Tenure Track Faculty Position

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

Department of Landscape Architecture

College of Environmental Design

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Landscape Architecture. Cal Poly Pomona is one of three polytechnic universities in the 23-campus California State University system and among 12 such institutions nationwide. Since its founding in 1938, Cal Poly Pomona students participate in an integrative experiential learning education that is inclusive, relevant, and values diverse perspectives and experiences. With a variety of degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional disciplines, the university is well known for its learn- by-doing approach and Teacher Scholar Model.

The university is noted for its scenic and historic 1,400-acre campus, which was once the winter ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg. We acknowledge that Cal Poly Pomona resides on the territorial and homelands of the Tongva and Tataavium people who are the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar. The university’s nearly 30,000 students are taught and mentored by the campus’s more than 1,400 faculty as part of 54 baccalaureate and 29 master’s degree programs, 11 credential and certificate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership.

Highly regarded among its peer institutions, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 2 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top public regional universities in the west and was named the No. 28 best value college in the nation by Money Magazine. Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, stands as a national leader in promoting social mobility, and was placed among the 25 top institutions in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to minoritized students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. In 2022, the campus launched the Black Thriving Initiative recognizing that Cal Poly Pomona’s future as a university is linked to the success of its Black community. More information about our campus initiatives and our Principles of Community can be found on the Office of Inclusive Excellence’s website. 

The Cal Poly Pomona campus is located less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It is within an hour’s drive of beaches, mountains and deserts. For additional information about the university, please visit www.cpp.edu, and for more about faculty life, please see YourLife@CPP.

Student Population. Cal Poly Pomona is the number one polytechnic university in the nation for student diversity and economic mobility. Our caring and inclusive campus community is committed to helping anyone who dreams of success achieve it. In Fall 2023, Cal Poly Pomona served more than 24,000 students and close to 2,000 graduate students, mostly residents of California. Over half of Cal Poly Pomona students are first-generation college students, 70% receive financial aid, and 42% are low-income students. The university enrolls 56% percent of historically underrepresented students. Our diverse student body identifies as 53% Hispanic/Latinx, 22% Asian, 13% White, 4% two or more races, 3% unknown, 3% African American/Black, 2% International, less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% Native American. Forty-three percent of students enroll in our STEM majors and our top five enrolled programs across the university include mechanical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, psychology, as well as finance, real estate, and law.  

Inclusive Excellence and Student Success. We aspire to be the model inclusive polytechnic university in the nation. We have a strong commitment to inclusive excellence and to educational experiences that leverage the diverse perspectives and experiences needed to succeed and thrive in a diverse society.

*As a part of the application for faculty positions, all candidates must submit a Student Success Statement that demonstrates their commitment and record of contributions to diversity and equity through their teaching, scholarship, or service by speaking to at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria below.

Candidates should explain how they have engaged in the criteria below in their pedagogy, scholarship, and/or service, as well as the level to which these efforts have been consistently incorporated into their work.

Inclusive Excellence Criteria: 

1. Incorporates the contributions and struggles of historic ethnic minority groups or other disadvantaged communities into their teaching, scholarly work, and/or service contributions;
2. Adopts teaching strategies that support the learning and success of students from diverse student populations;
3. Mentors and engages diverse student populations in discovery, scholarship, and creative activities;
4. Engages students in problem-based projects and learning that address the needs of diverse communities;
5. Possesses knowledge of challenges and barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline and uses it to inform their work in specific ways;
6. Mentors and assists diverse student populations interested in pursuing graduate education;
7. Engages in community-responsive action research or service with diverse student populations and communities;
8. Has experience in or demonstrates a commitment to adopting experiential learning activities and pedagogy with diverse student populations and communities; and
9. Has expertise in or demonstrated commitment to teaching, scholarship and/or service that contributes to access, diversity, and equal opportunity in higher education.

College of Environmental Design

The mission of the College of Environmental Design (ENV) is providing outstanding academic and professional learning experience within an interdisciplinary structure. Creative excellence, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility have guided ENV's programs since it was established in 1970. Moving forward, ENV is strengthening its emphasis on thematic clusters addressing environmental sustainability, regeneration, and resilience; health and wellness; and cultural preservation.

