OPT Education Counselor Jobs

Position Summary:

This is a clinical faculty position in a dynamic and productive CACREP accredited Counseling Program. This position is for a generalist in the eight CACREP core areas and five doctoral CACREP areas, as well as the CACREP specialties in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and Ph.D. in CES. Responsibilities will include teaching a broad range of courses online in the Masters and Ph.D. programs. Travel, evening, and online course delivery are required. Hard work, initiative, flexibility, and a sense of humor are valued!

Mission of the Department

The School of Counselor Education prepares counselors with sound practical and relational skills, a comprehensive theoretical knowledge base, a strong counselor identity, and the personal and professional dispositions necessary to work in various professional settings with diverse clientele.

We recognize that women and people of color are often less likely to apply to a position if they don’t match 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of these skills and competencies.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate in Counselor Education at the time of appointment start date
• A strong focus on teaching
• Demonstrates knowledge of, sensitivity to, and ability to work effectively with, the educational needs of individuals and groups with a diverse range of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and abilities
• Evidence of responsiveness to and understanding of the racial, socioeconomic, academic, and cultural diversity of Adams State University’s student population, including students with different abilities (e.g. physical and or learning) as these factors relate to the need for equity-minded, inclusive practices within the classroom
• Demonstrated commitment to honesty, efficacy, and collaboration
• Active participation in professional organizations
• Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with other academic departments, community agencies, and public schools
• Show a record of professional scholarship and achievement
• Ability to perform duties in the position description
• Adams State University is committed to the development of online courses and programs. The online division of the university is Adams State Online. The university has a comprehensive Academic Instructional Technology Center committed to the support of faculty teaching online. Support includes training in the process of teaching online, Instructional designers to support the development and designing of online courses, and instructional tools to support video lectures, live classrooms, and cloud-based storage for instructional training videos. Successful candidates for this position will be committed to the willingness to develop and teach online courses
• Ability to treat others with respect, civility, and courtesy and to work honestly, effectively, and collegially with employees, students, and the community. This includes the ability to use appropriate conflict management skills to effectively manage any disagreement that might arise or to bring the disagreement to management for assistance in productive resolution when the situation requires

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability or experience working with historically under-served and/or underrepresented populations, and first-generation college students
• Ability or experience in the recruitment and/or retention of underrepresented students, including students of color
• Commitment to professional development, scholarship, and service to the university and community
• Demonstrated self-awareness of one's own cultural beliefs, perspectives, and privileges as a part of one's orientation towards teaching
• Demonstrated decision-making that is informed by research, data, and theory and that leverages students' unique cultures, experiences, and background as strengths
• Teaching experience and familiarity with online course delivery desirable
• License eligible in Colorado

Salary and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $47,494-$59,368 commensurate with experience and education. In addition to salary, Adams State University offers a competitive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and retirement savings plans. For detailed benefits information please visit https://www.adams.edu/hr/benefits/ Opportunities for supplemental contracts may be available.

Required Documents

Cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, Informed response, graduate transcripts Unofficial (officials will be required upon hire), and three references.

Completed applications should include the following:

• A detailed cover letter of application addressing teaching interest/experience as well as how professional interests and goals align with Adams vision and values.

• We encourage applicants to discuss their commitment to scholarly and/or creative excellence.

• Additionally, we seek to learn how scholarly excellence is interwoven with their approach to service, teaching, mentoring, and affirming diverse perspectives.

• Curriculum Vitae

• Teaching Statement: (include sample course syllabi) in addition to describing your approach to teaching in general, please address the following questions:

• What do you feel are the best strategies for supporting students who have been historically marginalized in (enter discipline)?

• What role should faculty play in student success?

• Informed Response regarding Adam State’s Commitment to People, Place and Perspective.

• People: An understanding of, and commitment to, the people who study, work, lead and help or have helped shape our university.

• Place: An understanding of our university's geographical and historical context within the San Luis Valley region and commitment to the unique opportunities and responsibilities that come with being part of this place.

• Perspective: An understanding of the intersecting perspectives that define our university’s resilience, grit, strength, and innovation from being a low-income, first-generation, and Hispanic-serving, rural anchor university and commitment to intentionally supporting individuals who possess these characteristics.

• Please address the following:

  • Your understanding of Adams State’s history, the people who occupy it, and the place in which it is located and how you will contribute to our unique university environment.
  • Articulate how your understanding of our location in the San Luis Valley, with its unique challenges, and its realities, such as scarce resources, rurality, the land and geography, and current and historical occupants will be manifested in your approach to teaching, research, and service.
  • Share your understanding of the unique characteristics that make up our university such as First-Generation, Low-Income, Hispanic Serving, and being a rural anchor university, and how those perspectives influence your role as a faculty member. Please give specific examples from your experiences in the classroom, or in your teaching and mentoring experience(s), or other relevant experiences from your life that inform your perspective(s).

• References: name, job title, and contact information (email, phone).

Please contact the search committee chair, Dr. Cheri Meder, School Director cmeder@adams.edu

Applications received by 10/19/2026 will received priority. Application review will begin after this date. The position will remain open until filled. Applications received after the deadline may be reviewed at the discretion of the search committee.

Adams State University is committed to building and expanding the talent of its professional staff and actively seeks qualified applicants who bring unique perspectives, experiences, skills, and attributes that can augment the perspectives of our current faculty and staff and can contribute to serving and preparing our students to engage and thrive in their learning, leadership, and service.

We strive to create a more representative workforce that mirrors the people who study, work, and lead our institution and welcome applications from candidates from all walks of life, especially members of communities who fall within state and federally protected classes such as: women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities.

We value qualified candidates, with varied language skills, who have a record of successful experience with varied communities and student populations, and who have a deep understanding of and commitment to the unique geographical and historical characteristics of the place we are situated in and the intersecting perspectives that define our university being a low-income, first-generation, and Hispanic-serving, rural anchor university. Therefore, we seek individuals committed to intentionally supporting students and colleagues who possess these characteristics through their teaching, service, and scholarship.

The successful candidate will join a campus that is dedicated to inclusive excellence and acknowledges Adams State’s purpose to foster the educational goals of its students and the well-being of the surrounding community.

Disclosures:

In compliance with the Immigration Control Act of 1968 candidates for positions must provide proof of eligibility to work before an offer of employment can be made final.

Adams State University is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors, and to protecting its funds, property and other assets. Well-informed hiring decisions contribute to this effort. Therefore, Adams State University has adopted a policy on background screening for its prospective, continuing, and returning employees as well as students in certain circumstances. Offers of employment will be contingent upon the completion of an acceptable background check. The information received in response to a background check will be treated as confidential to the extent provided for by law.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Part 106 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including in admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and CFR 106 to Adams State University (ASU) may be directed to ASU's Office of Equal Opportunity, and/or to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education. Support resources for sexual misconduct, ASU's sexual misconduct policies, contact information for the Adams State University's Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX, as well as a detailed procedure for filing a grievance due to discrimination on the basis of sex may be found online at https://www.adams.edu/administration/oeo/reporting-sexual-harassment/. These procedures also describe the University's response to reports and/or complaints of sex discrimination or sexual harassment.

Adams State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Applications are sought from all qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, disability, and, as covered by law, veteran status. In addition, University policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation including transgender status and gender expression, marital status, and parental status.