The Evergreen State College invites applications for a full-time regular (tenure-track equivalent) faculty position for the Evergreen Prison Education Program (EPEP) to teach in-person classes held in Washington State correctional facilities. The current location for EPEP’s BA program is Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) in Aberdeen, WA.

The Evergreen State College seeks a full-time faculty member with college-level teaching experience in interdisciplinary liberal arts and sciences who will excel at teaching incarcerated students pursuing their Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College. The successful candidate for this position will teach at the undergraduate level in one or more WA State correctional facilities in coordination with other EPEP faculty and in accordance with Evergreen’s 5 Foci: interdisciplinary study, collaborative learning, learning across significant differences, personal engagement, and linking theory with practical applications.

 

The Evergreen State College organizes the majority of its curriculum into interdisciplinary, team-taught coordinated studies programs centered on particular themes, and organizes its faculty into interdisciplinary planning units instead of traditional disciplinary departments. Applicants are invited to address (in their letter of application) their vision for innovative approaches to teaching across disciplines, while also describing their areas of disciplinary expertise.

 

We seek innovative educators with experience teaching in any of the following subjects: Math, Science, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Psychology, Political Science, Indigenous Studies, Environmental Studies, Game Design, Spanish Language, Literature, Creative Writing, or other related subject areas.

The ideal candidate for this position will be capable and confident in teaching on their own and in a team in a correctional facility while also coordinating with other faculty around shared themes, approaches, and methodologies.

 

This position reports to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Prison Education and works with the staff of Evergreen’s Prison Education Program (EPEP). As Lead faculty for EPEP, you will work with other faculty in developing innovative strategies to inaugurate the growth, well-being, and integrity of EPEP’s degree program, and support the work of Evergreen’s prison education program. This work includes exposure to potentially difficult information, people struggling with health and other life circumstances, and sometimes challenging work environments. We aim to support faculty in processing difficult aspects of the work in healthy and productive ways.

 

The Lead EPEP faculty will be given .25 FTE release time per quarter to complete the administrative work required to maintain robust curricula and high-functioning classroom experiences. The administrative work includes, but is not limited to, regularly meeting with DOC facilities staff for issues around facility-level needs, concerns, and requirements; recruiting and working with faculty to ensure compliance with all DOC requirements and trainings; overseeing EPEPfaculty and faculty teams to ensure agreed-upon curricula is being taught well; helping faculty to manage their respective classrooms; and acting as liaison between EPEP faculty and other areas of the college including prison education staff and administrative leadership. 

 

The Evergreen State College provides a Bachelor of Arts program to incarcerated individuals in coordination with the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC). Prior to hiring, candidates must successfully pass DOC security clearance; information from these checks will not necessarily preclude employment. EPEP faculty must complete annual required Department of Corrections trainings related to working in prison, in addition to other training required of all Evergreen faculty. The successful candidate must be able to adapt teaching methods and assignments to fit the prison education context, where, as an example, internet access is unavailable and all required course material needs prior approval from DOC. Additionally, faculty must be willing to follow DOC policy for communicating with students between class meeting times.

 

The College reserves the right to extend searches or not offer positions advertised. As a condition of employment, persons hired must provide proof of identity and employment eligibility, including authorization to work in the United States, within three (3) days of beginning work. All position offers are contingent on funding. Persons with disabilities can receive accommodations in the hiring process by contacting the Faculty Hiring Coordinator. The Evergreen State College is an equal opportunity employer.

The Evergreen Prison Education Program (EPEP) expands access to an Evergreen education by providing holistic support services for currently incarcerated and legally liberated people. Evergreen has a long-standing history in prison education, starting in 1996 with Gateways for Incarcerated Youth and in 2003 with the Sustainability in Prisons Project. Liberation Scholars, established in 2019, is a program that supports reentry and reintegration. The Evergreen Prison Education Program (EPEP) is the most recent addition to this network and started teaching at Stafford Creek in 2024.

 

All EPEP faculty work in partnership with the WA State Department of Corrections staff on site and are expected to foster and maintain positive relationships.

 

All EPEP courses are currently scheduled in the evenings and on weekends at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. Candidates must be willing and able to travel to Aberdeen, WA and have a valid driver’s license. (Evergreen vehicles are available for use, conditional on driving history.)

 

Our teaching is student-centered, which means we are interested in helping students develop strong skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. We are particularly invested in approaches to teaching that emphasize diversity and equity, that provide opportunities for challenging growth, and that foster a positive learning environment.

 

Faculty are responsible for advising students as they reflect on their learning process, develop a pathway of study, and formulate their own areas of concentration.

Faculty are responsible for evaluating up to 25 students per teaching assignment, per quarter. As part of the evaluation process Evergreen faculty complete individual written evaluations of students in lieu of a letter grade.

 

A complete list of faculty responsibilities can be found in the Collective Bargain Agreement