FACULTY
Overview
Thank you for your interest in a faculty position at Dordt College! We've created these pages to help you learn more about us. Please see the More Questions page to let us know if you have additional questions or would like more information about any item.
About Dordt College
Associated with the Christian Reformed Church, Dordt College was founded in 1955 and today welcomes over 1,350 students and more than 70 full-time faculty committed to a biblical, Christ-centered education from a reformed perspective. Find out more about Dordt here.
Reformed Perspective
Dordt takes its Reformed Christian perspective very seriously at all levels of faculty hiring and performance review. Applicants must demonstrate a Christian faith commitment in agreement with Scripture and the basic tenets of the Reformed faith; they must also articulate how their Christian convictions are reflected in their teaching and scholarship. Dordt faculty members continually work to develop and communicate their understanding of how their reformed worldview influences how they approach their discipline and their task as educators and scholars.
Interview Process
Dordt is committed to a communal hiring process for faculty members. For each position opening, the related department, division dean, Academic Senate members, Provost, and the President have an opportunity to interview the final candidates. The candidate recommended for hiring then interviews with members of the Board of Trustees. This intensive, communal process helps to ensure the best mutual fit for each position and allows candidates to better understand the college community.
Teaching Load and Instructional Support
Dordt heavily emphasizes teaching and learning. As such, a typical teaching load for full-time faculty is four courses per semester, with about five course preparations per year. Faculty members do not normally teach in the summer, except for those on international programs or in the Graduate Education program.
Dordt has an extensive instructional support program. New faculty meet informally with a faculty mentor for their first year to discuss teaching strategies, campus issues, adjustments to the community, or other issues the new faculty member may have. New faculty also participate in an eight-day orientation in August and a weekly meeting in the fall semester to learn more about Dordt's history, reformational perspective, and approaches to teaching and learning.
Finally, all faculty members are strongly encouraged to consult with colleagues, division deans, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for specific assistance with syllabus development, pedagogical strategies, and classroom management issues; instructional workshops and other opportunities for pedagogical development are offered on a regular basis.
Most of our classrooms enable faculty to use technology in support of their teaching. All faculty are provided with laptop computers and nearly all campus buildings have wireless network access.
Scholarship and Service
Full-time faculty are expected to continue engaging their field in scholarly ways. This includes traditional research/writing as well as conference presentations, book reviews, essays on reformational perspectives in one's discipline, etc.
Full-time contracts are for 12 months, enabling faculty members to pursue scholarship as well as develop their courses during the summer. Our campus library offers a large number of full-text and other academic databases, a reputable film collection, and other resources to support faculty scholarship. A professional development/conference fund of about $920 is set aside annually for each full-time faculty member; additional funds are available to support papers given at professional conferences.
Full-time faculty normally serve on one or two committees. They also advise approximately 15-20 students and contribute to department responsibilities (e.g., program review, student learning assessment, student recruitment).
Evaluation Process
In their first seven years, faculty members are formally evaluated every two years at the renewal times for four two-year contracts. During the eighth year, faculty are evaluated in anticipation of an extended-term (five-year) contract, which is re-evaluated every three years. Dordt does not have a formal tenure system. Faculty are evaluated on the basis of their ability to articulate a reformational perspective in their discipline, teaching excellence, scholarship and service, and collegiality.
Academic Programs
Dordt offers six Associate of Arts programs, over 40 Bachelors-level programs (including accredited programs in Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Social Work), and a masters program in Education (curriculum and instruction); we also offer ten pre-professional programs including medicine, law, seminary, and physical therapy. Our Core program of 15 courses reflects an integral view of creation and is central to the education of all Dordt students. We also have a scholar's program and a number of off-campus programs.
For more information on academic programs, click here or see some of our department videos here.
Students
Dordt enrolls over 1,350 students from more than 30 states, 8 Canadian provinces, and 15 other countries; students' average distance from home is 400 miles. The average class size at Dordt is 22 students, with larger numbers in introductory and Core courses (up to 50) and smaller numbers in specialized upper-level courses (10-15 students). We are a residential campus (about 85 percent of students live on campus) and boast a large number of co-curricular activities during the academic year. For more information about student life, click here.
Salary & Benefits
Our competitive salary and benefits package includes Blue Cross/Blue Shield family medical coverage; a 70%/30% dental/optometry/audiometry family expense reimbursement plan; a $50,000 base life insurance plan; a TIAA-CREF retirement plan to which Dordt contributes 6% of the annual salary (Dordt will also match additional employee contributions up to a maximum amount based on years of service); a tuition scholarship up to 70% for employees' children in grades K-12 in a Christian school and a 50% reduction in Dordt tuition for employee family members; and an Employee Assistance Program. Employees may also take advantage of tax-saving Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and child-care expenses. A number of other benefits are also available, including a generous faculty development/conference allowance, moving expense reimbursement, free family membership in our Recreation Center, free entrance to college-sponsored athletic and music events, and a 10% bookstore discount.
Faculty Handbook
Our faculty handbook includes principles for decision-making, brief job descriptions, contract types and evaluation processes, and a number of academic policies and procedures. To review the Handbook, click here.
