Employment

Employment

Working at Naropa: Current Staff, Faculty, and Student Openings

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Welcome

Naropa University’s organizational culture is casual yet professional and reflects our Boulder, Colorado location, as well as our commitment to contemplative education, diversity, and environmental sustainability. A spiritually inspired and holistic approach to education permeates everything we do. Our employees come from backgrounds in every industry and from around the world, all drawn here for one purpose: to support the fulfillment of our unique institutional mission.

Naropa is committed to and engaged in an active process of creating an inclusive, diverse community. We ask that applicants for all of our positions possess a willingness to co-create an inclusive community and actively participate in related professional development, including openness to feedback and on-going self-examination.

In addition, we are committed to the principles of nondiscrimination in all terms and conditions of employment. We do not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of age, race, sex (including pregnancy), color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, transgender status, or any other status protected by law.

We invite you to take a few minutes to explore our Fostering Inclusion Learning Bytes.

Finally, the University’s Annual Campus Safety & Security report can be accessed by clicking here.

Learn More

We welcome you to review our job postings and apply to those for which you are interested and feel you are qualified. After applying, applicants receive an email acknowledging receipt of their application and will also receive status updates with information on where they are in our recruitment process.

If you have questions about a specific position, please email us at employment@naropa.edu.

If you’re interested in visiting us, we welcome you! Tours of our Arapahoe Campus, located at 2130 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder, are conducted daily at 1 p.m. by the Office of Admissions.

Note, successful applicants must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States within three days of hire.

Aside from our rich intellectual and experiential work environment, Naropa University offers a substantial benefits package available to all full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week. All benefits begin on the first of the month following date of employment. The highlights of the 2023 Naropa benefits package are as follows:

Health & Welfare Insurance Benefits
  • Health Insurance: Naropa University offers medical, dental and vision insurance coverage for all full-time employees. Employees are eligible to enroll on the first day of the month following date of employment. Benefit plans are available with UHC, MetLife, and Mutual of Omaha. Premiums paid by employees are deducted on a pre-tax basis from semi-monthly and monthly paychecks. Health insurance benefits are paid in advance for the coming month (i.e. paid in January for February coverage).
    • Flex Spending Accounts (FSA): Employees can set aside up to $3,050 pre-tax for medical related expenses, and $5,000 pre-tax for dependent care expenses. Eligible Medical FSA expenses include deductibles, co-pays, prescription costs, co-insurance, and some alternative medical expenses, such as acupuncture.
    • Health Savings Account (HSA): A tax-deductible health savings account is available for participants in the High Deductible plans with UHC. Employees can contribute pre-tax dollars to their HSA to pay for qualified medical, dental and vision expenses.
  • Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: Naropa University provides $50,000 of Basic Term Life and $50,000 of AD&D coverage at no cost to employees. In addition, voluntary life insurance coverage is available at the employee’s option and expense.
  • Short Term Disability (STD): Naropa provides STD insurance for all employee working at least 20 hours per week. STD pays up to 60% of your regular earnings for up to 11-weeks, following a 14-day elimination period, if you are unable to work due to injury or illness.
  • Long Term Disability (LTD): Naropa provides LTD insurance coverage for all employees who work at least 20 hours per week. Employees are eligible for LTD benefits following a 90-day elimination period (the STD period). LTD insurance pays up to 60% of your regular earnings for up to 2 years. If you are unable to return to work in your current occupation after 2 years, LTD coverage may be available up to your normal retirement age.
    • Work-Life Balance Employee Assistance Program (EAP): As part of our LTD plan, Naropa provides a free EAP plan. Employees can seek confidential assistance or referrals for themselves and their family members for a variety of needs including counseling, legal concerns, and financial counseling.
    • Travel Assistance: As part of our LTD plan, Naropa provides emergency travel assistance for employees and their families when traveling more than 100 miles from home on either business or pleasure.
Paid Time Off
  • Holidays: Naropa recognizes New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Fall break, and the Friday following as paid holidays. In addition, Naropa University is generally closed for Winter Break during the last two weeks of December. All employees who are regularly scheduled to work during this time will receive paid time off for these days.
  • Personal Days: Employees receive 3 personal days annually for years 0-3, 5 days for years 4-6, and 7 days starting in year 7. Personal days may be used in conjunction with sick and vacation time and must be used in the anniversary year granted.
  • Sick Time: Employees can accrue up to 10 days of sick time annually. Sick time accrues to a maximum of 20 days. Sick time may be used for scheduled medical appointments, personal illness or injury, or for the illness of an immediate family member.
  • Vacation Time: Employees can accrue up to 10 days of vacation time annually for years 0-3 of employment, 15 days for years 4-7, and 20 days for greater than 7 years of service. The maximum vacation you can accrue is capped at the annual amount plus 1 week.
  • Vacation Exchange: Employees may exchange 2 sick days for 1 vacation day to a maximum of 5 vacation days annually.
Other Benefits
  • 403(b) Retirement Plan: Naropa sponsors a 403(b) retirement plan with TIAA-CREF. Employees may invest pre-tax earnings with TIAA-CREF to a maximum of $22,500 per year. Naropa will match employee pre-tax contributions up to 2.5%.
  • Academic Tuition Remission Program: Naropa provides generous tuition remission opportunities for employees and their family members. This includes for-credit and auditing classes. Eligibility and application rules apply.
  • Contemplative Practice: Employees have access to meditation instructors and information about contemplative practices. Current opportunities can be found through the Contemplative Practices Office. Meditation classes are also part of the Academic Tuition benefit.
  • Leaves of Absence: Naropa offers a variety of leave options for employees needing time away from work for personal, medical, or professional development needs. Tenure and eligibility rules apply for all leave types.
  • RTD-Eco Pass: Naropa provides RTD bus passes for most employees at no charge. See HR for eligibility rules.

