Visiting Associate Professor & Program Director

JOB TITLE: Visiting Associate Professor and Program Director

DEPARTMENT:  Museum Studies

REPORTS TO:  Dean, Graduate & Professional Studies

Summary:

This will be a two-year visiting faculty appointment, with the possibility of renewal.  The program director will oversee the MA in Museum Studies program and is responsible for providing leadership for the faculty and students in the program. The program director establishes a vision for the program that is in alignment with the overall goals of the School and advances it by ensuring relevant curriculum and objectives that evolve to remain current with the art forms and fields to which it aligns. There is potential to develop a new graduate degree in the museum studies field.

Reporting to the Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies (GPS), the Director of the MA in Museum Studies is responsible for providing oversight of the programs included within their respective area. The director will be expected to maintain a constant presence in the area and support the conceptual and instructional goals of the program, nourishing a culture of research, thinking, making, innovation and experimentation. The program director also fosters inclusivity throughout the program and department and creates a dynamic culture for students and faculty.

The Program Director provides academic leadership for the program within the Graduate & Professional Studies unit and across the University. We also seek someone who has the ability to build new creative partnerships with regional, national and international museums and related centers to support the program, and also to potentially develop and deploy a new graduate program within the broad and expansive fields of museum studies.  Interested candidates will be expected to evidence a commitment to advancing the field of museum studies through the innovative use of evolving pedagogies, technologies, methodologies, and traditional and new media.  Candidates should have strong familiarity and network within the museum studies professional fields adjacent to the arts and exhibit an interest in exploring how the fields can effectively interact with each other.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the MA in Museum Studies one-year program, with emphases in Education and Engagement, and potentially develop a new graduate degree in the museum studies field
  • Provide academic leadership for the program and sit on/attend relevant committees within the School and across the University; lead meetings of the program faculty
  • Teach appropriate courses in the program and oversee the internship placements required of all students
  • Serve on search committees for new faculty
  • Faculty Oversight
    • Hire new full- and part-time faculty
    • Supervise and mentor faculty, maintaining strong and effective relationships and communication; resolve issues
    • Provide on-going review and assessment of faculty and provide classroom observations, annual conversations, biennial evaluations, and reappointment and promotion reviews
  • Curriculum
    • Maintain and supervise adherence to curriculum standards; review all course syllabi
    • Work with faculty on course development, assessment and improvement
    • Develop courses and revise program as appropriate, in consultation with the dean, to maintain program relevance with industry standards and practices
    • Work with program directors and deans across the University to provide curricular and interdisciplinary paths for students
    • Create all course schedules
  • Lead faculty in program and course assessment and improvement, including but not limited to curriculum mapping
  • Participate in strategic planning, and curricular and accreditation studies and reviews; author all materials, responses, self-studies and curriculum proposals
  • Organize and participate in student advising and mentoring
  • Coordinate student events including, but not limited to, thesis reviews, juries, exhibitions, awards, external events
  • Partner/coordinate/oversee external initiatives for students such as internships and community partnerships
  • Maintain support and upkeep for all program technology needs and facilities
  • Budget
    • Develop annual budgets and prepare all fiscal year budget materials
    • Manage and oversee departmental expenditures, including material and supplies and restricted account for scholarships, programming, and awards
  • Recruitment and Marketing
    • Support/coordinate/participate in School/Admissions recruitment efforts, e.g. info sessions, private tours, emails to prospective students, and accepted student programs
    • Assist University Marketing by providing up-to-date material such as student work, descriptive copy and testimonials concerning the program and/or discipline
  • Supervise all program orientation activities for students in the MA in Museum Studies
  • Support/participate in University development efforts, e.g. award recipient/donor luncheons, UArtist Day of Giving
  • Work with the dean and Office of Advancement on corporate or foundation grants
  • Foster mentorship relationships between alumni and recent graduates
  • Seek new creative partnerships with other regional, national, and international museums and related centers.
  • Maintain and supervise adherence to curriculum standards, developing courses and revising program as appropriate, in consultation with the dean, to maintain program relevance with industry standards and practices.
  • Hire, supervise, and mentor faculty, maintaining strong and effective relationships and communication, working with faculty on course development, assessment and improvement
  • Recruit new students, maintaining program visibility through marketing initiatives
  • Advise students through curricular decisions and oversee the internship placements required of all students
  • Provide administrative leadership for the program, overseeing budgets as well as course planning/scheduling
  • Participate in strategic planning within Graduate & Professional Studies as well as University-wide initiatives
  • Serve as a key liaison to the Office of Advancement for their unit, working with the dean on fundraising opportunities and building relationships with alumni to foster mentorship relationships between graduates, current students, and the institution.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the incumbent; they do not purport to describe all functions.  Incumbent may be assigned other duties, and the essential functions may change from time to time as necessary.

Education:

  • A terminal degree in the discipline or the equivalent in museum management, research, scholarship, and/or creative or professional practice.

Experience:

  • Commensurate with that of an associate professor or full professor.
  • A demonstrated capacity for managing resources and personnel, and other management experience related to the above responsibilities.
  • Commensurate with that of an associate professor or full professor.
  • Effective leadership skills with a commitment to building an inclusive culture that fuels creativity and encourages, supports and celebrates diverse voices.
  • A demonstrated capacity for managing resources and personnel, and other management experience related to the above responsibilities.
  • A terminal degree in the discipline or the equivalent in museum management, research, scholarship, and/or creative or professional practice.
  • Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Ability to create a vision for the program, develop new courses and contribute ideas for the evolution of existing courses
  • Ability to develop and deploy a new graduate program within the broad and expansive fields of museum studies
  • Commitment to advancing the field of museum studies through the innovative use of evolving pedagogies, technologies, methodologies, traditional and new media
  • Familiarity and network within the museum studies professional fields adjacent to the arts, and exhibit an interest in exploring how the fields can effectively interact with each other
  • A leader in the field with a demonstrated record of excellence, a broad range of professional accomplishments in the museum field
  • Strong connections to museum education and engagement practices as evidenced through published articles, conference presentations, invited lectures/workshops and professional networks
  • Commitment to professional engagement within and beyond their own discipline
  • Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
  • Effective leadership skills with a commitment to building an inclusive culture that fuels creativity and encourages, supports and celebrates diverse voices

About The University:

University of the Arts’ mission is simple: to advance human creativity. Established in 1876, UArts believes creativity is the most essential skill for success in today’s society and has educated generations of groundbreaking artists, performers, designers and creative leaders for more than 141 years.  After being granted university status in 1987, University of the Arts became the largest institution of its kind in the nation, offering programs in design, fine arts, media arts, crafts, music, dance, theater and writing. It now features 30 undergraduate arts majors, 15 graduate programs and the nation’s first PhD program in Creativity. UArts is also home to innovative centers across disciplines, including the Center for Immersive Media, Lightbox Film Center, Philadelphia Art Alliance and Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery. Learn more about UArts.

TO APPLY: Interested, qualified applicants should submit letters of application and resumes to the Human Resources Department via email to jobs@uarts.edu. Please ensure job title is in the Subject line.
 

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