These are some of the questions we've received about the position, along with our answers. We have posted them with the expectation that they will also be useful to others. Feel free to send additional questions to CSSearch@grinnell.edu.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a Ph.D.?

Yes! Candidates who are knowledgeable in the computing discipline and show evidence of promise for effective teaching are welcome to apply. Our department has had tremendously positive experiences in the past with visiting faculty that did not hold a Ph.D.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a CS degree?

Yes! We think broadly about the discipline of computing. In addition to CS, our faculty hold PhD.s in mathematics, philosophy, and evolutionary biology. While it is important that candidates be sufficiently knowledgeable about the discipline to teach a variety of courses in our curriculum, we welcome candidates that possess a degree outside computing (related fields preferred) as well as relevant computing knowledge and experience.

What courses will the new hire teach?

Grinnell's normal teaching load is five courses over two semesters. Given our long history as a smaller department, several regular faculty have taught many courses in the curriculum. Therefore, we will do our best to allow visitors to teach the courses in our curriculum they feel best-suited to teach. We are a collegial department and try to work out schedules that balance interests and workload each year. For the several courses in which multiple sections are offered, we can often pair visiting faculty with an experienced faculty member teaching another section of that course. Depending on staffing and enrollments, there may also be an opportunity for visitors to offer an elective course for the major in the area of their interest.

For the current position, we have a strong need for the candidate to contribute to teaching our core systems courses, either Computer Organization and Architecture or Operating Systems and Parallel Algorithms.

How many students are there in CS courses?

We cap our introductory courses at 32 and 28, our mid-level courses at 24, and our upper-level courses at 20. Current demand means that most courses enroll to capacity. We currently graduate around 60 CS majors each year.

Are teaching assistants available?

Most of our courses have what we call class mentors who serve many of the same roles as teaching assistants. That is, they support other students in class periods during lab sessions (every class day in some classes) and run weekly review sessions. Graders are also available for introductory and mid-level courses.

What are Grinnell College students like?

Hmmm ... that's an interesting question. By and large, we find Grinnell students a joy to teach. Most of them are taking classes because they want to learn, not because they have to or because they need to check off a box in order to graduate. Almost all of them have multiple interests. We see CS majors doing improv comedy, playing in ensembles and bands, competing on the athletic fields, and more.

Is there financial support for faculty scholarship?

Visiting faculty members receive an annual budget of $2,000 to cover attendance at a professional meeting (e.g., registration, travel, lodging, and meals) and up to $500 for other research expenses. Stipends for summer research students are covered out of a separate budget, as are supplies for those students and a stipend for supervising those students. Other resources are also available on a case-by-case basis.

Is there interdisciplinary work at Grinnell that could involve computer science?

In general, yes. Faculty in many disciplines use computing as part of their work. Some likely collaborations would like be with our biology faculty who are interested in bioinformatics, our computational chemists, English faculty working in the digital humanities, faculty working on the cross-disciplinary data science program, and some of our arts faculty. But others are certainly possible. In the end, it depends on two faculty finding common interests.

What do Grinnell students do after graduation?

Our computer science majors generally go on to do the typical variety of things that CS majors do. Some end up at well-known companies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook). Some end up at startups. A few go on to graduate school immediately after college. Some end up in the financial industry. Some head off to volunteer opportunities (e.g., Teach for America or Lutheran Volunteer Corps.) Over the longer term, some bring their general thinking skills to other areas. We count physicians, professional comedians, fundraisers, and helicopter pilots among our CS alumni.

Do you expect to hire any tenure-track positions soon?

We have recently expanded by several positions and do not yet know what the near-term immediate future may hold for regular positions.

What is it like living in Grinnell, Iowa?

Grinnell is a small town, with about 8500 residents (plus about 1600 Grinnell College students). It's affordable. Many faculty live within walking distance of the College. (All but two of the CS faculty are within a five-block radius of the College; the others live about a mile away.) Some faculty choose to live in Iowa City or Des Moines, each of which is about an hour away. Our schools are decent, and the community provides a lot of interesting extracurricular activities. Several faculty in the department all note that we find this a great place to raise our children.

