Mni is the Dakota word for water. The three letters are also the acronym for the college’s groundbreaking Macalester College Native and Indigenous (MNI) Initiative that has been awarded a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Combined with a financial commitment from the college, the generous grant will enable Macalester to create a multi-faceted program dedicated to engagement with and scholarship by and about Indigenous peoples, cultures and histories. One critical component of the MNI Initiative is to expand the number and (inter)disciplinary range of Indigenous Studies scholars on campus.

Initiating the grant, the College launched a new concentration in Global Indigenous Studies and has hired three scholars in post-doctoral or faculty fellow positions. Macalester is seeking a fourth postdoctoral scholar or faculty fellow who would begin in the fall of 2026. We are seeking a colleague who brings Native and Indigenous perspectives to their work. We are accepting applicants from any field whose research and teaching interests would complement the college’s Indigenous Studies curriculum and one or more majors or other fields of study at Macalester.

Support
This position will include the following support:
- The teaching load will be 3 courses per year for two years.
- The college will work to retain the postdoctoral scholar/faculty fellow at the end of their two-year term through a tenure-track appointment to a position allocated through our faculty allocations and governance processes.
- Postdocs/fellows will receive $5000 per year in travel and research funding.
- Postdocs/fellows will join a community of Indigenous faculty and staff who bring Native and Indigenous perspectives to their scholarship, teaching, and work on campus, including professors Ronald Brisbois (Chemistry), Kehaulani Fagatele-Folau (Educational Studies), Katrina Phillips (History), Phillip Rivera (Biology), Kirisitina Sailiata (American Studies), and Melanie Yazzie (Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies). Additionally, the postdocs will be supported by allied faculty whose teaching and scholarship contribute to the Global Indigenous Studies concentration, including Erik Larson (Sociology), Marianne Milligan (Linguistics and Environmental Studies), and Laura Smith (Geography).

To Apply
Please submit the following materials on Academic Jobs Online (AJO).
1. A cover letter that includes a statement of interest in Macalester and discusses demonstrated activity and contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in your teaching, advising, mentorship, curriculum, scholarship, service or community and professional engagement.
2. A curriculum vitae.
3. A teaching statement that includes a discussion of teaching philosophy, teaching experience, advising, mentoring, and support of students of diverse backgrounds or interests.
4. A research statement that includes a discussion of ways that you bring a Native and Indigenous perspective to your work.
5. Three letters of recommendation.
We will review applications on a rolling basis beginning on December 1 and will continue accepting them until the position is filled.

Macalester College
Macalester is a highly selective, private liberal arts college in the vibrant Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, with a population of approximately three million people and home to numerous colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota. Macalester's diverse student body comprises over 2000 undergraduates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia and 99 countries. The College maintains a longstanding commitment to academic excellence with a special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. As an Equal Opportunity employer supportive of affirmative efforts to achieve diversity among its faculty, Macalester College strongly encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented minority groups.