Assistant Debate Coach (multiple positions)

EXPIRED

| Position Title | Assistant Debate Coach | | About the University | Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties. | | About the Department | The Communication Studies Department and Western Washington Debate Program supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Communication Studies Departmentfocuses on the centrality of human communication for understanding our relationships, our communities, and ourselves. Our teaching, scholarship, and service nurture inclusive discourse, critical thinking, and cooperative solutions in a diverse global community. We offer opportunities to develop communication skills and explore communication theories within a rigorous liberal arts program.

The Forensics program is home to the Western Debate Union, a co-curricular organization that offers WWU students access to a national caliber intercollegiate debate experience involving in-depth preparation and coaching at the hands of skilled argumentation experts to attend competitions hosted throughout the country (and across the globe in some cases). Tournaments, weekly business meetings, practices, and sessions with coaches occur throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters and are accessible to all WWU students regardless of skill level or prior experience. The majority of students who join have no prior speech or debate experience but find the program rewarding, and a key outlet for establishing community and friendship through reasoned argumentation. The Western Debate Union is committed to building student research, critical thinking, communication, and community-building skills.

| | About the Position | Assistant Debate Coaches serve a dual role: a 0.5 FTE staff appointment (10.5 month) as an Assistant Debate Coach, and a Non-Tenure Track lecturer appointment as a classroom instructor for COMM 235: Introduction to Argumentation and Debate. For the staff responsibilities, assistant debate coaches are primarily tasked with two major responsibilities. First, they provide essential support for student participation in competitions. They do so by working closely with students throughout weekend tournaments to prepare their arguments and provide advice and guidance prior to the start of individual debate rounds. They also adjudicate debate sessions among other participating schools at a tournament (the providing of judging is a required criteria for event attendance at most tournaments). Assistant debate coaches also provide help with travel logistics throughout a tournament, such as driving, ensuring students can access lodging, and providing supervision over undergraduate students throughout the trip. Second, they serve as argument and research instructors to aid student preparation prior to attending tournaments. Such work includes holding published “office hours” to review student work and provide feedback, conduct practice sessions, and attend business meetings. | | Required Qualifications |
- Bachelor's degree - Experience coaching and teaching intercollegiate academic debate or related competitive experience in intercollegiate academic debate. - Current driver’s license, clean driving record, and ability to travel regionally, nationally, and internationally for competition while overseeing students. - Demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivate learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds. | | Preferred Qualifications |
- Experience with research-based debate formats (i.e. CARD, NDT-CEDA policy debate, NFA-LD).

| Position Title | Assistant Debate Coach | | About the University | Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties. | | About the Department | The Communication Studies Department and Western Washington Debate Program supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Communication Studies Departmentfocuses on the centrality of human communication for understanding our relationships, our communities, and ourselves. Our teaching, scholarship, and service nurture inclusive discourse, critical thinking, and cooperative solutions in a diverse global community. We offer opportunities to develop communication skills and explore communication theories within a rigorous liberal arts program.

The Forensics program is home to the Western Debate Union, a co-curricular organization that offers WWU students access to a national caliber intercollegiate debate experience involving in-depth preparation and coaching at the hands of skilled argumentation experts to attend competitions hosted throughout the country (and across the globe in some cases). Tournaments, weekly business meetings, practices, and sessions with coaches occur throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters and are accessible to all WWU students regardless of skill level or prior experience. The majority of students who join have no prior speech or debate experience but find the program rewarding, and a key outlet for establishing community and friendship through reasoned argumentation. The Western Debate Union is committed to building student research, critical thinking, communication, and community-building skills.

| | About the Position | Assistant Debate Coaches serve a dual role: a 0.5 FTE staff appointment (10.5 month) as an Assistant Debate Coach, and a Non-Tenure Track lecturer appointment as a classroom instructor for COMM 235: Introduction to Argumentation and Debate. For the staff responsibilities, assistant debate coaches are primarily tasked with two major responsibilities. First, they provide essential support for student participation in competitions. They do so by working closely with students throughout weekend tournaments to prepare their arguments and provide advice and guidance prior to the start of individual debate rounds. They also adjudicate debate sessions among other participating schools at a tournament (the providing of judging is a required criteria for event attendance at most tournaments). Assistant debate coaches also provide help with travel logistics throughout a tournament, such as driving, ensuring students can access lodging, and providing supervision over undergraduate students throughout the trip. Second, they serve as argument and research instructors to aid student preparation prior to attending tournaments. Such work includes holding published “office hours” to review student work and provide feedback, conduct practice sessions, and attend business meetings. | | Required Qualifications |
- Bachelor's degree - Experience coaching and teaching intercollegiate academic debate or related competitive experience in intercollegiate academic debate. - Current driver’s license, clean driving record, and ability to travel regionally, nationally, and internationally for competition while overseeing students. - Demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivate learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds. | | Preferred Qualifications |
- Experience with research-based debate formats (i.e. CARD, NDT-CEDA policy debate, NFA-LD). - Experience coaching multiple formats of intercollegiate debate. - Master's degree or higher | | Conditions of Employment | All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations. | | Salary |

This is a 10.5 months cyclic position at 50% appointment. Hiring range for position is $21,336 - $24,538/year. Through longevity position tops out at $27,741/year.

For the accompanying non-tenure track faculty appointment, anticipated starting range is $847 per credit with a Bachelors degree to $1324 per creditwith a PhD and successful teaching, dependent upon degree and experience. For the 2024-25 academic year, the NTT appointment is expected to include two courses per quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring), four credits per course, for a total of 24 credits or 0.6667 FTE. Following academic years will be subject to the Dean’s approval. | | Benefits Information |

This position is eligible for benefits available to permanent, part-time professional staff. Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

| | Application Instructions |

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the following elements in your application:

1) A cover letter outlining your experience and ability to fulfill the required and preferred qualification for the position.

2) A comprehensive C.V. or résumé.

3) A separate statement outlining your philosophy of debate teaching that addresses how you would approach coaching and teaching Collegiate Advocacy Research Debate (CARD). CARD format and philosophy details are available for review athttps://www.westerndebateunion.org/pn...

| | Closing Date Notes | Application review begins April 30, 2024; positions are open until filled. |