Join the Outfit!

The National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech is now accepting applications for a full-time, 12-month Assistant/Associate Professor of Practice focused on engaged scholarship, starting September 1, 2026.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic educator and collaborator who’s passionate about community engagement, teaching, and building meaningful partnerships. If you have experience teaching engaged scholarship and working closely with community partners, this could be the perfect fit!

This position includes teaching, research and administrative responsibilities aimed at advancing the university’s outreach and engagement initiatives.

Position Description

The National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University invites applications for a full-time, 12-month Assistant/Associate Professor of Practice position focused on engaged scholarship beginning September 1, 2026.

We seek candidates with a background or a record indicative of the ability to teach engaged scholarship and community-engagement courses at the post-secondary level and cultivate community partnerships. The successful candidate will be expected to teach graduate-level courses on community engagement.

In addition to teaching, this position includes research and administrative responsibilities aimed at advancing the university’s outreach and engagement initiatives. The workload distribution is as follows:

• Teaching (0.2 FTE)
  • Spring: Foundations of Societal Impact & Engaged Scholarship
  • Fall: Foundations of Engaged Partnerships

• Engaged Research (0.5 FTE)

• Responsibilities include writing grants related to engaged scholarship at the National Ranching Heritage Center, publishing best practices in engagement, and developing evaluation metrics to assess impact on faculty, staff, students and community partners.

• The position also involves co-chairing graduate student research focused on engagement effects on both community partners and undergraduate students.

• Administration (0.3 FTE)

• Duties include tracking program impact, especially as it relates to NRHC programmatic engagement pathways, including but not limited to Ranch Life Learning, historical park, and Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts.

While appointed to this position, you will accrue vacation and will be required to report leave monthly following TTU’s Operating Policy 70.01 and TTU System Regulation 07.12. Since you will accrue vacation, you will follow a staff holiday schedule, which is available here: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hr/empbenefits/holidayschedule.php.

About the University

Established in 1923, Texas Tech University is a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) Doctoral/Research-Extensive, Hispanic Serving, and state-assisted institution. Located on a beautiful 1,850-acre campus in Lubbock, a city in West Texas with a growing metropolitan-area population of over 300,000, the university enrolls over 40,000 students with 33,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students. As the primary research institution in the western two-thirds of the state, Texas Tech University is home to 10 colleges, the Schools of Law and Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate School. The flagship of the Texas Tech University System, Texas Tech is dedicated to student success by preparing learners to be ethical leaders for a diverse and globally competitive workforce. It is committed to enhancing the cultural and economic development of the state, nation, and world.
About Lubbock:Referred to as the “Hub City” because it serves as the educational, cultural, economic, and health care hub of the South Plains region, Lubbock boasts a diverse population and a strong connection to community, history, and land. With a mild climate, highly rated public schools, and a low cost of living, Lubbock is a family-friendly community that is ranked as one of the best places to live in Texas. Lubbock is home to a celebrated and ever-evolving music scene, a vibrant arts community, and is within driving distance of Dallas, Austin, Santa Fe, and other major metropolitan cities. Lubbock’s Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive overview of the Lubbock community and its resources, programs, events, and histories.

About the College

The Office of Outreach and Engagement promotes and supports faculty, staff, and student engagement with communities by creating connections between scholarly pursuits and community needs, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between the university and the community, and communicating best practices in outreach and engaged scholarship. There are several divisions affiliated with the Office of Outreach and Engagement, including the Texas Tech Museum, the National Ranching Heritage Center, Lubbock Lake Landmark, Texas Tech University Press, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Texas Tech University Center at Junction, and the Natural Science Research Laboratory. In addition to these divisions, the Office of Outreach and Engagement also offers numerous opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and community members to deepen their understanding of engagement and build partnerships.

About the Department/School/Area

As a leader in providing immersive, community-based outreach and engagement programming, events, exhibits and other outputs, the National Ranching Heritage Center is a strategic initiative housed within the Office of Outreach and Engagement at Texas Tech University. In conjunction with the Office of Outreach and Engagement, NRHC is developing structured pathways to support faculty in designing and implementing engaged scholarship, community-engaged learning and scholarship of engagement to expand and measure the impact of long-established and mature community outreach programs. Through this partnership-based approach, NRHC offers multiple programmatic engagement pathways to connect faculty, students and staff to work alongside community members to address long-term social challenges and contribute to community-driven solutions.

Major/Essential Functions

At Texas Tech University, the Professor of Practice title is used to recruit individuals with exceptional backgrounds and achievements in academic, business, government, or other professional practice. Primary responsibilities normally will be to teach in an area of expertise, mentor students in professional and career preparation, and liaise with professional contacts and entities on behalf of the department or program.

In line with TTU’s strategic priorities to engage and empower a dynamic student body, enable innovative research and creative activities, and transform lives and communities through outreach and engaged scholarship, applicants should have experience working with a breadth of student populations at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels within individual or across the areas of teaching, research/creative activity, and service.

• As a professor of practice affiliated with the Office of Outreach and Engagement you will be expected to:
• Develop and teach graduate level courses in topics related to outreach and engagement
• Liaise with departments across campus
• Actively participate in Office of Outreach and Engagement and National Ranching Heritage Center initiatives
• Conduct research associated with engaged scholarship
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as required or deemed appropriate to the accomplishments, responsibilities, and functions of the Office of Outreach and Engagement

Organization

Texas Tech University

Faculty Qualifications

• An earned doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) by time of appointment
• Record of scholarship commensurate with rank
• Research agenda focused on a facet of community engagement

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the required qualifications, individuals with the following preferred qualifications are strongly encouraged to apply:

• Three years of experience providing research-informed instruction in a post-secondary setting
• Experience working with outreach organizations and an appreciation for traditional Western arts and stories
• Active engagement in professional organizations in the field of engaged scholarship
• Experience collaborating with community partners
• Experience teaching in an online learning environment (including LMS and computer applications such as BlackBoard or Canvas)

Duty Point

TTU Lubbock, main campus and affiliated facilities

Safety Information

Adherence to robust safety practices and compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations are responsibilities of all TTU employees.

Does this position work in a research laboratory? No

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please include the following documents in your application:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Cover Letter
3. Position Statement on Outreach and Engagement
4. List of references

Questions about this position should be directed to Dr. Scott Burris, Search Committee Chair at [email protected]. If you need assistance with the application process, contact Human Resources, Talent Acquisition at [email protected] or 806-742-3851.

Job Type: Full Time

Pay Basis: Monthly

Pay Statement: Compensation is commensurate upon the qualifications of the individual selected and budgetary guidelines of the hiring department, as well as the institutional pay plan.

Travel Required: Up to 25%

Grant Funded: No

Job Group: Non Tenure track

EEO Statement: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected veteran.

Salary Grade: 800