Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership (EXPIRED)

The University of Lethbridge invites applications from outstanding academics to become the inaugural Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership. The Chair will be an eminent scholar, political and/or scholarly activist, and/or political practitioner appointed at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. Applicants should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in a related discipline. The discipline of the appointment is open, and the candidate will be assigned to an appropriate home department in the social sciences or humanities. Individuals with substantial professional experience in politics, public service, or community leadership are also encouraged to apply. Should you have any questions about whether your experience would be equivalent to the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, please contact the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Yale Belanger.   The University of Lethbridge’s Chair will be a founding member of the national Network of Jarislowsky Chairs in Trust and Political Leadershipmade up of five endowed Chairs at Acadia University, l’Université de Québec à Trois Rivières (in collaboration with l’École Nationale d’Administration Publique), Trent University and Vancouver Island University.  The aim of the national network is to educate the next generation of politicians and public sector leaders in ethics, democratic values and responsible governance within the contexts of Canada’s diverse citizenship, democracy and commitment to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation.  The Jarislowsky Chairs network will offer innovative academic programs and experiential learning opportunities and will work collaboratively to develop, improve and promote communities of practice in ethics and fiduciary responsibility in political and governance decision making across Canada.   The five universities involved in the network are small, liberal education universities where undergraduate students share in a transformational, residential learning experience, and where interdisciplinary collaboration across the academic spectrum is encouraged. Among other things, the Chairs’ collaboration will include:   

• the development of a pan-Canadian core curriculum that will be shared and taught within degree/certificate programs, or streams within existing programs at participating universities; 
• the development of a bank of case studies on decision-making processes in both legislative and executive branches;
• the stimulation and coordination of seminars, conferences, research projects, summer camps, requests for proposals and calls for papers among academics, legislators, civil servants and media, to promote ethical governance and fiduciary responsibility in politics and government at the municipal, regional and federal levels; and 
• student, civil servant and politician involvement in inter-institutional collaboration and exchange. 

  Students will have opportunities to learn across universities through a combination of pan-Canadian courses, institutional courses, seminars, and on-campus capstone courses that bring together students from across the network and serve to develop pathways or opportunities to recruit historically marginalized groups to the programs.   With access to a significant allocation of funding from a $4 million endowment, the University of Lethbridge Jarislowsky Chair will guide conversations, events and experiences that support the ethical development of future leaders. They will provide innovative programming to spur future leaders to action and engage in teaching and research that bridges the distance between the theory and practice of ethics, responsibility, and sound political governance at the municipal, regional and federal levels. The Chair will be expected to foster relationships that will create opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning. The successful candidate will demonstrate research interests specific to Alberta and/or the prairie provinces or demonstrate a willingness to turn their attention to this region of study. Potential research and teaching areas for the Chair may include democracy (including deliberative democracy), polarization and political division, epistemic justice and injustice, ethical political communication and decision making, civic virtues and vices, political education of youth and adults, Truth and Reconciliation, or trust and social responsibility.