Clinical Assistant Professor Student Recruitment and Retention

Department:
Urban Education Salary:

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

The Department of Urban Education at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) invites applications for a full-time, 9-month non-tenure track Clinical Assistant Professor specializing in Recruitment and Retention. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in driving enrollment initiatives, expanding outreach to diverse communities, and implementing proactive candidate support structures. A major focus of this position is the development and execution of strategic educator pipelines.

This includes spearheading existing and establishing new "Grow Your Own" (GYO) district programs, as well as building robust institutional partnerships with community colleges to streamline pathways for transfer students.

Because this is a highly autonomous role requiring the management of multiple complex pipelines, the ideal candidate must be an entrepreneurial self-starter capable of working independently to build programs from the ground up, while remaining a highly collaborative team player who integrates seamlessly with department faculty, staff, and external district leaders. While structured as a 9-month faculty contract, this position carries an expectation of summer engagement (supported via separate summer funding or stipend, as applicable) to coordinate peak recruitment cycles, manage summer intake pipelines, and support onboarding programs.

This hybrid role balances administrative leadership in student success with teaching two (2) courses each semester, alongside field-based supervision of teacher candidates based on the needs of the department.

• Spearhead and expand UHD's existing "Grow Your Own" (GYO) initiatives, serving as the primary point of contact for external partners and participants.
• Formulate strategic outreach plans to establish new GYO partnerships with Houston-area independent school districts (ISDs) to cultivate local talent pipelines into teaching.
• Cultivate, formalize, and maintain high-impact partnerships with local community colleges (e.g., Lone Star College, Houston Community College, San Jacinto College) to create seamless transfer pathways and articulation agreements for education majors.
• Maintain consistent, continuous recruitment operations throughout the summer months to execute peak student enrollment campaigns, deliver orientations, and finalize district pipeline contracts for the upcoming academic year.
• Work collaboratively with the Certification Officer, Director of Field Experience, and Student Success Coordinator to align pipeline recruitment with institutional onboarding, state certification benchmarks, and field placement requirements.
• Design, execute, and monitor aggressive recruitment strategies to attract diverse, high-caliber candidates into undergraduate, transfer, post-baccalaureate, and Alternative Certification Program (ACP).
• Coordinate and host targeted recruitment events, transfer information sessions, open houses, job fairs, and community events representing the UHD Department of Urban Education.
• Serve on departmental, college, and university committees focused on student enrollment, transfer student success, continuous improvement, and accreditation.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) guidelines, Texas Education Agency (TEA) compliance protocols, and state transfer field of study curricula.

• Provide holistic, high-touch academic and professional support tailored to the unique needs of transfer students and GYO teacher candidates to ensure smooth transition and…