The Grinnell Office of Communications and the Office of Community Enhancement and Engagement put together this series of videos to help visitors understand what it's like living and working in Grinnell.

GRINNELL COLLEGE – COMPUTER SCIENCE – TWO-YEAR VISITING POSITION (START FALL 2019).

GRINNELL COLLEGE. The Department of Computer Science invites applications for a two-year visiting position beginning Fall 2019. Ph.D. in Computer Science preferred, but candidates with degrees (e.g., Ed.D., ABD, or Master’s) in closely related fields and relevant experience will be considered. Teaching and research areas of interest are open, but preference may be given to candidates who can teach operating systems or computer architecture. See http://www.cs.grinnell.edu.

Grinnell College is a highly selective undergraduate liberal arts college with a strong tradition of social responsibility. In letters of application, candidates should discuss their potential to contribute to a college community that maintains a diversity of people and perspectives as one of its core values. To be assured of full consideration, all application materials should be received by February 15. Please visit our application website at https://jobs.grinnell.edu to find more details about the job and submit applications online. Candidates will need to upload a letter of application, curriculum vitae, undergraduate and graduate transcripts (copies are acceptable), a description of scholarly activities, and a teaching statement that includes a description of the ways they plan to support diversity in the department, College, and the discipline. Candidates must also provide email addresses for three references. Questions about this search should be directed to the search chair, Professor Jerod Weinman, at CSSearch@grinnell.edu or 641-269-3169.

Grinnell College is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all College community members. It is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in matters of admission, employment, and housing, and in access to and participation in its education programs, services, and activities. The college does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, religion, disability, creed, or any other protected class.

An offer for this position will be contingent on successful completion of a background check.

Grinnell College is hiring for a visiting position in Computer Science.

Why visit in CS at Grinnell?

We think Grinnell is an excellent place to be if you are passionate about both teaching and scholarship and want to make a difference in the lives of young adults. Here are some of the things that set us apart.

You can also read more about our open visiting position and some recent questions and answers about the position.

Teaching CS

At first glance, undergraduate curricula and departments may seem similar. Everyone teaches some kind of data structures and algorithms courses. Everyone has some required systems courses. Most require an upper-level theory of computation course. In those ways, Grinnell is much like other departments. But some characteristics of the curriculum and the College make us special.

• An internationally recognized curriculum. Grinnell is one of only five curricular exemplars in the Joint ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curricula 2013.
• A multi-paradigm introductory sequence. We believe students learn CS best when they are exposed to a broad variety of approaches. We emphasize functional programming in the first course, imperative in the second, and object-oriented in the third. As you might expect, each class develops student skills in algorithmic thinking. Each class also focuses on a particular problem domain. This year, the first course considers data science and the second course uses some robotics.
• An emphasis on active learning. We've been teaching with a type of "flipped classroom" for more than two decades. Particularly for the introductory sequence, our model is that students do a bit of reading before class and spend most of class time working on problems with other students.
• Strong support for innovative teaching across the College. Grinnell is a place in which colleagues will encourage you to try new approaches to your teaching and the College will help support such innovation. Grinnell also encourages faculty to learn from each other with a variety of resources, including a regular Science Teaching and Learning Group and week-long summer workshops on a wide variety of topics.
• An individually-mentored curriculum. Grinnell has no required general education courses, other than a first-year seminar. Rather, advisers help students figure out what classes will be best for them. As a teacher, you'll find that the students in your classes are there because they want to learn the material, not because they are checking off a requirement.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department also has a strong commitment to diversifying the discipline, which is reflected not only in the issues discussed above, but also in a number of other departmental initiatives. Many efforts focus on developing a sense of community in the department, including peer mentoring programs, weekly lunchtime discussion groups, and evening study breaks. Our efforts have been successful. For example, over 30% of our majors are women, above the national averages.

The department and the College regularly provides financial support for several students to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, and MINK WIC (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, & Kansas Women in Computing Conference).

