The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is seeking to fill a faculty position to provide foundational science teaching, research, and outreach/service needs to an exciting, innovative, and fully funded new veterinary education program located in Amarillo, TX.  Texas is a rapidly growing and prosperous state.  The new School is the first program established in Texas in a century and focuses on veterinary medical and educational needs of rural and regional communities of Texas.

Applications are welcomed beginning March 1, 2021 (see below for instructions on how to apply).  Application packages will be reviewed semi-weekly and candidates will be invited for interviews when the review of packages indicates that an adequate pool of candidates have applied.

Background

The School and the focus of its comprehensive veterinary medical education program are founded on the following objectives:

• Graduate practice-ready, competent and confident veterinarians who will serve rural and regional communities across Texas;
• Provide access to affordable, high-quality veterinary medical education for Texans;
• Develop a research-intensive School that enhances and complements the strengths of TTU and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), and addresses the needs for research and expertise in veterinary medicine, food- and fiber-animal production, and the health sciences;
• Provide opportunities for graduate education and research, and advanced clinical training in internships and residencies;
• Support sustainability of livestock industries as they feed growing state, national, and global populations; and
• Improve human, animal, and ecosystem health by integrating innovative One Health activities into our educational, scholarship, and service activities.

Successful candidates will be expected to foster a values-based environment within the School and to develop collegial relationships with faculty, staff, and students at TTU and the TTUHSC and other institutions as appropriate.  Adaptability, persistence, and resilience are important attributes for success in the evolving dynamics that are characteristic of a developing program.

Annual evaluation includes review of both performance and contribution to the School’s core values. The core values of the School are:

• Community
• Integrity
• Kindheartedness
• Grit
• Inspiration

The School has successfully begun the process of accreditation.  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) granted the School a Letter of Reasonable Assurance on September 16, 2020.  Thereafter, the admissions process for the inaugural class of students began on September 30, 2020, and the first class will be seated in the Fall 2021 semester.

The School is adjacent the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) regional campus in Amarillo.  Facilities, currently under construction, include state-of-the-art buildings to support all aspects of the School.  The facilities include approximately 26,000 square-feet of dedicated research laboratories.  In addition, teaching laboratories and classrooms may serve as research sites when conducting scholarship.  We anticipate beginning to move into these facilities late spring of 2021.  The TTUHSC also maintains a vivarium on their campus as well as other core facilities in Amarillo in addition to the numerous core facilities across the institutions that comprise the Texas Tech University System.  The School will maintain populations of domestic animals, and the region is home to large numbers of production animals and wildlife providing further opportunities for field-based research.

Amarillo is a vibrant and growing community in the Texas Panhandle.  With a metropolitan statistical area population of greater than 260,000, it offers attractions of a larger city while holding true to its agricultural roots (https://www.visitamarillo.com).  Amarillo serves as a center of services for a large, multi-state area and is home to many agricultural associations such as the Texas Cattle Feeders Association and the American Quarter Horse Association.

Responsibilities of the Positions

• Contribute to the School’s instruction, scholarship, and service activities. The distribution of effort toward each activity will be individualized for each faculty member and outlined in the letter of appointment. 
  • It is expected that faculty members will establish extramural support of their scholarship and this will include support for graduate students and opportunities for involvement of professional students. This expectation is proportional to percentage of effort assigned to scholarship in the letter of appointment.
• Contribute to activities necessary to receive accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education, other regulatory or accreditation approvals, and admit and deliver the curriculum to the inaugural (and subsequent) cohorts of students of the professional program.
• Development and participation in the School’s research enterprise and PhD program.
• Curriculum development and related activities:
  • The curricular framework has been developed based on Competency Based Veterinary Education (CBVE; see AAVMC.org), and is designed to be vertically and horizontally integrated.
  • Curricular development will require considerable teamwork to effectively develop course syllabi and content relative to this integration, and to curricular outcomes.
  • Curricular mapping of course-specific learning objectives against curricular outcomes.
  • Delivery of the curriculum within the professional program. This might include serving as instructor of record for various courses or contributing lectures to other courses.
• Until such time that it is necessary to create departments (or department-like structures) within the School, the successful candidates will report to the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
• Participation on various School committees.

Qualifications

An earned PhD is required and a DVM (or equivalent) is preferred.  The applicants subject matter expertise must be related to veterinary or comparative immunology.  Preference will be given to candidates who have a successful track record of or show promise of future teamwork, curricular development, instruction, scholarship, and service.   

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:

• Knowledge of veterinary immunologic diseases
• Ability to prioritize immunologic diseases in differential diagnosis
• Diagnostic testing for immunologic diseases of veterinary importance

Preferences:  Texas Tech is a Hispanic Serving Institution and has a long history of serving first-generation students.  A commitment to working with diverse student populations and first-generation students is required in the cover letter.

Salary

A competitive salary and benefits package will be provided commensurate with qualifications and experience, and start-up funding will be provided to support research program development. This is a full-time, 12-month, academic appointment.

Application Instructions

Applicants must apply online at www.workattexastech.com and should search for requisition 23145BR.  Please upload a cover letter, a 1-page teaching philosophy, and a complete curriculum vitae that includes a list of publications and any other information reflecting qualifications and professional activities related to academic scholarship, teaching, and service to stakeholders.  In the cover letter, please clearly indicate the scientific discipline that aligns best with your expertise; while expertise that cross disciplinary boundaries is preferred, please select a primary discipline.  Please provide the names of three references of individuals who can provide an evaluation of your qualifications and can be contacted for a letter if needed.

Contact the search committee chair with questions:

Ebenezer Tumban (etumban@ttu.edu)

Texas Tech University

School of Veterinary Medicine

7671 Evans Dr

Amarillo, TX 79106

As an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, Texas Tech University is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We actively encourage applications from all those who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community at Texas Tech University. The university welcomes applications from minorities, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and dual-career couples.

An EEO/Affirmative Action/Vet/Disability Institution