Rising Scholar Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $89,080.98 - $116,884.82 Annually
Location : Bakersfield College -- Panorama Campus, CA
Job Type: Faculty
Job Number: FY25-2600326
College: Bakersfield College
Opening Date: 04/01/2026
Assured Consideration Date: 04/15/2026
Internal Posting Information: None
Below is our job description for this position. Please also review the Important Instructions & Additional Information section below, which contains valuable information about our application process.
Basic Function
Bakersfield College is seeking a faculty member for Psychology to teach within the college's Rising Scholars Program. Proven experience teaching in inmate education is highly desirable. If you are highly motivated, eager to engage a diverse student body, and passionate about teaching and learning, we highly encourage you to submit an application.
Who We Are
We are a team of innovative, caring, and thoughtful faculty, staff and administrators who are passionate about contributing to the intellectual, cultural and economic vitality of our community. We embody six core values: Learning, Diversity, Integrity, Community, Wellness and Sustainability. These values frame our work as we provide opportunities for our students who come to us from diverse economic, cultural, geographical, and educational backgrounds.
We offer Associate and Baccalaureate degrees and certificates, workplace skills, and preparation for transfer. Our rigorous and supportive learning environment promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion and fosters students' abilities to think critically, communicate effectively, and demonstrate competencies and skills to become productive members of our community and world.
History of Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College is located in Bakersfield, California, in the heart of the Central Valley. Established in 1913, Bakersfield College is one of the nation's oldest continually operating community colleges. The college serves 33,000 students annually on the 153-acre main campus in northeast Bakersfield, at the Delano Campus (35 miles north of Bakersfield), the Weill Institute (downtown Bakersfield), and BC South-West (southwest Bakersfield). We also offer classes at several alternative locations, including Shafter Learning Center, Arvin/Lamont, McFarland, Olive Drive Training Facility, Wasco and other regional community locations.
As a recognized and highly awarded Hispanic Serving Institution, Bakersfield College students are diverse and represent the communities we serve.
On Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are sincere about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, faculty, staff and administrators. We believe every member of our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. Bakersfield College has sharpened its focus on removing institutional barriers in access, momentum, and completion.
We pledge to address systemic issues of environmental microaggressions, implicit bias, and racism through intentional learning. We commit to strengthening our campus culture so that students, faculty, and staff and our partners are aware of and equipped to change policies and practices that disproportionately affect marginalized students.
About the Bakersfield Community
Situated in the south San Joaquin Valley, Bakersfield has a rapidly growing economy in a location that is central to some of California's best places to visit. Fresno, Los Angeles, the mountains and several great beaches are less than two hours away, and San Francisco is less than four hours away. Known for hot, dry summers and mild winters, Bakersfield has deep roots in the energy (oil, solar and wind), agriculture, and logistics industries. Despite its growth, Bakersfield has maintained the "small town feel" that residents here love. With a relatively low cost of living, plenty of community events, and availability of housing, the City of Bakersfield is a great place to live.
Representative Duties
Who We Are Looking For
We are recruiting faculty with demonstrated excellence in their field who embrace the instructional values of access, sound pedagogy, creativity, and innovation. We are known for our connectedness among students, faculty, staff and our diverse local population. We are looking for applicants with a continual drive to learn and improve teaching strategies and who embrace opportunities to be involved in inventive committees, engaging campus events and other collegiate endeavors. Diversity is a core value at Bakersfield College, and we encourage applicants who demonstrate an intellectual mindfulness to contribute to diversity, equity and inclusiveness. If you are interested in modeling academic excellence for your students and colleagues, we invite you to join a team that will challenge and inspire you.
About the Department:
The Behavioral Sciences Department is a large, multidisciplinary department comprised of 20 full-time faculty dedicated to providing high-quality instruction across a wide range of behavioral science disciplines. The Psychology program has 11 full time faculty and serves approximately 3,300 Psychology majors and offers 130 to 150 class sections each semester, supporting transfer, career pathways, and general education. Courses are taught across a multitude of locations and programs, and are delivered in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online modalities to meet the diverse needs of students. Faculty are committed to student success, equity, and innovative teaching practices, and actively collaborate to support interdisciplinary learning, curriculum development, and continuous improvement of programs and instruction.
The is an innovative and impactful educational initiative that aims to provide incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals with access to higher education and opportunities for personal and academic growth.
Developed within correctional facilities, this program operates with the mission of fostering transformative change through education, ultimately preparing individuals for successful reentry into society. The program focuses on delivering a holistic and comprehensive educational experience that transcends traditional boundaries, and it has achieved notable success in addressing the unique challenges faced by incarcerated students.
This assignment may include teaching at other campus sites; day, evening, or weekend classes; large classes; distance learning classes; and classes for incarcerated students.
Here is a brief video that provides information about the program:
Minimum Qualifications
Master's in psychology
OR -
Bachelor's in psychology AND Master's in counseling, sociology, statistics, neuroscience or social work
OR - The equivalent.
Certain combinations of education, experience, and other accomplishments in the field may be judged as equal to the stated minimum qualifications for these positions. Candidates who feel they possess such equivalent qualifications must request and submit an form. Supporting documents must be included with the completed form.
Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administration in California Community Colleges
AND
A demonstrated sensitivity to students with diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities
Note: Degrees and credits must be from accredited institutions (Title V Section 53406). Any degree from a country other than the United States, including Canada and Great Britain, must be evaluated by an evaluation service.
Note: The screening of candidates will be conducted by a screening committee. The screening committee reserves the right to limit the number of interviews granted. Meeting the minimum qualifications for a position does not assure the applicant of an interview.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in the field of psychology or related disciplines, including mental health, behavioral sciences, research, and education.
• Experience in teaching Statistics.
• Experience in teaching Research Methods is preferred.
• Experience contributing to or supporting equitable student outcomes through teaching, mentoring, or program involvement that effectively serves a diverse student population.
• Desire to continue to grow as a professional; committed to excellence and lifelong learning.