The CS department is also active in institution-wide diversity efforts, such as the Grinnell Science Project (GSP), which has been honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring for more than twenty years of successful efforts to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who earn degrees in the sciences. Two members of the department have served as leaders of GSP in recent years. We are also active in the the Liberal Arts Colleges Association for Faculty Inclusion (LACAFI), an organization co-founded by Grinnell that aims to assist in the recruitment and appointment of faculty committed to diversity in the sciences. We particularly hope that candidates who share our commitment to diversity will apply.

Scholarship

Grinnell, like most comparable institutions, expects that its faculty are strong teachers and strong scholars. And like most comparable institutions, we provide funds to support those scholarly endeavors. But a few things set Grinnell apart.

• A rich culture of student-faculty research. Grinnell's student-faculty research fund regularly allows interested faculty to work with students each summer while compensating those students with course credit and a stipend. Funds are usually available for four students per faculty member, and faculty receive a modest stipend as well. Our students regularly present their work at regional, national, and international peer-reviewed conferences.
• Broader connections. Grinnell is one of twelve liberal arts colleges that belong to the Computing Research Association (CRA).

Our statement on expectations for scholarship may give you a sense of how we think broadly about scholarship in the discipline.

Synthesizing Teaching and Scholarship

While many people separate teaching and scholarship, we often find ways to integrate the two. Many of us have student co-authors on research papers (typically as an outcome of summer research projects). We also leave room in the curriculum for courses that tie closely to our areas of research, such as computer vision and evolutionary biology. In addition, several faculty members in the department contribute to the scholarly literature in computer science education.

Helping Early Career Faculty Succeed

We work hard to hire faculty we think will do well at Grinnell. We work as hard to make sure those faculty will succeed. In addition to the support for teaching and scholarship mentioned above, Grinnell provides a wide variety of resources, from opportunities for mentoring to an active early career faculty group that provides both social and professional support for such faculty.

A Bit More About Grinnell

Grinnell is a highly-selective liberal arts college, ranked in the top-twenty in the US News and World Report analysis (#11 this year). Grinnell has a well-deserved reputation for undergraduate teaching. A recent NSF report ranks Grinnell 7th per capita among schools from which science and engineering Ph.D.'s received their bachelors degrees.

Grinnell has a strong commitment to social justice, revealed, in part, by our need-blind admissions process. We do not consider ability to pay in making admissions decisions, and we meet the full demonstrated financial need (at least according to government calculations) of students we accept. 87% of our students receive financial aid, with an average financial aid package of over $45,000 to students demonstrating need. In an era in which student debt is a mounting problem, Grinnell students in the class of 2018 graduated with an average debt of only $19,000.

Our commitment to social justice and our admissions process lead to a diverse student body. The class of 2022 includes approximately 18% international students, 15% first generation college students, and 28% domestic students of color.

Because our students are active participants in their choice of courses, most also successfully integrate a broad variety of interests, taking ideas and approaches from one course to another, from outside their coursework into their coursework, or from their coursework to the broader community. Many prospective faculty are attracted to Grinnell by the quality of our students.

These are some of the questions we've received about the position, along with our answers. (The answers are mostly from Professor Samuel Rebelsky.) We have posted them with the expectation that they will also be useful to others. Feel free to send additional questions to CSSearch@grinnell.edu.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a Ph.D.?

Yes! Candidates who are knowledgeable in the computing discipline and show evidence of promise for effective teaching are welcome to apply. Our department has had tremendously positive experiences in the past with visiting faculty that did not hold a Ph.D.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a CS degree?

Yes! We think broadly about the discipline of computing. In addition to CS, our faculty hold PhD.s in mathematics, philosophy, and evolutionary biology. While it is important that candidates be sufficiently knowledgeable about the discipline to teach a variety of courses in our curriculum, we welcome candidates that possess a degree outside computing (related fields preferred) as well as relevant computing knowledge and experience.

What courses will the new hire teach?

Grinnell's normal teaching load is five courses over two semesters. Given our long history as a smaller department, several regular faculty have taught many courses in the curriculum. Therefore, we will do our best to allow visitors to teach the courses in our curriculum they feel best-suited to teach. We are a collegial department and try to work out schedules that balance interests and workload each year. For the several courses in which multiple sections are offered, we can pair visiting faculty with an experienced faculty member teaching another section of that course. Depending on staffing and enrollments, there may also be an opportunity for visitors to offer an elective course for the major in the area of their interest.

