Job Opening: Institutional Researcher

For full details, see posting at HigherEdJobs.com.

Institution: Lane Community College
Location: Eugene, OR
Application Due: 09/12/2011
Type: Full Time

Notification:
Lane Community College is seeking an Institutional Researcher for a two-year temporary faculty assignment. Continuation of the position will be dependent upon college funding and institutional requirements.

THE POSITION
The Institutional Researcher will focus on institutional research projects with the intent to identify and improve practices that support students progressing to completion and achieving their educational goals. This position designs studies, analyzes data, and reports research findings related to student success and student outcomes. This position will provide comprehensive research support for: institutional effectiveness and student success strategies and initiatives.

Lane is seeking a participative, resourceful and creative researcher to work with college leaders in the measurement of progression and completion efforts. This position requires a high level of independent judgment and collaboration skills which will foster the growth and understanding of student success. The work environment will require the ability to work independently while facilitating multiple research requests. The days and hours of this full-time position are flexible and can be negotiated, but will require year-round collaboration (summer included) on institutional research projects.

Anticipated Start Date:
On or about December 2012

EDUCATION MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED EDUCATION
Master’s degree required in related field such as education, social sciences, or policy analysis and planning, with an emphasis on research methods and statistics

PREFERRED EDUCATION

Ph.D or equivalent.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
Three years of current research experience, including research design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; verbal, written, and statistical reporting. Equivalent experience including these elements will be considered. See equivalency statement below.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Experience in an educational environment
Experience at a community college
Expertise with qualitative as well as quantitative methods

Bilingual/Multicultural Statement:
Bilingual proficiency in Spanish/Asian languages and multicultural experience is preferred. A demonstrated commitment to promote and enhance diversity is expected.

Equivalency Statement:
Equivalent combination of training and experience will be considered for meeting minimum qualifications. Applicants are responsible to show how their personal training and experience would qualify them for the position.

POSITION PURPOSE
To support the college, student success and the strategic directions through appropriate research, design and analysis of progression and completion data.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Support the College’s academic mission and provide strategic direction in planning and execution of technology support needs: (http://www.lanecc.edu/rese arch/planning/visionmissioncore0408.html)

Incorporate emerging technology and maintain current knowledge of software utilities; use data gathering and analysis software packages (such as, Access, Excel, SQL, TOAD, SPSS, SAS, STATA)
Lead and provide tactical direction for studies and development of resources
Support and educate research requesters using clear communication that defines significant research queries and data use
Identify, collect and process data from multiple sources
Perform detailed analysis; prepare and report findings for stakeholders
Track and document detailed research results; translate complex information for stakeholders
Maintain compliance with established college policies and procedures.

Support of Student Success:

Design and perform research using methods that appropriately assess student success and outcomes, including progression and completion, matriculation and employment
Develop and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with college staff and faculty; actively inquire into, and help ensure accurate understanding of, student programs and services as related to research

Support of Student Progression and Completion:

Participate in activities related to assessment of P&C effectiveness
Maintain currency of progression and completion standards and trends

CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Demonstrate Lane’s core value of Diversity by modeling and ensuring diversity and cultural competency (respect, inclusiveness, reflecting, valuing and welcoming of cultural differences) in all position responsibilities regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, social class, marital status, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, nationality, age, language, origin or employment status.

Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Strong quantitative research skills including: identifying and clarifying research questions for specific information needs, designing appropriate research methodologies, developing complex data sets for analysis and reporting, analyzing and interpreting findings, and reporting findings.

Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint software.

Fluent in one or more programming, querying, or scripting languages.

Understanding of relational database systems and processes, mastery of techniques used to extract data subsets and perform statistical analyses on those subsets, strong skills in transferring data from one software application to another.

Strong writing and verbal communication skills.

Effective organizational skills.

Ability to maintain high degree of confidentiality

Writing queries and joining tables using Access or SQL.

Experience working with data from a variety of internal and external sources, including: extraction from a centralized data system like SCT Banner; surveys; state and national data sets such as the National Student Clearinghouse, IPEDS, and the Oregon State Employment Department

Ability to work independently and to be self-directed.

Working understanding of good survey design, survey administration, and survey analysis practices.

Ability to communicate complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, both orally and in writing.

Ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks and meet work schedules and goals.

To apply, please visit: http://jobs.lanecc.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51818

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Job Opening: Full-time Adjunct Position in Japanese, Modern Languages

Via HigherEdJobs.com.

