Associate Professor or Professor and Chair of t...

Human Resources Subscribe to Email Alerts Returning Applicant Login Careers > Search Jobs > Search Results > Job Details Associate Professor or Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work Category: Health Sciences Subscribe: New Job Alerts RSS Job Feed Department: Social Work Locations: El Paso, TX Posted: Oct 20, 2026 Closes: Open Until Filled Type: Full-time Ref. No.: 27-CoHS-04 Position ID: 205974 Share About The University of Texas at El Paso: The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a Carnegie R1, Opportunity, and Community-Engaged university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region that is increasing access to excellent higher education. We advance discovery of public value and positively impact the health, culture, education, and economy of the community we serve. UTEP enrolls more than 26,000 students, 84% of whom are Hispanic and half of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

UTEP offers 169 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America. The city's location on the Rio Grande in the Southwest where two countries and three states meet makes it an ideal venue for academic programs and research studies on topics of national interest, including bilingual education/language acquisition, health and health disparities, international relations, international trade, migration, and environmental sustainability and infrastructure. The University enjoys strategic partnerships with two Department of Energy national laboratories in the region, multiple national laboratories beyond the region, and sits on the edge of White Sands Missile Range, making engineering and scientific research both a priority and an opportunity. Along with its designation among the top 5% of universities in America for research, UTEP is also nationally recognized as an Opportunity University by the Carnegie Classification for its positive impact on economic mobility for students after graduation.

In 2024, Forbes found that UTEP students graduate with the lowest average debt of any college or university in Texas. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, El Paso is set against the backdrop of the Franklin Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert in one of the largest binational communities in the world. The city's active arts and culture community features the state's longest-running symphony orchestra, a nationally recognized chamber music festival, a vibrant street art and mural scene, art galleries, museums, and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. In 2024, El Paso opened La Nube, a unique hybrid institution that merges the educational aspects of a science center with the interactive experiences of a children's museum.

UTEP adds to the arts and entertainment scene with concerts and live events at the city's largest indoor and outdoor venues; theater, music and dance productions; contemporary and student art galleries; and a natural history museum and desert gardens. El Paso residents can also easily travel to the sister city of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to enjoy great food, markets and cultural events. El Paso/Juárez is the fifth largest manufacturing region in North America and the center of commerce, education and health services for the region. A family-oriented community, the cost of living in El Paso is very reasonable for a large metropolitan area with the average home value of $224,000 in 2025.

In 2026, U.S. News and World report named El Paso the best big city to live in the nation.Texas has no state income tax and, when it comes to public safety, El Paso is consistently ranked among the safest large cities in the United States. El Paso is also an ideal location for people who love the outdoors. It is home to one of the nation's largest urban parks - Franklin Mountains State Park - and many options for year-round hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing at Hueco Tanks State Park and nearby White Sands, Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns national parks.

For sports fans, the UTEP Miners offer exciting Division I college athletics at several campus venues including Sun Bowl Stadium - where one of the oldest football bowl games takes place annually - and the Don Haskins Center arena. Southwest University Park, located a mile away in lively downtown El Paso, is home to the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and the El Paso Locomotive FC, a professional soccer team founded in 2019. Learn more about faculty life at UTEP and what it's like to live and work in El Paso: Life & Work in El Paso Job Description: The Department: The Department of Social Work has educated social workers for more than four decades. The BSW and MSW programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

The MSW concentration in Social Work in the Border Region grounds advanced practice in the social, cultural, and structural conditions of border communities, while the online MSW extends access to graduate education. The student body includes a Hispanic, bilingual majority and many first-generation and international students. The department offers its next Chair an opportunity to strengthen program quality, support student achievement, and guide growth through a collaborative vision. Departmental faculty conduct research in behavioral health, child welfare, migration and refugee experiences, intimate partner violence, aging, and health disparities.