Our award-winning programs offer professional degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning; at the undergraduate level in Art History and Visual Communication Design; and at the graduate level in Regenerative Studies. Faculty research, professional and creative activities are brought into the classroom through the Support and recognition for faculty efforts facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and promote their rich talent, expertise, and influence. We seek opportunities for engagement with practice in California, nationally and internationally. We are educating the future leaders of the design professions, and therefore have an obligation to ensure that all constituencies of those professions represent the diversity of California's population. Diversity is our strength.

Department of Landscape Architecture

Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Landscape Architecture was established in 1957, with the Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) program. Our Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program, established in 1972, long recognized for its focus on groundbreaking ecological planning and regenerative design solutions, just celebrated its 50th year. We cultivate success through a diverse culture of experiential learning, discovery, and innovation. We demonstrate academic quality, relevance, and excellence through the teaching, learning, scholarship, and creative activities of our student-centered faculty. We actively engage in interdisciplinary collaborations across the university that firmly align with our mission to advance environmental sustainability, regeneration, and resilience. This includes long-term partnerships with the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies, which was founded by Department of Landscape Architecture Professor Emeritus John T. Lyle in 1994.

We are committed to being the model for inclusive design programs to inspire creativity and innovation, embrace local and global social and environmental challenges, and transform lives through sustainable and equitable design. Our students, faculty, and staff have worked together, especially since Summer 2020, to enrich our landscape architecture programs by building on the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This work was inspired by and continues to respond to the June 8^th, 2022 Open Letter from Students to the Department. To begin this work, we organized a Bravely Learning Community (derived from our department motto “Bravely Curious”) to reimagine landscape architecture curriculum, student support, and program culture. In 2021, we received a CSU Teagle Grant to explore an anti-racist approach for developing a student-centered curriculum.

As a result of these initiatives, our students and faculty are positioning themselves to lead and support an equal, diverse, and inclusive vision for the global future of landscape architecture within the complex, diverse, transforming ecologies and culture of our Southern California context. We are excited for our new faculty members to become an integral part of this continuing effort.

Position Description – Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture

Landscape Architecture is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) discipline integrating knowledge of ecological systems, social systems, human behaviors, technologies, the arts, and the humanities in the development of solutions to society’s most pressing challenges, including responses to climate change and inequity.

Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Landscape Architecture, one of the largest and most diverse academic programs in the U.S., is seeking a tenure-track assistant professor expected to start in Fall 2025, who can bring experience or the potential for success in evidence-based landscape architecture, providing leadership and core instruction within our accredited Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) and Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) curriculum in one or more of the following STEM fields: climate mitigation, resilience, and adaptation including related methods, practice, and technologies; ecosystem sciences such as biology, urban ecology, plant science, and horticulture; Earth system science and hazard-resilient design; advanced landscape construction methods; ecological, hydrological and other civil engineering methods and technologies; advanced geospatial technologies such as geo-AI, machine learning and environmental sensing; advanced digital design and communication technologies such as AR/VR, digital twins, digital fabrication; and/or interdisciplinary research methods. We are especially interested in candidates who will thrive in our diverse environment and have demonstrated the ability or potential to actively engage in innovative pedagogy that supports the inclusive excellence of our academic community.

The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability or potential for bridging science, engineering, and technological principles with environmental design and planning methodologies and/or forging evidence-based pathways toward effective real-world solutions in landscape architecture. The candidate is anticipated to incorporate these abilities into collaborative endeavors in teaching, research, and practice that foster inclusive, student-centered landscape architecture education.

All faculty are expected to contribute to three academic roles to achieve tenure: teaching excellence, service to the Department and University, and advancing Landscape Architecture through research, scholarship, and/or creative activities.

Cal Poly Pomona promotes a teacher-scholar model for our faculty, so we seek a colleague with a strong interest in and commitment to student-centered teaching. Faculty are expected to teach courses across the BSLA and MLA programs and provide pedagogical leadership in a curriculum topic aligned with their expertise. Candidates are expected to contribute to our CPPLA students and community and CPP's commitment to Inclusive Excellence and Student Success.