Full-time Adjunct Position in Japanese, Modern Languages, Fall 2011- Spring 2012, One Year
Institution: Saint Mary’s College of California
Location: Moraga, CA
Application Due: 09/12/2011

Responsibilities:
Fall 2011
* First-semester Japanese (Elementary Japanese) MWF from 10:20-11:20 and Tuesdays from 9:40-10:40;
* Third-semester Japanese (Intermediate Japanese) MWF from 11:30-12:30 and Tuesdays from 11:20-12:20;
* Japanese Conversation course, which meets on Tuesdays from 1:10-2:40.

January Term 2012
* First-semester Japanese (Accelerated Elementary Japanese) MTuThF from 8:45-11:45

Spring 2012
* Second semester Japanese (Continuing Elementary Japanese) MWF 10:20-11:20 and Tuesdays from 9:40-10:40
* Fourth-semester Japanese (Continuing Intermediate Japanese) MWF from 11:30-12:30 and Tuesdays from 11:20-12:20
* Introduction to Japanese Culture course, which meets on Tuesdays from 1:10-2:40.

The successful candidate will be expected to engage in course and class preparation and grading on a daily basis, spend nine and a half (9.5) hours each week during the regular semester and twelve (12) hours each week during the January Term providing classroom instruction, and hold office hours for at least two (2) hours each week. Candidates should also be comfortable in a small-classroom teaching environment with an interactive learning emphasis.

Experience and Qualifications:

* Candidates should hold either a BA along with a demonstrated record of professional and academic excellence or a combination of professional and academic experience. MA preferred.

For more information and to apply, visit: http://jobs.stmarys-ca.edu

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Performing Arts Japan (PAJ) Arts & Culture Call for Grant Applications

Arts & Culture Call for Grant Applications: Performing Arts Japan (PAJ)

Deadline: Nov 1

Enrich Your Community with PAJ! The Japan Foundation is now soliciting a request for PAJ touring and Collaboration grant proposals for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The PAJ program, through its promotion of cultural and artistic exchange of Japanese performing arts, aims to enrich and educate the international community. In the wake of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan Foundation believes that PAJ will have a strong impact on both the wider artistic community and general public, while deepening the strong bond between Japan and the rest of the world. The application deadline is November 1, 2011 for projects taking place between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013.

[http://www.jfny.org/arts_and_culture/paj.html]

2012-2013 PAJ Program Guidelines

2012-2013 PAJ Application Form 

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Book Announcement: A Place in Public: Women’s Rights in Meiji Japan

A Place in Public: Women’s Rights in Meiji Japan
Marnie S. Anderson

This book addresses how gender became a defining category in the political and social modernization of Japan. During the early decades of the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Japanese encountered an idea with great currency in the West: that the social position of women reflected a country’s level of civilization. Although elites initiated dialogue out of concern for their country’s reputation internationally, the conversation soon moved to a new public sphere where individuals engaged in a wide-ranging debate about women’s roles and rights.

By examining these debates throughout the 1870s and 1880s, Marnie S. Anderson argues that shifts in the gender system led to contradictory consequences for women. On the one hand, as gender displaced status as the primary system of social and legal classification, women gained access to the language of rights and the chance to represent themselves in public and play a limited political role; on the other, the modern Japanese state permitted women’s political participation only as an expression of their “citizenship through the household” and codified their formal exclusion from the political process through a series of laws enacted in 1890. This book shows how “a woman’s place” in late-nineteenth-century Japan was characterized by contradictions and unexpected consequences, by new opportunities and new constraints.

Book Details
266 pages
ISBN 9780674056053
Harvard University Asia Center > Harvard East Asian Monographs
World, subsidiary rights restricted
January 2011

MARNIE S. ANDERSON is an Assistant Professor of History at Smith College.


http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=30841

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Job Opening: East Asian Politics, Comparative Politics – Assistant Professor

Institution:   Trinity College
Location:   Connecticut, United States
Position:   Assistant Professor, Political Science

The Department of Political Science invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in comparative politics commencing with the 2012-2013 academic year. The primary area of expertise should be East Asian politics, but candidates who do cross-regional research that includes a major country or countries in East Asia are also welcome to apply. The successful candidate will demonstrate outstanding research and teaching potential and be qualified and prepared to contribute courses to the Asian Studies minor. The Ph.D. should be in hand or expected by August, 2012.

To ensure full consideration send by October 21 a letter of application (including statement of research and teaching interests), CV, graduate transcript, sample of scholarly writing, teaching evaluations and sample syllabi (if available), and at least three letters of recommendation to:

Comparative Politics Chair, Department of Political Science, Trinity College,
300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT 06106.

Trinity College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We especially seek applications from minorities, women, and other under-represented groups. Located in Hartford, Connecticut, Trinity is an independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college.

