For this role, the incumbent is expected to provide academic leadership to Academics in the teaching-research-community engagement nexus.
There are three main objectives listed below.
The first is to work with Academics and Academic Departments to:
Enhance the quality of institutional external engagement with communities and university partners through Community-Based Participatory Research.
Accelerate the impact and quality of Engaged Research (ER) initiatives and projects run by academics and departments at Rhodes University.
Build meaningful relationships with community partner organisations in Makhanda, assisting in brokering strategic partnerships between the community and the university
Develop and establish an Engaged Research course for students, staff at Rhodes University and local community partner organisations.
Support researchers and lecturers in developing innovative engagement
Implement mechanisms to capture evidence of initiatives, impact, and quality of engaged research
Establish monitoring and evaluation (M&E) support strategies for ER and reporting on ER at RU.
The second main objective is to make critical and original contributions to CE scholarship at local, national and international levels by generating community engagement knowledge by publishing articles for newspapers and pamphlets, writing scholarly papers for accredited/peer-reviewed academic journals, and presenting research at conferences.
The third main objective is to coordinate an engaged volunteer programme, theorising and promoting a scholarly, asset-based approach to community engagement at Rhodes University. Participate in the strategic management and oversight of the program's development, implementation, and M&E systems.
The Requirements
Senior Lecturer
At least a PhD in a relevant discipline, preferably Humanities or Social Science.
Experience in Community Development
Experience in Community Engagement
Teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels is required.
Experience in conducting Community-Based Participatory Research.
Research supervision of at least a Masters degree is required.
Emerging national profile in the discipline.
Track record of administration, management and/or leadership roles (leadership roles may be informal).