The above list is designed to provide highlights of Naropa University’s benefits package and is not intended to be a comprehensive or legally binding document. These benefits are subject to change as provided for in the Employee Handbook. The Employee Handbook and individual plans and documents provide the full detail as to each set of benefits.

Each year we receive numerous requests from people interested in joining our remarkable faculty. We are unable, however, to accept solicitations for new academic programs or courses. Our curriculum decisions are based on a number of factors.

Adjunct Faculty Rates 2023–2024

 Per-credit rate0.5 credits1.5 credits2-credit class rates3-credit class rates

Onsite Adjunct & Staff Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct (<= 18 accumulated credits)

$857.91

$428.96

$1,286.86

$1,715.81

$2,573.72

Adjunct Associate (19–36 credits)

$929.39

$464.69

$1,394.08

$1,858.78

$2,788.17

Senior Adjunct (37–72 credits)

$1,000.88

$500.45

$1,501.33

$2,001.77

$3,002.65

Adjunct Professor (>72 credits)

$1,143.86

$571.92

$1,715.78

$2,287.70

$3,431.55

      
 

Per-credit
online rates

0.5-credit
online rates

1.5-credit
online rates

2-credit
online rates

3-credit
online rates

Online Adjunct Faculty – All Online Programs*

Adjunct (<= 18 accumulated credits)

$930.04

$465.02

$1,395.01

$1,860.07

$2,790.11

Adjunct Associate (19–36 credits)

$1,004.43

$502.22

$1,506.65

$2,008.87

$3,013.28

Senior Adjunct (37–72 credits)

$1,084.78

$542.39

$1,627.17

$2,169.57

$3,254.35

Adjunct Professor (>72 credits)

$1,221.31

$610.65

$1,831.96

$2,442.61

$3,663.92

Summer Writing Program Faculty

If you are interested in our Summer Writing Program, please review the following information about how we invite faculty to teach during the SWP.

Professor Anne Waldman, Artistic Director of the SWP and co-founder of the Jack Kerouac School at Naropa, curates the Summer Writing Program and designs the program with certain themes in mind. These themes influence faculty invitations each summer. We also have commitments to some annual and bi-annual faculty members. Given the balancing act of themes and regularly invited guests, the visiting faculty slots are extremely specific. As a curator of writing programs for over forty years, Professor Waldman is uniquely qualified to work with the summer curriculum, regular faculty, and other luminaries.

While faculty are solicited to teach in the program, we are happy to receive faculty CVs and recommendations. Please direct all inquiries to the SWP office, and please refrain from contacting Professor Waldman directly with casual inquiries in social contexts or in professional venues outside Naropa. Many thanks for your understanding in this regard.

If you would like to bring your work to our attention, please send it to:

Summer Writing Program
2130 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80302

There are a couple types of student employment available through the University. Below is a brief description of each. Note, students must apply for each position for which they are interested. Please review our job postings for our current vacancies.

Federal College Work-Study

Federal College Work-Study is a federally funded form of financial aid that is awarded to eligible full-time undergraduates as part of a need-based financial aid package. Graduate students may complete the Budget Worksheet on MyNaropa, and submit a statement of appeal if they wish to be awarded work-study eligibility.

Students with a work-study award can apply for work-study employment positions on-campus or through one of our approved off-campus sites through the Community Work-Study Program. Students are paid twice per month. Earnings are not applied to a student’s tuition bill and are subject to taxation. Being awarded work-study eligibility is not a guarantee of employment.

Naropa Student Employment

Naropa Student Employment (NSEP) is a university-funded form of financial aid awarded to international undergraduate and graduate students as part of a need-based financial aid package. International students with an NSEP award can apply for Naropa Student Employment positions on-campus. Students are paid twice per month. Earnings are not applied to a student’s tuition bill and are subject to taxation. Being awarded NSEP eligibility is not a guarantee of employment.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistantships are a form of employment with the university. Graduate Assistantships are available to graduate students only. Graduate students selected for a GA position will receive a scholarship that is applied directly to their tuition bill, as well as a stipend, which is paid directly to the student. Annual GA award amounts are based on the number of required hours of work each week.

Resident Assistant Position

The Resident Assistant position is a live-in position within University Housing. The position is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Students selected for the RA position are paid twice per month, are paid hourly, and receive free housing in the form of a scholarship. Receiving more than one institutional form of aid (including the RA position) could affect your eligibility for, or the amounts of, other forms of aid, including scholarship awards. If you are awarded an RA position and you have already requested the maximum in the Grad/Parent PLUS Loan, we will need to reduce the Grad/Parent PLUS Load to make room for the RA position payment/housing scholarship.

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa is on the edge of both a natural playground filled with opportunity for outdoor adventure and a rich urban environment. Naropa’s location offers many recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities, including lectures, guest speakers, performance events, a wide variety of religious and community resources, outdoor activities, and exceptional opportunities for personal and professional growth and development.

Learn more about Boulder:

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This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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Naropa Campuses Closed on Friday, March 15, 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.