Contact: Professor Anthony M. Messina

Website:
http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/MajorsAndMinors/Political/Pages/default.aspx

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Job Opening: Japanese Studies, Earlham College, Program Assoc./Assoc. Director

Institution: Earlham College, Japanese Studies
Location:   Indiana, United States
Position:   Program Assoc./Assoc. Director

Japanese Studies, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana

Program Associate/Associate Director (with possible teaching)

Earlham Colleges Japan Study program is seeking a Program Associate/Associate Director to begin October 17, 2011, or soon thereafter.  The Program Associate reports to the Director and assists him in the administration of various Earlham programs related to Japan, including study abroad, faculty development, campus programming and community outreach.  In addition to programs on Earlhams campus, Japan Study manages a long-standing, collaborative initiative linking the colleges of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) with Waseda University in Tokyo.  Applicants with teaching experience in Japanese Studies at the college level may be eligible to teach.  The Program Associate is a member of Earlhams administrative faculty and receives a full package of benefits.  Salary will be commensurate with experience.  For a detailed job description, see the Earlham College web site (http://www.earlham.edu/jobs/).

Contact: Gary DeCoker, Ph.D.
Director, Japan Study
Director, Institute for Education on Japan
Professor, Japanese Studies
Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond, Indiana 47374
765-983-1890 (office)
765-983-1798 (fax)
decokga@earlham.edu
www.earlham.edu/~jpns/
http://www.earlham.edu/~jpnstudies/

Website: http://www.earlham.edu/jobs/

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Fun Link Friday: Japan Trends

What do Air Conditioned Shoes, Female-Only Apartments, and a Tokyo Music Subway Map all have in common? They’ve all been featured in Japan Trends, a website founded by CScout a company comprised of individuals with backgrounds in marketing, media, fashion, design and innovative consulting. Their goal is to help clients better understand the Japanese market and its consumers, create partnerships, and harness new ideas for innovation.

Why would you be interested?

Aside from many businesses that would look at these trends in a marketing and R&D perspective, Japan Trends really tries to keep a pulse on what’s new and innovative in Japan at the street level giving people the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve. In a way, this site can be seen as fostering an exchange of ideas and bring consumer items to life.

Many people who study Japanese initially do so because they’re interested in learning more about a particular aspect of the culture. While the site is geared for someone with business in mind, someone studying Japanese can gain additional pop cultural perspectives from many of their posts (most of which aren’t necessarily covered in any Japanese culture course).

But wait. There’s more!

Deep down you know you want some of the items they talk about it. But where do you go to get it? If you’re totally sold on the idea of owning an air conditioned bed mat, a USB cooling necktie, or anti-wrinkle glasses, visit the Japan Trend Shop and check out the many quirky items you may find at a Sharper Image store 5 years down the road. That way you can tell everyone you know that you knew about it before it was even popular.

Check out Japan Trends and learn about the innovative, new, and popular things emerging from Japan.

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Postdoc Fellowships: Humanistic Studies, East Asian Studies

Institution: Princeton University, Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts
Location:   New Jersey, United States
Position:   Post-Doctoral Fellow in Humanities and Social Sciences

Princeton University Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts Postdoctoral Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences 2012-2015 Application postmark deadline: September 30, 2011

Princeton Society of Fellows invites applications for three-year postdoctoral fellowships 2012-2015 for recent PhDs (from Jan. 2010) in humanities or allied social sciences. Four appointments to pursue research and teach half-time in the following areas:  Open discipline (two fellowships); Humanistic Studies; East Asian Studies. Stipend 2012-13: approx. $76,000. Application postmark deadline: September 30, 2011.  For eligibility, fellowship and application details, see
website www.princeton.edu/sf

Contact: Search Committee
Princeton University
10 Joseph Henry House
Princeton, NJ 08544

Website: http://www.princeton.edu/sf

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Business Luncheon: Exporting to Japan: Lessons Learned from the Meat Industry

Via the Japan America Society of Colorado.

Please join Japan America Society of Colorado and the World Trade Center Denver for a presentation by Phil Seng, President & CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Mr. Seng will offer insight into strategies unique to the export business to Japan, using the BSE (Mad Cow Disease) crisis in Japan, and USMEF’s response as a case study.

Date: Thursday, September 1, 2011

Location: 1625 Broadway, Suite 820, Denver 80202

Time: 11:30-1:00 (Lunch from Corner Bakery Café will be provided)

Price: $20 for JASC & WTC members; $30 for non-members

Full information and registration here.

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IUC Series: How can I fund my stay at the IUC?