How many students are there in CS courses?

We cap our introductory courses at 32 and 28, our mid-level courses at 24, and our upper-level courses at 20. Current demand means that most courses enroll to capacity. We currently graduate around 50 CS majors each year.

What are Grinnell College students like?

Hmmm ... that's an interesting question. By and large, we find Grinnell students a joy to teach. Most of them are taking classes because they want to learn, not because they have to or because they need to check off a box in order to graduate. Almost all of them have multipale interests. We see CS majors doing improv, playing in ensembles and bands, competing on the athletic fields, and more.

Is there financial support for faculty scholarship?

Visiting faculty members receive an annual budget of $2,000 to cover attendance at a professional meeting (e.g., registration, travel, lodging, and meals) and up to $500 for other research expenses. Stipends for summer research students are covered out of a separate budget, as are supplies for those students and a stipend for supervising those students. Other resources are also available on a case-by-case basis.

Is there interdisciplinary work at Grinnell that could involve computer science?

In general, yes. Faculty in many disciplines use computing as part of their work. Some likely collaborations would like be with our biology faculty who are interested in bioinformatics, our computational chemists, English faculty working in the digital humanities, faculty working on the cross-disciplinary data science program, and some of our arts faculty. But others are certainly possible. In the end, it depends on two faculty finding common interests.

What do Grinnell students do after graduation?

Our computer science majors generally go on to do the typical variety of things that CS majors do. Some end up at well-known companies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook). Some end up at startups. A few go on to graduate school immediately after college. Some end up in the financial industry. Some head off to volunteer opportunities (e.g., Teach for America or Lutheran Volunteer Corps.) Over the longer term, some bring their general thinking skills to other areas. We count physicians, professional comedians, fundraisers, and helicopter pilots among our CS alumni.

Why so many visiting positions?

Two faculty members will be on leave during the next two years, so two of the positions constitute leave replacements. The third represents a needed expansion in teaching capacity to meet demand.

Do you expect to hire any tenure-track positions soon?

We plan to apply for tenure-track expansions in the coming year. The governing body of the College decides how available tenure-track lines are allocated.

What is it like living in Grinnell, Iowa?

I should probably let the younger faculty respond to this. Grinnell is a small town, with about 8500 residents (plus about 1600 Grinnell College students). It's affordable. Many faculty live within walking distance of the College. (I think all but one of the CS faculty are within a five-block radius of the College; the other lives about a mile away.) Some faculty choose to live in Iowa City or Des Moines, each of which is about an hour away. Our schools are decent, and the community provides a lot of interesting extracurricular activities. Several faculty in the department all note that we find this a great place to raise our children.

The Grinnell Office of Communications and the Office of Community Enhancement and Engagement put together this series of videos to help visitors understand what it's like living and working in Grinnell.

These are some of the questions we've received about the position, along with our answers. (The answers are mostly from Professor Samuel Rebelsky.) We have posted them with the expectation that they will also be useful to others. Feel free to send additional questions to CSSearch@grinnell.edu.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a Ph.D.?

Yes! Candidates who are knowledgeable in the computing discipline and show evidence of promise for effective teaching are welcome to apply. Our department has had tremendously positive experiences in the past with visiting faculty that did not hold a Ph.D.

Will you consider candidates who do not have a CS degree?

Yes! We think broadly about the discipline of computing. In addition to CS, our faculty hold PhD.s in mathematics, philosophy, and evolutionary biology. While it is important that candidates be sufficiently knowledgeable about the discipline to teach a variety of courses in our curriculum, we welcome candidates that possess a degree outside computing (related fields preferred) as well as relevant computing knowledge and experience.

What courses will the new hire teach?

Grinnell's normal teaching load is five courses over two semesters. Given our long history as a smaller department, several regular faculty have taught many courses in the curriculum. Therefore, we will do our best to allow visitors to teach the courses in our curriculum they feel best-suited to teach. We are a collegial department and try to work out schedules that balance interests and workload each year. For the several courses in which multiple sections are offered, we can pair visiting faculty with an experienced faculty member teaching another section of that course. Depending on staffing and enrollments, there may also be an opportunity for visitors to offer an elective course for the major in the area of their interest.

