Nearly all college graduates remember one or more faculty members who had a dramatic impact on their lives and the way they see the world. They may have influenced their choice of major or career, taught a course that forever changed their perspective, or directly helped connect them with an internship or job, or more.

For all the complexity of higher education, the very human and individual faculty-student connection remains at the heart of it.

For me, Jenn Capps, I will always be grateful to Dr. Carmen Braun Williams whose multicultural counseling course introduced me to the intersectionality of identity for the first time. She helped me understand how to integrate that awareness into being a better counselor and better human being.

And for me, Tom Jackson, there was Joe Poell. Joe was the director of the Student Activities Center at my alma mater. Upon transferring to that university he hired me as a work-study student selling tickets in the box office. He later hired me to help run the facility, ultimately helping me complete the graduate school applications that led me to a career in higher education. His mentorship, insights, support, and true professionalism I still try to model today.

At Cal Poly Humboldt, similar to other universities across the nation, faculty are the core of what we offer students. And now, with our new polytechnic designation and with the one-time funding provided by the state, we will be modestly expanding our faculty and staff and bringing a whole new set of ideas and intellectual energy to our campus. It’s not a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, but rather a “once-in-forever” opportunity.

For fall 2022 alone, we are currently hiring for 29 tenure-line faculty positions, which amounts to more than 10% of our tenure-line positions. Of those, 16 are specifically related to our polytechnic programs.

And considering that we will continue building out our polytechnic over many years, this effort is just the beginning. The influx of new talent and new ideas will continue for a decade or more. We know this will mean major changes for Cal Poly Humboldt, though we can’t come close to predicting all of the amazing new teaching styles, research projects, and service-learning opportunities these new faculty will bring.

Of course, tenure-line faculty won’t be the only new teaching positions as we expand. At universities across the USA, there are both tenure-line positions and non-tenured instructors. The tenure-line positions are full-time and have broad responsibility for creating curriculum, teaching, mentoring students, research and creative activities, and campus and community service. These positions can also attain permanency through tenure after several years of outstanding service. The non-tenured instructors are primarily focused on teaching, and they provide important perspectives to students as they also often work in other fields or teach at other institutions. At Humboldt, unlike some institutions, there is a broad expectation that our tenure-line faculty and our instructors are very focused on teaching undergraduates, no matter how expansive their research funding happens to be.

The search for these new tenure-line faculty, as well as the hiring of new part-time instructors, is an enormous responsibility. It will define Humboldt for the next 30-40 years. Who, exactly, are we looking for and what qualifications do they have?

Of course, any of our new tenure-line faculty must have the right academic credentials and deep expertise in their areas. And as a teaching-focused institution, they must be strong teachers. Those are starting points.

At Cal Poly Humboldt, we are also committed to defining ourselves by who we include, rather than who we exclude. That means broad access, and it means faculty who are able to meet students where they are in order to guide them through a higher education experience that is both positive and meaningful. It means a much more diverse faculty that looks more like the diverse students of today.

Our region and our state desire a college-educated workforce. That was part of the impetus for the historic investment to designate us a polytechnic, invest in new housing and academic facilities, and allow us to expand our enrollment. And we need a workforce that has knowledge and skills beyond one narrow field. For the betterment of our global society, we need people who understand history, are able to communicate, can write, are creative, can collaborate, can critically think, can integrate information, and can challenge ideas.

We will be looking for faculty who can teach these things and impart these values.

We seek faculty who are able to engage students; and who balance teaching and research to inform their efforts. We seek faculty who can work with students to predict potential barriers and work to overcome them. We seek faculty who, in the best tradition of Humboldt, are deeply concerned about student success and who work to bring the curriculum alive by connecting classroom and hands-on experiences. We want our students to see their place in the world and be able to translate their interests into a fulfilling livelihood.

We also seek faculty who will constantly update their curriculum and integrate feedback, which is no simple task. Are the students able to follow along? Are they getting the material? Are they enjoying the course? Why does this information matter? We are looking for individuals courageous enough to always ask and to be ready to change things up.

We seek faculty who can create a classroom environment where critical issues can be interrogated in a safe and meaningful way, where students are taught to express their perspectives in ways that are respectful yet honest and advance learning for all. The faculty member sets the tone, and it takes serious facilitation skills to be productive and not create harm.

Above all, we seek collegial faculty who trust their students, and who assume that their students want to learn and that they are very capable. We seek faculty who will invite students in and show them the path to someday have even greater expertise.

We will soon have 29 new tenure-line faculty and several new instructors and staff at Cal Poly Humboldt. Many will be moving from other parts of our nation or from other countries. They are the key to our future success, and at the same time, they are human beings who will be seeking to be part of a new community where they are welcomed and involved. In many ways, the North Coast community will determine whether they find a true home here. And that means, in many ways, the North Coast community will determine the ultimate level of success for Cal Poly Humboldt. Be well.

Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr. is the President of Cal Poly Humboldt

Dr. Jenn Capps is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for Cal Poly Humboldt