Head of Innovative Media Studios

Posting Details

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Position Number F65400 Position Type Teaching and Research Faculty Rank Assistant Professor Working Title Head of Innovative Media Studios School/Unit School of the Arts Department Qatar Campus Number of Months 12 Tenure Status Non-Tenure Eligible Grant funded position? No
Mission or Goal of Unit

VCUarts Qatar:

VCUarts Qatar is the international branch campus of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts (VCUarts). Located in Richmond, Virginia, VCUarts (www.arts.vcu.edu) is the top-ranked public art school in the U.S. VCUarts Qatar was established in 1998 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation and offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design, graphic design, interior design and painting & printmaking; a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history; and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design. Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUarts Qatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from 38 countries.

VCUarts Qatar is dedicated to global outreach and education and provides students with an environment for cross-cultural exchange that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation. Examples of this mission are the two significant international conferences hosted by VCUarts Qatar—the biennial design conference, Tasmeem and the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art. VCUarts Qatar attracts globally recognized designers, artists and scholars while fostering partnerships within the region, and beyond, that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar. Having established itself as a center of excellence for education and research, VCUarts Qatar has substantial involvement with the influential art and design world of the Middle East, and is a catalyst for the growth and development of these fields in the region.
VCUarts Qatar has 154 full-time faculty and staff and a student body of 324. VCUarts Qatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2500-acre multiversity campus. VCUarts Qatar was joined by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Northwestern University, HEC Paris and University College of London.

Qatar, with English as the standard second language, is a progressive country in the Arabian Gulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, while honoring a rich tradition that is evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. The National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened in March 2019 while the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf) opened in 2010. The U.S. Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.

VCUarts:

VCUarts offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate degrees in design, fine and performing arts, art history, and art education, with a unique emphasis on creative immersion. Far more than receiving simply an education or preparation for a career; students leave VCUarts with the practical, professional and personal skills needed to make a life in the arts, no matter how they define it. That is why VCUarts’ programs emphasize both doing and knowing: why the majority of its faculty are working artists, designers, scholars, and performers and why they encourage students to take advantage of the many academic and intellectual opportunities that come with being part of a research university. Today, VCUarts graduates can be found throughout the academic and professional fields and have been recognized with everything from Emmys to MacArthur Fellowships.

VCUarts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the National Association of Schools of Dance, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the Virginia Department of Education, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education.

VCUarts and VCUarts Qatar are dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural and inclusive environment and strongly encourages applications from all racial/ethnic, gender and social identities.

The school includes more than 3,000 students, and has become known as a pillar of artistic creation and expression. Its emerging artists explore their potential and strive for high standards set by faculty members acknowledged for their inspiration and achievement.

Chief purpose of this position in support of above mission or goal

VCUarts Qatar (http://www.qatar.vcu.edu/) seeks a Head of Innovative Media Studios. Established in 2010, (https://www.qatar.vcu.edu/library/services/innovative-media-studios-ims), the Innovative Media Studios support the creative production of students and faculty in all of the school’s programs and majors. The studios are comprised of a Green Screen production studio, a photography studio, an editing suite, an acoustics room, and a virtual reality station. The studios also support a large and expanding inventory of photography and video equipment. The successful candidate will be a critically-engaged practitioner whose work advances the creative and critical possibilities of time-based and emergent media forms. Areas of emphasis might include, but are not limited to: time-based media, virtual reality, augmented reality, and/or physical computing. We are looking for a candidate with demonstrated teaching abilities and a commitment to the art and design context. The successful candidate will provide leadership and vision for the Innovative Media Studios, teach a 1-1 course load, and engage in creative practice and/or scholarly research that speaks to their own areas of interest. Our ideal candidate will have experience applying innovative media proficiencies to interdisciplinary applications.

