Loyola University New Orleans is a Catholic, Jesuit university, located in the heart of the  picturesque Uptown neighborhood in New Orleans. For more than 100 years, Loyola has helped  shape the lives of our students, as well as the history of our city and the world, through educating  men and women in the Jesuit traditions of academic excellence and service to others. Our more  than 50,000 living graduates serve as catalysts for change in their communities around the world  as they exemplify the comprehensive, values-laden education they received at Loyola.

The JSRI Fellow is an extraordinary faculty member in the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) Department. JSRI Fellows report to the JSRI Executive Director.

The Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) was founded in 2007 to transform the Gulf South  through action research, analysis, education, and advocacy on the core issues of poverty, race,  and migration through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. As part of an organizational  restructuring, JSRI will be accomplishing this mission by focusing on issues related to the  criminal legal system in Louisiana. JSRI is a collaboration of Loyola University New Orleans  and the United States Central and Southern (UCS) Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

In 2022, JSRI launched a prison education program at Loyola, beginning with credit-bearing courses offered to incarcerated students and staff at Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, LA. Currently 40 incarcerated students and 20 correctional employees are taking Loyola courses. The prison education program strives to bring the full Loyola experience to the prison and integrate the students into our community, thereby contributing to Loyola University New Orleans’ mission to welcome students of diverse backgrounds and prepare them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work for a more just world.

The JSRI Fellow supports initiatives related to race, poverty and migration to fulfill JSRI’s mission to transform the Gulf South through research, education, advocacy, and service on race, poverty, and migration. The JSRI Fellow interacts with a variety of community and campus partners on behalf of JSRI to advance our priorities and programming.

The JSRI Fellow will provide research, writing, and advocacy on higher education in prisons, as well as contribute research capacity to support ongoing and emerging statewide efforts to expand higher education in prisons across Louisiana and nationally. Specifically, the JSRI Fellow will monitor the emerging trends and policies, undertake applied research and policy analysis, and then share this information with leaders working to advance higher education in prisons across Louisiana, as well as university stakeholders and community leaders.

The JSRI Fellow may also work with consultants and affiliated faculty members, in addition to supervising staff members, work study students, and interns.

Focus issues will include:

Improvement and expansion of higher education in prisons in Louisiana and nationally

Relation between higher education in prisons and JSRI’s mission to transform the Gulf South through research, education, advocacy and service on the key issues of race, poverty and migration.

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Salary

$70,000.00 Annually

‍Job Type

12 Month Faculty

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‍Examples of Duties

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Research and Education: Facilitates knowledge building and management focused on achievement of the following results:

• Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, combined with thorough research of related issues in the preparation of high-quality analyses and reports;
• Production of reports on key issues in higher education in prisons in Louisiana;
• Development of pedagogical resources and processes specific to higher education in prisons in Louisiana;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice through identification of lessons learned and guidelines for action.

Outreach and Dissemination: Effectively communicates and disseminates JSRI and partners activities focused on the achievement of the following results:

• Public presentation of JSRI activities and research findings through participation in relevant forums, meetings, and conferences;
• Contributions to the development of content and editing of publications and reports;
• Support for expanded partnerships and collaborations to increase access to higher education in prisons in Louisiana.

The results of such research and analysis will be shared, as appropriate, with local, state, national leaders, coalition partners, community groups, the press, media, policymakers, and in JSRI publications (JustSouth Newsletter, JustSouth special reports, JSRI website, etc.).

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‍Collaboration: Works closely with a variety of interested parties both within and outside of Loyola University New Orleans to conduct research and contribute to programming with the goal of expanding access to higher education in prison

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Typical Qualifications

Qualifications:

• A terminal degree in a field related to the mission of JSRI (e.g. sociology, political  science, law, humanities, etc.).
• 5 years of experience in social science, political science, social work, law, criminal  justice advocacy or a related field.
• Expertise in issues related to the criminal legal system.
• Commitment to foster and promote Catholic Social Teaching and the Jesuit tradition of  “the faith that does justice” as an integral part of the University’s overall intellectual commitment to research, teaching excellence and service.
• Experience implementing qualitative methodologies for social science research.
• Knowledge of presenting research and advocacy
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Effective skills in editing and presenting ideas and concepts.
• Ability to relate well with numerous types of people: administration, faculty, staff, students, and JSRI constituency
• Ability to take initiative and to be flexible in order to collaborate in JSRI as it develops and grows new programs
• Ability to work well with the director, faculty, and staff
• Willingness to travel extensively throughout the state of Louisiana and across the US, conducting research in prisons as well as attending relevant meetings and conferences, adjusting work schedule as needed
• Note: this position requires residence in the New Orleans area to participate in meetings and research in-person

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Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD Preferred
• Humanities and humanistic social science research experience and skills
• Experience with implementing multi-year research projects involving evaluation and partnership development
• All applicants are welcome. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, women, LGBTQ, and formerly incarcerated candidates are strongly     encouraged to apply.