Knowledge & Abilities
The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate that they are broadly prepared and have a depth of knowledge in the discipline. In addition, the successful applicant will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and abilities:

• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues in an environment that promotes innovation, teaching, learning and service to diverse student population;
• Ability to effectively work with students with a wide range of skills, motivations, academic and vocational goals;
• Ability to develop curriculum, including curriculum delivered via different modalities; -Ability to participate in recruitment and articulation activities with local schools, colleges and universities;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to maintain subject matter currency;
• Ability to assess student, program, and institutional learning outcomes;
• Knowledge of computers and willingness to adopt new technologies that support student success. Knowledge of and commitment to the California Community College mission.

Important Instructions & Additional Information
Complete applications received by the "assured consideration date" above are guaranteed to be reviewed by Human Resources. If you apply after this date, there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed. However, we still recommend that you apply because recruitments remain open and are posted until filled. The District and/or College reserves the right to extend time limits and/or repost or restart recruitments at any point.
Completed applications must include the following.

• Completed online application for employment
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (cover letter)
• List of 5 (five) professional references (entered in online application)
• Copy of legible transcripts (if required for the position)

It is the applicant's responsibility to redact or remove any personally identifiable information from all documents prior to uploading. This includes Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, photos, etc.
International or Foreign Degrees
Applicants with international or foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your online application.
Accommodations
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. (For more information, see our )
Discrimination Free Work Environment
Discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, military and veteran status, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates Kern Community College District policy.
The Kern CCD Equal Employment Opportunity Plan guides the development, implementation, and monitoring of the District's efforts to foster equal employment opportunities and workplace diversity.
See our for more information.
Work Authorization
Kern Community College District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.
E-Verify
The Kern Community College District participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, please visit
Helpful Links
Full-time permanent employees (20+ hours per month) are eligible for health benefits:

• Health
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability

In addition to the above benefits, the District also offers a robust voluntary benefits selection:

• Flex 125
• Additional products and services through American Fidelity
• Supplemental Voluntary Life Insurance
• Tax Shelter Annuities

The District participates in CalPERS Retirement System and Social Security benefits for Classified and Management employees. Employees covered under the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.
The District participates in the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS) for faculty. Employees covered under the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.
All coverages begin on the first of the following month after the hire date.
The following classifications are eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health benefits at the employee expense offered through SISC:

• Permanent Employees (19 hours or less)
• Adjuncts
• Temporary Hourly
• Professional Experts

For additional information, please visit our