, sensory disability, use of a trained service animal, age, religion, creed, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, honorably discharged veteran, member of the military, or immigration or citizenship status except as authorized by federal or state law, regulation, or government contract.
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More information, resources, and contact information are available here: https://ccr.wsu.edu/notice-of-nondiscrimination/