Today’s IUC series article, written by Karen, is complemented by a video I recorded about funding the IUC with a Foreign Language Area Studies fellowship. I recorded this video as a collaborative project with Jamie Cox (IUC ’09-’10), who maintains a video blog (vlog) channel about the IUC on youtube. Be sure to check them both out below as you read!

– Paula

So you have been presented with a lot of information about the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama and you feel informed and like this is the place for you.  But you’re wondering “What about finances?  Can I afford this right now?”  Well, hopefully this article will help give you a bit of insight into how much money you need to consider having and a few ideas about funding.

What should I know about the cost of IUC going in?

IUC does a great job of letting you know ahead of time how much tuition is.  Like most schools and educational programs, the tuition does go up a little every year to help compensate for the economy and rising costs.  In my year (‘09-10), the 10-month program was about $20,000 and right now the IUC website lists the 2010-11 year as $21,000.  For an intensive, high-level program that consistently receives rave reviews from its alumni and truly challenges and helps their students grow, you already know that this is a great deal.  For tuition alone, budget for that much.

Photo by AMagill

However!  If you are a student officially enrolled at an IUC member school (a school that helps to fund IUC), you receive a partial tuition remission.  At the moment, this is listed on the site as $6,000 (but remember that these numbers are subject to change).  At least during my year, the policy was that they will honor this discount for up to two years after you graduate from your member institution.

The most expensive part of the IUC is not so much the tuition, but the cost of living in Japan.  IUC recommends that you budget for roughly $20,000 for rent, food, and local transportation.  I lived pretty modestly, with a small but nice apartment and rented furniture. Since I mostly cooked, I had fairly minimum food expenses, which put me at about $1,300/mo.

In terms of cost, tuition and living expenses together can be fairly high, but are by no means impossible.  It would be best to go in with some savings, because scholarships are not guaranteed.  However, you should apply aggressively to anything you can.  The IUC will try to help as much as they can and the wonderful staff there do take funds into consideration when reviewing the cheaper IUC housing options.  I cannot emphasize this enough: do NOT be shy about applying to any scholarships or funding opportunities that you can think of.

What should I apply to for funding?

The IUC will apply to a plethora of scholarships on your behalf (they already start helping you out from the time you are accepted! They’re great!).  The scholarships that they apply to will be listed in the documents they send to you after acceptance.  The types of scholarship that IUC can apply on your behalf tend to be ones that are funded by organizations in Japan.  Do not be surprised if you are awarded a scholarship and then asked to meet with the donators or an organization representative for a small get-together and to say thank you.  This is not only a really nice thing to do, but you can help leave a good impression so that the donors will be more inclined to help the next potential IUCer.

But what should you really look out for on your own?  There are at least two big ones that I know of that you need to apply to independently:

1)    FLAS, FLAS, FLAS.

What is FLAS?  It is the Foreign Language Area Studies Program, which is funded by the Department of Education.  Keep in mind, though, that FLAS is for students enrolled in a recognized school.  IUC is a program, not a school.  This means that those students are only eligible if they will still be registered at their home-school while they attend the IUC.

Paula funded her stay for both the summer and academic year programs solely on two FLAS fellowships. Here is a video she prepared describing how possible living in Japan with this kind of funding was and what sort of expectations one should have:

2)    Blakemore Foundation

The Blakemore Foundation awards scholarships for East Asian language studies.  What you need to keep in mind is that the deadline for this scholarship is (at the time I’m writing this) December 30, which is much earlier than the IUC application deadline.  This means that you need to be on the ball with this one!

http://www.blakemorefoundation.org/Language%20Grants/Language.htm

3)    Your school

Your school likely has some funding available for students, so do not be shy about asking your advisor and contacting your East Asian department to see what is available!

In the end..

In the end, do not let funding stop you from applying to IUC and available scholarships.  Remember, even if things do not work out for whatever reason the year that you apply, you can apply again the following year.  People do remember if you show dedication and you might be able to get a very good scholarship that was previously unavailable.  The current economy makes things tough, but not impossible.  I hope this has helped give an introduction to the costs of IUC and things to consider when budgeting and applying for funding.

—

If you have any questions or comments, drop us a note here or email us at shinpai.deshou@gmail.com!

[EDIT: 8/29/11]

In response to a commenter’s request, we have added the following information below:

Other ways students have funded their stay at IUC without being affiliated with a university:

  • Leverhulme (UK)
  • College Women’s Association of Japan
  • Scholarship from the Tokyo Club
  • US Dept of Education Fulbright
  • Japan Foundation scholarship

===

Karen Curtin graduated from The Ohio State University in 2008 with an M.A. from the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department and a concentration in Japanese Language Pedagogy.  She attended the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies 2009-2010.

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