How many students are there in CS courses?

We cap our introductory courses at 32 and 28, our mid-level courses at 24, and our upper-level courses at 20. Current demand means that most courses enroll to capacity.

What are Grinnell College students like?

Hmmm ... that's an interesting question. By and large, we find Grinnell students a joy to teach. Most of them are taking classes because they want to learn, not because they have to or because they need to check off a box in order to graduate. Almost all of them have multipale interests. We see CS majors doing improv, playing in ensembles and bands, competing on the athletic fields, and more.

Is there financial support for faculty scholarship?

Visiting faculty members receive an annual budget of $2,000 to cover attendance at a professional meeting (e.g., registration, travel, lodging, and meals) and up to $500 for other research expenses. Stipends for summer research students are covered out of a separate budget, as are supplies for those students. Other resources are also available on a case-by-case basis.

Is there interdisciplinary work at Grinnell that could involve computer science?

In general, yes. Faculty in many disciplines use computing as part of their work. Some likely collaborations would like be with our biology faculty who are interested in bioinformatics, our computational chemists, English faculty working in the digital humanities, faculty working on the cross-disciplinary data science program, and some of our arts faculty. But others are certainly possible. In the end, it depends on two faculty finding common interests.

What do Grinnell students do after graduation?

Our computer science majors generally go on to do the typical variety of things that CS majors do. Some end up at well-known companies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook). Some end up at startups. A few go on to graduate school immediately after college. Some end up in the financial industry. Some head off to volunteer opportunities (e.g., Teach for America or Lutheran Volunteer Corps.) Over the longer term, some bring their general thinking skills to other areas. We count physicians, professional comedians, fundraisers, and helicopter pilots among our CS alumni.

Do you expect to hire any tenure-track positions soon?

We plan to apply for tenure-track expansions in the coming year. The governing body of the College decides how available tenure-track lines are allocated.

What is it like living in Grinnell, Iowa?

I should probably let the younger faculty respond to this. Grinnell is a small town, with about 8500 residents (plus about 1600 Grinnell College students). It's affordable. Many faculty live within walking distance of the College. (I think all but one of the CS faculty are within a five-block radius of the College; the other lives about a mile away.) Some faculty choose to live in Iowa City or Des Moines, each of which is about an hour away. Our schools are decent, and the community provides a lot of interesting extracurricular activities. Several faculty in the department all note that we find this a great place to raise our children.

GRINNELL COLLEGE – COMPUTER SCIENCE – THREE MULTI-YEAR TERM POSITIONS (START FALL 2018).

GRINNELL COLLEGE. The Department of Computer Science invites applications for two three-year term positions and one two-year term position beginning Fall 2018. Ph.D. in Computer Science preferred, but candidates with degrees (e.g., Ed.D., ABD ,or Master’s) in closely related fields and relevant experience will be considered. Research and teaching interests might include, but are not limited to: theory, algorithms, systems, AI, HCI, software engineering, programming languages, CS education, data science, security, databases, graphics, parallel and distributed computing, accessibility technology, or social and ethical issues in computing. See http://www.cs.grinnell.edu.

Grinnell College is a highly selective undergraduate liberal arts college with a strong tradition of social responsibility. In letters of application, candidates should discuss their potential to contribute to a college community that maintains a diversity of people and perspectives as one of its core values. To be assured of full consideration, all application materials should be received by February 1. Please visit our application website at https://jobs.grinnell.edu to find more details about the job and submit applications online. Candidates will need to upload a letter of application, curriculum vitae, transcripts (copies are acceptable), a description of scholarly activities, and a teaching statement that includes a description of the ways they plan to support diversity in the department, College, and the discipline. Candidates must also provide email addresses for three references. Questions about this search should be directed to the search chair, Professor Jerod Weinman, at CSSearch@grinnell.edu or 641-269-3169.

Grinnell College is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all College community members. It is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in matters of admission, employment, and housing, and in access to and participation in its education programs, services, and activities. The college does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, religion, disability, creed, or any other protected class.

An offer for this position will be contingent on successful completion of a background check.