SPA Academic Associate Pool AY 26-27

The School of Public Affairs in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU) invites applications for Academic Associate positions during the 2026-2027 academic year to assist the School of Public Affairs faculty in our baccalaureate and graduate programs, including:

• BS in Public Service and Public Policy

• BS in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

• Undergraduate certificate program for the Next Generation Service Corps

• MPA

• MPP

• MS in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

• MS in Program Evaluation and Data Analytics programs

• Bob Ramsey Executive Education program.

Academic Associates are part-time appointments who are hired on one-semester, renewable contracts to assist with one or two courses (not to exceed 0.40 FTE) per semester, either in-person or online. Academic Associate positions are fixed-term appointments that are not eligible for benefits, sabbaticals, or tenure. Salary is based upon qualifications and assigned teaching load. Official transcripts are required prior to employment. Individuals employed as Academic Associates may not hold multiple, non-benefits eligible appointments at Arizona State University.

For this position, we seek to attract a pool of qualified people who are available to teach in-person courses on ASU’s campuses in Downtown Phoenix, Tempe, or Glendale, as well as a pool of faculty who are also able to teach online.

About the School:

The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, located on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, is home to the School of Public Affairs (SPA) and three other schools focused on strengthening communities and advancing public service. The Watts College of Public Services and Community Solutions has a student body of over 6,700 undergraduate and graduate students. SPA has a rich and active research and teaching culture within a unique and dynamic setting that strongly values research and teaching in public policy and public administration. This is evidenced by an energetic, productive, and collaborative group of faculty with deep and broad expertise in a range of areas in public policy and public administration, and a student body whose intellectual and professional interests span multiple areas of policy and management.

The School of Public Affairs’ program is ranked #11 in the nation in US News and World Report. US News and World Report also ranks 7 of SPA’s subfields in the top ten in the nation, and 2 subfields in the top 20. A unique attribute of SPA is that it is home to several research centers offering a broad range of collaborative and engagement opportunities. SPA continues to attract a growing array of students motivated by the promise of public service and drawn to the unique opportunity of an interdisciplinary public affairs education. For more information about the School of Public Affairs and the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, please visit https://spa.asu.edu and https://publicservice.asu.edu.

Essential Functions:

The successful candidate(s) will assist faculty with in-person or online courses, which includes activities such as grading student work, preparing course materials, teaching specific lessons, tutoring or running study sessions, holding office hours, moderating discussion boards, and responding to student questions.

About ASU

Arizona State University, ranked No. 1 “Most Innovative School” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 11 years in succession, has forged the model for a New American University. Repeatedly ranked No. 1, ASU has topped more than 30 lists in the last three years: No. 1 in the U.S. for global impact (Times Higher Education) and No. 1 in the U.S. for sustainable practices (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). ASU is a comprehensive public research institution, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves. ASU operates on the principles that learning is a personal and original journey for each student; that they thrive on experience and that the process of discovery cannot be bound by traditional academic disciplines. Through innovation and a commitment to accessibility, ASU has drawn pioneering researchers to its faculty even as it expands opportunities for qualified students, attracting some of the highest-quality students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations.

All we do at ASU is guided and inspired by the University Charter, which reads:

ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

Successful candidates will demonstrate throughout their materials how their work will contribute to the fulfillment of this charter.

Required Qualifications:

• An earned master’s degree by time of appointment in Public Administration, Public Policy, Emergency Management or Homeland Security; OR

• An earned graduate degree from a related field from an accredited institution by time of appointment with content expertise in topics relevant to Public Administration, Public Policy, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Economics, Emergency Management and/or Homeland Security, Statistics, or Data Analytics.

• Consistent with ASU’s Charter, a demonstrated commitment to inclusion.

Desired Qualifications:

• 2 years demonstrated full-time relevant clinical/professional experience, post graduate degree.

• Experience working across multiple sectors, especially in leadership capacities.

• Demonstrated evidence of higher education and/or online teaching experience.

• Experience with technology/course management systems such as Canvas.

• Experience with R or similar programming languages (e.g., python, SAS, Stata).

• Proficiency with GitHub and Markdown.

• Excellent English written and verbal communication skills.

• For Emergency Management/Homeland Security positions, expertise in one or more of the following content areas:

• For all other positions, expertise in one or more of the following content areas:

Application Deadline:

The initial application deadline is April 2, 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool throughout the fiscal year (which closes on June 30, 2027). Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the positions are filled.

Application Procedure:

Applicants must submit all of the following materials:

• A statement no more than 2-pages in length which includes the following:

• A curriculum vitae or résumé that details the applicant’s educational and professional history, as well as the applicant’s complete contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email address).

• The names and contact information of three references (name, title, organization, email address, and phone number). At least one reference needs to be a current and/or past supervisor.