Faculty-Criminal Justice

St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, invites applications for a full-time faculty position in criminal justice at their main campus, located in Davenport, Iowa. Faculty rank (e.g., instructor, assistant professor, etc.) will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. Faculty status (i.e., tenure track or term appointment) is negotiable but may be contingent on the candidate's credentials, priorities, and experience.

The anticipated rank of the appointment is at the assistant professor level (although candidates with more extensive experience may be appointed at a higher rank). Start date is August 17, 2026. The successful candidate will possess some combination of the following with respect to credentials and experience:

• For candidates pursuing an appointment with tenure‑track status, preferred qualifications include a doctorate (ABD considered) in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Sociology, or related field. Work experience in law enforcement is preferred.
• For candidates pursuing an appointment with Professional Faculty status, a master's degree in criminal justice, homeland security, public safety administration and leadership, sociology, or related field with undergraduate teaching and professional law enforcement experience is preferred.
• Areas of expertise would include teaching backgrounds in the areas of law enforcement, race and ethnicity, criminological theory, and statistics/data analysis. Our department has included scholars who have extensive lived experience with justice impact (e.g., law, policy, criminal justice, probation) in ways that enrich student learning experiences.

The individual hired for this position will be expected to enthusiastically embrace the following responsibilities and objectives:

• Teach a 4/4 course load in a variety of delivery modes (including hybrid and online delivery), advising and mentoring students, and providing service to the Department, College, and University.
• Be a learner-centered educator who ideally has work experience in law enforcement and expertise in teaching undergraduate students in the areas of law enforcement, race and ethnicity, criminological theory, and statistics/data analysis.
• Embrace both the challenges and rewards of working to build a vibrant and sustainable learner-centered model for Catholic higher education across the campuses of Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose University.
• Be committed to supported and guided, evidence-based innovation in pursuit of creating impactful learning experiences for students.
• Contribute to the learning and professional outcomes of students across the university generally as well as in the criminal justice program.
• Engage in ongoing professional development appropriate to the faculty member's discipline, status, and academic responsibilities.
• Offer high quality learning experiences for students in a range of modalities (e.g., face‑to‑face, hybrid, and online) or demonstrate a willingness to learn how to do so.

In August 2024, St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University signed an agreement to fully combine the two universities. The university recently received approval from its accrediting body in 2025 and anticipates regulatory approval in the coming months. Mount Mercy employees became St. Ambrose employees in the summer of 2025, and the two campuses anticipate fully merging operations for the fall 2026 semester.

The strategic combination of Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose University represents the proactive and innovative combination of two healthy Catholic universities. The combined university will reduce costs by significantly reducing the duplication of administrative roles across the two universities and combining and streamlining a host of back‑office operations. The combined university has also reimagined general education and academic programs with a focus on learner‑centeredness, sustainability, strong student outcomes, and engaging and innovative learning experiences.

St. Ambrose University was founded as a diocesan college in Davenport, Iowa in 1882. The Mount Mercy campus of St. Ambrose University was founded in 1928 by the Sisters of Mercy. St. Ambrose has a strong…