Assistant Professor of Native American Studies (Generalist)

Position Title: Assistant Professor of Native American Studies (Generalist)

Department:  Center for Native American Studies, Northern Michigan University, Marquette MI

Term of Assignment: Tenure Track

Applicants must apply through NMU’s website by 11:55 pm on January 12, 2026: https://jobs.nmu.edu/jobs/center-for-native-american-studies-assistant-professor-tenure-track-marquette-michigan-united-states

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) Center for Native American Studies seeks applicants for a Tenure Track faculty position in Native American Studies. We invite applicants to join our longstanding and vibrant Native American Studies Program for a tenure-earning Assistant Professor position. Odewining (the place of the heart), or the Center for Native American Studies, is part of Northern Michigan University, which resides on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Communities, in gichi-namebini ziibi (Marquette, Michigan). The mission of the Center for Native American Studies is to offer a holistic curriculum rooted in Native American themes that challenges students to think critically and communicate effectively about Indigenous issues. It emphasizes Great Lakes Indigenous perspectives, stimulates further respectful inquiry about Indigenous people, and provides active learning and service-learning opportunities that strengthen student engagement, interaction, and reciprocity with Indigenous communities.

Successful candidates for this generalist Assistant Professor position must be able to teach a range of existing introductory and advanced courses in Native American Studies, in addition to courses in their area of specialization. Assigned responsibilities include teaching three courses per semester, professional development and scholarship, and departmental and university service. This is a campus-based position. This position is not currently available for sponsorship.

Minimum Qualifications

Required Education: Doctorate or equivalent terminal degree

Discipline/Degree Area:  Native American Studies

Required Specialized Training/Certifications:  An earned doctorate in Native American Studies or related discipline, or other related terminal degree

Required Minimum Work Experience:  None

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, or Attributes Required for Satisfactory Performance of the Position Duties: 

• Demonstrated capacity for scholarship and/or practice grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
• Evidence of culturally sustaining teaching ability or teaching potential with a commitment to Indigenous pedagogies in diverse contexts.
• Proficiency, or the willingness to become proficient, in utilizing digital instructional technologies, including synchronous and asynchronous instruction methods.
• A commitment to participate in and advocate for program development, curricular innovations, and continued growth of the Native American Studies programming, demonstrated through culturally sensitive programming and/or curriculum development.
• A commitment to reciprocal relationships through mentorship and community engagement.
• Dedication to working with a diverse interdisciplinary student population.
• Evidence of ethical engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities, organizations, and/or institutions.
• A willingness to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations, and support reciprocal academic and community-centered innovations.

Additional Desirable Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated scholarship centering around Indigenous methodologies, including Anishinaabe-specific knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK);
• Experience teaching in tribal colleges, tribal communities or Native American or First Nations Studies programs.
• Demonstrated ability to draw upon the Great Lakes region's unique Anishinaabe cultural heritage through scholarship, teaching, and/or community engagement.
• Lived experience in Native communities and a demonstrated commitment to social, racial, environmental, and economic justice.

Special Instructions to Applicants: Applicant materials will include a faculty application, cover letter, CV/Resume, unofficial transcripts, and a statement of teaching philosophy.  Applications are due by 11:55 pm on January 12, 2026.

Applicants must apply through NMU’s website: https://jobs.nmu.edu/jobs/center-for-native-american-studies-assistant-professor-tenure-track-marquette-michigan-united-states

Contact Information:  Sarah Carlson - Chair, sarahcar@nmu.edu

NMU is an equal opportunity employer.