Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Requisition ID: 2026-10867 # of Openings: 1 Location: US-UT-Logan Category: Faculty Position Type: Benefited Full-Time Job Classification: Faculty College: College of Arts and Sciences Department: Social Work Advertised Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent benefits Overview The Department of Social Work at Utah State University (USU) invites applications for a 9-month, tenure track Assistant Professor. The successful candidate will be deeply familiar with the nature of access to justice crisis, aggravating factors, and the emerging field of community justice advocate (CJA)/worker programs as one solution to the crisis. This position will complement our growing CJA program and access-to-justice efforts in Utah as we work toward building a leading research portfolio, an academic certificate and eventually a minor, and a statewide network of service providers and collaborators. We are especially interested in scholars who can deepen our understanding of how CJA work impacts individuals and organizations they work within and how it affects the access to justice crisis in connected systems, communities, and broader society. With a focus on research, this position presents a chance to meaningfully shape the future of community justice advocate/worker programs around the country and to ground them in evidence-based practices, documenting what is effective and what is not, with regard to legal practice areas, training, management and support, and other factors. While we welcome a broad range of methods and approaches, someone who shines in quantitative analysis will be especially complementary to our existing team of researchers. Housed in the social work department, the Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) is authorized by the Utah Supreme Court to train and certify CJAs to give limited legal help in high-need areas. TCI trains social workers and other human services professionals to serve as alternative legal service providers offering free legal triage and advice in the areas of consumer debt and housing. CJAs help community members better represent themselves in civil legal matters, assisting with understanding rights, completing court forms, drafting responses, and preparing for hearings, among other supports. Working within trusted service agencies, CJAs make Utah's legal processes more accessible, timely, and humane for individuals who might otherwise face them alone. USU is the only university in the nation providing this kind of training for academic credit. Underscoring its commitment to the program, the social work department recently made taking a CJA course a mandatory part of the bachelor of social work degree, meaning TCI will produce about 125 CJAS annually. The Utah Judiciary is a national leader in developing access-to-justice solutions, and USU's Department of Social Work and TCI are among the state's pioneering organizations advancing this mission through the CJA model. The successful candidate will be a key collaborator in strengthening the program's capacity, sustainability, evidence-base, and long-term impact. Responsibilities Research is the area of excellence for this... For full info follow application link. USU recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the university's academic mission of learning, discovery, and engagement. USU is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any of its programs and activities based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by Universi ty policy or local, state, or federal law (https://equity.usu.edu/non-discrimination).