Position Responsibilities

• Leadership and vision for a media studio that supports computational-based, interdisciplinary design investigation through video, photography, and interactive experiences in areas that could include virtual reality, augmented reality and/or physical computing;
• Develop and teach courses on topics relevant to areas of expertise, with a willingness to teach courses across the academic departments. Courses may be taught at the undergraduate and/or graduate level;
• Teach 1-1 course load in ARTS topics or other elective course areas;
• Facilitate the development and support of interactive media resources and instruction across an art and design curriculum;
• Ability to develop a holistic programmatic initiative through which to include workshops, demonstrations, tutorials, community outreach, research collaborations and entrepreneurial engagements;
• Expand the scope of the IMS services to build immersive environments using virtual and augmented reality technologies, which will provide unique possibilities for innovative teaching and research;
• Provide individual technical and instructional support for students and faculty in the six undergraduate programs and the MFA Design Studies program;
• Supervise IMS technician who oversees day-to-day operational aspects of the IMS ;
• Responsible for generating reports on the IMS including, but not limited to, usage statistics and annual activities.

Required Qualifications

• A master’s degree in art/design/interactive media and demonstrable, relevant technical experience in time-based media, virtual reality, augmented reality and/or physical computing;
• Demonstrated record of excellence in teaching, with a minimum of two (2) years’ experience teaching at an undergraduate and/or graduate level English-language university setting is required;
• A record of creative and/or artistic achievement;
• An ability to think across academic disciplines;
• A demonstrated commitment to university service;
• An ability to design courses relevant to art and design students at the undergraduate and graduate level;
• Ability to stay abreast of emergent developments in equipment, hardware and software;
• A thorough understanding and ability to provide tutoring with key software packages that may include Unity, Arduino and relevant Adobe packages;
• Ability to quickly pick up and learn new software or hardware skills as needed;
• An independent ability to install and maintain all equipment, and install, configure and troubleshoot software;
• Excellent communication skills to work with faculty, students, staff, vendors and service providers;
• Ability to work with a diverse team in a fast-paced environment;
• Enthusiasm and the ability to thrive in an atmosphere of constant change.
• Skill in organizing resources and establishing priorities;
• Excellent time management skills, ability to multitask and work to tight deadlines;
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCUarts Qatar.

Preferred Qualifications
Date Posted 11/18/2019 Open Until Filled Yes Application Deadline Date Proposed Hire Date 08/10/2020 Type of Search National Application Process/Additional Information

To apply, please submit application materials via VCU eJobs at www.vcujobs.com.

Only electronic applications submitted via eJobs will be accepted.

• Letter of Interest that conveys relevant academic and professional experience and describes experiences and/or professional service that inform world views and/or perspectives about minority group status, to include race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, and disability;
• Teaching Philosophy;
• Current CV/Resume;
• Portfolio of work— appropriate selections of documentation of the applicant’s experience in their area of expertise. This could include traditional and/or non-traditional examples of one’s work from a broad cross-section and/or combination of experience from a variety of roles within the design field. Due to file size limitations, the portfolio of work can be submitted as an accessible link in a PDF that points to a website or cloud storage (with access instructions) to view all visual work and/or time-based samples. Preferably, the portfolio of work will include 10 samples of student work and 10 samples of professional work;
• List of five professional references including names with titles and contact information (references will not be checked prior to candidates’ approval).

The Letter of Interest + Teaching Philosophy + Research Statement should be submitted as a PDF in the “Cover Letter/Letter of Application” section in eJobs; the CV/Resume and documentation of scholarly work, or referral to a web page, should be submitted as a PDF in the “Curriculum Vitae (CV)” section of eJobs; and the list of References should be submitted as a PDF in the “Other Document” section of eJobs.

Review of applications begins January 17, 2020 and continues until the position is filled. For full consideration, applications are due by January 17, 2020.

Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing accessible and equitable living, learning and working environments free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or disability.

Posted Salary Quick Link http://www.vcujobs.com/postings/95471 Diversity Statement Information Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents
Required Documents

1. Cover Letter/Letter of Application
2. Other Document
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Optional Documents