Minimum Qualification:

• A terminal degree (Master’s and/or Ph.D.) in landscape architecture or field(s) related to the position description. A terminal degree must be earned by the start of the appointment.
• Teaching experience (this could include experience as a teaching assistant), and/or professional experience in landscape architecture and/or a related field relevant to the focus areas described in the position description.
• Potential to advance the academic knowledge and/or interdisciplinary practice of Landscape Architecture through research, scholarship, and/or creative activities relevant to the focus areas as described in the position description.
• Potential to develop and teach courses related to the position in both the BSLA and MLA programs. For the latest catalog information, search for “landscape architecture.”
• A Student Success Statement that demonstrates the applicant’s commitment to and/or record of contributions through teaching, scholarship, or service by addressing at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria listed above.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

The successful applicant may bring additional academic and professional qualifications, characteristics, skills, and experiences in landscape architecture and those related to the STEM disciplines described in the position descriptions.

• Record of service to the discipline of landscape architecture or related fields in academic and/or professional organizations and/or community organizations; or
• Record of inclusive student-centered teaching and demonstrated interest in academic advising; or
• Record of research, scholarly and/or creative activities, or professional practice in Landscape Architecture and/or an interdisciplinary allied field with the potential to advance the practice of Landscape Architecture, including:
  • Demonstrated experience or potential in the dissemination of research, scholarship, and creative endeavors,
  • Demonstrated experience or potential in seeking internal and external funding and support.
  • Commitment and experience working with historically underrepresented, marginalized, and disadvantaged communities in inclusive evidence-based design and planning processes and/or community-led action from a deeply representative and inclusive approach to landscape architecture; and/or
  • Critical perspectives of justice/equity in the history of the landscapes and the built environment;
  • Expertise in connecting landscape architecture to climate change mitigation, resilience, or adaptation; and/or
  • Research, Scholarship, and Creative activities related to the Western US’s climate, ecological, geological, infrastructural, and/or sociocultural context; and/or
  • Expertise in quantitative research, qualitative research, and/or effective integration of both. 

Application Process

The position is open until filled. For full consideration, the complete application package must be received by Midnight Pacific Time (11:59pm), November 26^th, 2024.

The complete application will consist of:

• Statement of Interest describing the candidate’s experience and interests in teaching, research, scholarly or creative activities, and service that addresses the duties and qualifications articulated in the position description listed (maximum of two pages, single-spaced, with 1-inch margin on all sides);
• Student Success Statement about the candidate's teaching or other academic and professional experiences, successes, and challenges in working or engaging with a diverse student population responding to at least two of the inclusive excellence criteria (one to two pages, single-spaced, with 1-inch margin on all sides). Please refer to the inclusive excellence criteria listed above;
• Portfolio of research, scholarly, and/or creative works, and other achievements relevant to the position as described (20 pages maximum, PDF or web link);
• Three academic and/or professional references, names, affiliations, and phone numbers;
• Curriculum Vitae comprised of elements specified on the application form and including education, academic and professional experience, courses taught, presentations, publications, grants and awards, community and academic service, and other relevant experience;
• Unofficial transcript for the highest degree earned or in progress that will be completed prior to Fall 2025;

Finalists for the position will be required to:

• Provide official transcripts for the highest degree obtained or in progress before the on-campus interview;
• Provide three letters of reference dated within the last two years and the contact information of referees;
• Participate in an on-campus interview which includes a presentation on the candidate’s research, scholarly and professional, and/or teaching interests and achievements; and a 45-minute teaching demonstration + Q&A with students.

Salary Range for Academic Year, nine-month appointment:  $84,000-86,600.

Please direct inquiries about this position to: la@cpp.edu

Equal Opportunity Employer

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. The university seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing. Cal Poly Pomona subscribes to all state and federal regulations and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, medical condition, and covered veteran status. The university hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. As required by the Clery Disclosure Act, the university prepares a public annual security report.

Conditions of Employment

The person offered this position is required to pass a background check.