The Clements Department of History at Southern Methodist University invites outstanding applicants for the directorship of the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies and a tenured appointment in the History Department at the rank of Full or Associate Professor positioned for promotion in the near term. Fields of expertise may include the North American West, U.S. Southwest, U.S.-Mexico borderlands, and/or related fields.
The position offers unparalleled opportunities for research, scholarly community, and teaching. The Clements Center for Southwest Studies, established in 1996, hosts a competitive fellowship program, nationally regarded symposia series, collaborative seminars, and public programming. It also sponsors the David J. Weber book prize with the Western Historical Association. The director will support fellows and emerging scholars, develop collaborative programming, cultivate community, and further enhance the Center's national and international reputation. The director will be an integral member of the Department of History. The successful candidate will foster close integration between the Center’s programs and the broader academic mission of the Department of History. Candidates should be prepared to advise and direct graduate students and to teach undergraduate and graduate classes in relevant fields.
The successful candidate will benefit from engagement with the Rees-Jones Library of the American West at SMU. The new library, expected to open in Fall 2027, will be home to one of the most significant collections of Western Americana in the country. While the Rees-Jones Collection is focused primarily on the pre-1901 period, the 20th-century holdings of SMU’s DeGolyer Library include Western business enterprises and literature, political collections, and the Archives of Women of the Southwest and Mexican history. The Bridwell Library, the Bridwell Press, the Meadows Museum (a leading center in the United States for exhibition, research and education in the arts and culture of Spain), and the Archaeological Research Center offer other opportunities for exploring diverse histories of the West on SMU’s campus.
The Clements Department of History has 15 full-time faculty members—award-winning scholars and several Altshuler Distinguished Teacher professors (the highest teaching recognition on campus). Our faculty teach undergraduate courses that serve history majors and minors, as well as a number of interdisciplinary majors on campus and the university Common Curriculum. The department’s graduate program emphasizes work on the southwestern United States, the West, ethnic Mexicans, U.S. political and diplomatic history, colonial era, and religious history. The department’s centers, the Clements Center for Southwest Studies and the Center for Presidential History, enrich department life with research colloquia, public lectures, and postdoctoral fellowships.
SMU offers an exceptional setting for a scholar of the American West. SMU is a private, nonsectarian university of about 12,000 students located in University Park, a highly regarded residential community approximately 15 minutes north of downtown Dallas. The University is home to numerous academic centers with which our faculty engage, including the Texas-Mexico Center, the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, and the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute. Our faculty take advantage of opportunities to teach at SMU’s Taos campus and its study abroad programs.
Beyond the University, the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area offers the cultural resources of one of the nation's largest and most diverse metropolitan regions, while providing close connections to the landscapes, archives, institutions, and communities central to the history of Texas and the American West. Opportunities abound to engage with organizations, institutions, and historical collections throughout the region, including the Dallas Historical Society, the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture, the African American Museum, the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the Dallas Public Library’s Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, and the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. The broader North Texas region also offers access to the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Sid Richardson Museum, and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, among other institutions with significant collections and programming related to western history and culture.
Learn more about working at SMU here and living in Dallas here.
The successful applicant will demonstrate the following minimum qualifications:
Applications must be submitted via Interfolio (https://apply.interfolio.com/193862) and should include a letter highlighting the candidate’s qualifications, complete curriculum vitae, and contact information for three letters of recommendation. Review of applications will begin October 31, 2026. To ensure full consideration for the position, the application must be received by October 31, 2026, but the committee will continue to accept applications until the position is filled. The committee will notify applicants of the employment decision after the position is filled.
Appointment to begin August 1, 2027. Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.
SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.