Community-engaged teaching, research, and service connect social work education with regional needs and support partnerships across the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez border. Faculty also contribute to the College's PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences through doctoral mentoring, dissertation committee service, and dissertation direction. The next Chair will build on these strengths, support faculty development and research collaboration, and expand the department's visibility and impact. The department's website can be found at: https://www.utep.edu/chs/sw/ The College: The College of Health Sciences prepares the next generation of health and human service professionals to improve quality of life and address health disparities in their communities.

The College offers five undergraduate degrees in Clinical Laboratory Science, Health Promotion, Rehabilitation Sciences, Social Work, and Kinesiology. There are four master's degrees in the college: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Public Health, Social Work, and Kinesiology. There are currently three doctoral programs in the College: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy Doctorate, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. High impact educational experiences enable students to develop leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, as well as a strong sense of social responsibility through community and global engagement opportunities.

Faculty and students engage in teaching, research, and service incorporating Boyer's Model of the scholarship of discovery, integration, application/engagement, and teaching and learning, all related to the applied health sciences (https://www.utep.edu/chs/). The College's facilities and programs are designed to promote interprofessional teaching, learning, research, and community & global engagement initiatives. The College of Health Sciences enjoys a strong and collaborative relationship with a range of local, national, and global community partners. Graduate and undergraduate students participate actively with clinical and research faculty mentors in conducting a variety of projects relevant to addressing health inequities and improving quality of life in the Paso del Norte region and beyond.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Department of Social Work in the College of Health Sciences invites applications for Associate Professor/Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work, with an anticipated start date in mid-August 2027. We seek an accomplished social work scholar and experienced academic leader who will provide collaborative leadership, advance the department's teaching and research mission, and strengthen its community and binational partnerships. Candidates must present a record of scholarship, teaching, and service commensurate with appointment at the rank of Associate Professor/Professor and eligibility for tenure at UTEP. Located in the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez binational region, the Department of Social Work prepares practitioners and scholars to respond to the strengths and needs of border communities and beyond.

The next Chair will build on this regional identity while advancing social work education, student success, research, and community engagement. The department offers a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) preparing students for generalist practice and a Master of Social Work (MSW) preparing students for advanced practice with concentration in Social Work in the Border Region. The online MSW program expands access to graduate social work education. The Chair will guide the continued development of these programs in collaboration with program directors, faculty, staff, students, and community partners.

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Health Sciences, the Chair will provide strategic direction and oversee departmental academic and administrative operations. Responsibilities include collaborative strategic planning; budget and resource management; faculty and staff recruitment, supervision, and evaluation; faculty mentoring and support for promotion and tenure; curriculum and program development; Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation and outcomes assessment; and coordination of teaching, advising, and field education with program leaders. The Chair will promote student recruitment, retention, and degree completion; strengthen externally funded research and interdisciplinary collaboration; cultivate community, agency, alumni, and binational partnerships; and represent the department within and beyond UTEP. The successful candidate will support shared governance, communicate transparently, manage conflict constructively, and sustain a respectful and productive workplace while maintaining an active scholarly agenda and contributing to teaching and mentoring.

Requirements

PhD in Social Work, DSW, or earned doctorate in a closely related field. An MSW from a CSWE-accredited program. A minimum of two years of post-MSW experience as a practicing social worker. A sustained record of scholarly publications, teaching effectiveness, and professional and institutional service commensurate with appointment at the rank of Associate Professor/Professor and eligibility for tenure at UTEP.

Demonstrated research productivity and experience securing or leading externally funded research, with expertise relevant to mental/behavioral health, health disparities, policy practice, and/or community-based research. Demonstrated successful academic leadership and administrative experience as a department chair, program director, associate chair, or in a comparable role, including responsibility for personnel, budgets or resource allocation, and academic planning. Demonstrated ability to lead collaboratively through shared governance, mentor faculty and staff, support student success, and work effectively with communities whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the border region. Licensure or eligibility for licensure as an LMSW or LCSW.

Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills; demonstrated sound judgment, constructive conflict management, and a commitment to social work ethics, social justice, and a respectful learning and working environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience as a department chair or in a comparable academic administrative role with responsibility for strategic planning, budget management, personnel evaluation, and faculty development. Experience leading CSWE accreditation, reaffirmation, c