[URBANTH-L]JOB: Research Chair in Inner-City Issues & Community Learning & Engagement (Winnipeg)

[Angela Jancius]

Canada Research Chair In Inner-City Issues
and Community Learning and Engagement

The University of Winnipeg has designated a Tier I Canada Research Chair in 
the area of
"Inner-City Issues and Community Learning and Engagement". The University is 
seeking
exceptional candidates for this interdisciplinary position and invites 
nominations.

The University of Winnipeg has a strong commitment to the inner-city milieu 
and especially
to the people who call it home, which has resulted in a strong foundation of 
research
expertise and direct programming for inner-city residents. Over the last 40 
years, The
University of Winnipeg has also developed as a centre of excellence in urban 
research
including the establishment of an Institute of Urban Studies in 1969. The 
Institute has
become a national research centre grounded in community and urban studies in 
the area of
Inner-City Issues and Community Learning and Engagement.

The University of Winnipeg is set within a complex and ever-changing urban 
environment.
>From this vantage point, the University is uniquely positioned as an active 
community
member within a diverse inner-city neighbourhood and within the dynamic 
fabric of the
downtown. The University of Winnipeg as well as many other urban campuses 
throughout
North America is actively committed to community change through active 
campus expansion
as well as direct programming aimed at meeting the needs of inner-city 
residents and
nontraditional students.

Within the mandate of a new Canada Research Chair, we are particularly 
interested in
contributing to the development of policies and programs that will address 
the needs of the
Aboriginal, refugee, and immigrant communities that make up the largest 
proportion of
Winnipeg's inner-city neighborhoods. The Chair will contribute to the 
ongoing development
of a healthy, safe, and socially responsible inner-city community with 
vitality and
sustainability. Accordingly, it is expected that the Chair will contribute 
to the continued
development of an interdisciplinary and action-based research agenda 
directed at issues
related to housing, concentrated poverty, immigrant settlement and 
adjustment, youth at risk,
and the urban Aboriginal experience. The role of active community learning 
and
engagement that includes the function of universities and other institutions 
and their impacts
through programming and development, particularly in inner-city areas, will 
be of strong
consideration. Implicit in this action-based methodology is an approach that 
blends
rigorous scientific methodology with the needs of the community, building on 
an established
2 record of research success that works with communities, not apart from 
them. Evaluation
of the effectiveness of the policies and programs aimed at addressing the 
needs of these
communities will form an important component of the work of the Chair.

To complement and enhance the research focus of The University of Winnipeg, 
it is expected
that the new Canada Research Chair will work with all levels of government, 
members of our
academic and non-academic community, and especially with the University's 
Institute of
Urban Studies and its extensive engagement with community organizations and 
inner-city
residents. Fundamentally, the research team assembled by and collaborating 
with the Chair
is expected to contribute to the development of policies and actions that 
address the needs of
inner-city, and in particular those living in Winnipeg and its inner-city 
neighbourhoods.
Furthermore, the scholarly and community-learning and engagement output 
generated by
the Chair's research team, in parallel to the action-oriented agenda, will 
be expected to have
local, national, and international impact.

Nominations must include a curriculum vitae and a statement of research 
objectives and
teaching interests. The statement should be a maximum of 5 pages (single 
spaced) using the
Times New Roman font and a font size of 12.

Nominations must be received by Friday, October 16, 2009. Please forward to:

Barbara Doran
Administrative Officer
Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
The University of Winnipeg
Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9
Telephone: (204) 786-9120
Fax: (204) 774-4134
Email: b.doran at uwinnipeg.ca

Candidates are requested to arrange for three letters of reference to be 
submitted directly to
the address above.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to employment equity, welcomes 
diversity in
the workplace and encourages applications from and nominations of all 
qualified
individuals.