Gateway Site Director

Apply Now for 2025-2026 Gateway Site Director / Deadline 8-1-2024

Serve as a Site Director on a PLU Gateway Program!

PLU Gateway Programs are semester-long study away experiences that offer students coursework, study tours, and (for some programs) an internship/service opportunity in regions of the world where PLU has significant commitments. The Gateway Programs’ foci and coursework vary. Programs that currently require Site Directors are located in China (Fall), England (Fall or Spring), Trinidad and Tobago (J-Term only) and Namibia (Spring). A summary of Site Director eligibility requirements, responsibilities, first available semester and benefits may be obtained from the Executive Director of the Wang Center.

Should you be interested, and in order to assist all affected units in planning for the next several years, the Wang Center Executive Director requests your application materials (see list below). Before beginning the application process, please discuss this with your Chair and Dean to be sure your participation can be supported in light of departmental staffing needs and sabbatical scheduling.

Additional information about PLU’s semester programs is available in the Wang Center’s Study Away website.

*Faculty applicants who have previously served as a Gateway Site Director and/or J-Term study away Faculty Leader may have their program and participant evaluations reviewed regardless of when they served in these roles.

For more information or should you have questions about becoming a site director, please contact Dr. Tamara R. Williams, Executive Director of the Wang Center for Global and Community Engaged Education.

williatr@plu.edu
253-535-7678

***Note that the IHON-Oxford Site Director application process is different from other Gateway programs. If you have taught in the IHON program and wish to apply as IHON-Oxford Site Director, please contact Dr. Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen (ihssenbl@plu.edu), IHON-Oxford Program Director, and/or the IHON Steering Committee Chair for application instructions.***

TIMELINE:
Applications open in early September and are due the August 1st prior to the academic year you wish to serve as Site Director. (i.e. September 2023 application opening / August 1, 2024 application deadline for wishing to serve as Site Director during Fall 2025, January 2026, or Spring 2026)

*NOTE* August 1st is the priority deadline; late applications will be considered on a case by case basis. If you would like to submit an application after the August 1st deadline, please contact Megan Grover at megan.grover@plu.edu for assistance.

Below is what the online application includes!

Application Materials

1. A Statement of Application following recommended guidelines (see below)
2. Brief letters of support with signatures from both your Dean and Department Chair
3. An updated vitae
4. A short description and draft syllabus for the course you are proposing as part of your duties as Site Director
5. Statistical summaries of recent student evaluations* of your teaching (last two years)
6. A Signature of Acknowledgement of Program Site Director Roles & Responsibilities

Statement of Application Guidelines

Please limit your Statement of Application to two single-spaced pages or 1,000 words in which you:

  • Describe your interest in, and commitment to, the program
  • Provide the preferred dates (semester and year) for your Site-Directorship
  • Describe the nature and extent of your experience leading and teaching students in off campus courses and programs, including your strengths and areas for development
  • Describe the nature and extent of your language proficiency (if applicable to the program to which you are applying)
  • Describe the relevance of your proposed course to the program and the program site
  • Consider what strengths you will bring to the program and what challenges, if any, you anticipate in this position

Site Director application packets are reviewed by the relevant Gateway Program Director and the Wang Center Executive Director and may require consultation with relevant chairs and deans. Final appointment must be approved by the Provost. If you have questions, please call Dr. Tamara Williams, Executive Director at 253-535-7678.