Department Chair - Art and Art History

Department Chair, with expertise in any area of Studio Art or Art History



Department Summary

The Department of Art & Art History at San José State University seeks qualified candidates for a full-time, tenured position (Rank: Associate or Full) as department chair. The position offers a leadership opportunity in in a large, well-established department dedicated to fine art practice and the study of art history. With nearly 40% of students enrolled in Digital Media Art programs, the department provides a unique bridge between the more traditional areas of fine arts training and the information sciences that connect the department to the surrounding industries of Silicon Valley. Both students and faculty also pursue strong interests in environmental and social justice, finding ways to support values of equity across many areas of artistic expression. Given the diversity of our student population, we highly encourage applications from candidates with experience at institutions serving historically underrepresented minorities and/or students from a wide variety of ethnic, racial, religious, gender identity, and national backgrounds. We also encourage candidates who are dedicated to supporting faculty success in research and creative activities, particularly as these activities draw on interdisciplinary and collaboration and the development of diverse audiences for art and art history.

Founded in 1911 and located in downtown San Jose at the heart of Silicon Valley, the Department of Art & Art History offers a unique combination of award-winning faculty and staff, outstanding facilities, and a wide range of focus areas, including traditional and digital media arts, art history, and curatorial studies. Our acclaimed network of alumni, curators, artists, teachers, historians, and arts professionals offer our students the opportunity to build a robust practice within a chosen discipline. We offer BA degree programs in Studio Practice, Preparation for Teaching, and Art History and Visual Culture. We also offer four professional BFA degree programs in Digital Media Art, Photography, Pictorial Art (including drawing & painting, and printmaking), and Spatial Art (including ceramic art, glassblowing, woodworking, metal sculpture, and installation art). For graduate level study, we offer an MA degree in Art History and Visual Culture, MFA degrees in Digital Media Art, Photography, Pictorial Art, and Spatial Art. We also offer pre-professional minors in such areas as Architectural Studies and Photography.

Required Qualifications

• Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art; or Ph.D. in Art History or related field;
• Minimum of six years of full-time teaching and administrative experience in a department of art and art history or independent art school, including experience with art accreditation requirements;
• A distinguished record of exhibition and/or publication commensurate with a tenured faculty member in Art and Art History.
• A demonstrated commitment to the fine arts and to the promotion of excellence in teaching and research.
• A demonstrated ability to engage with community and corporate leaders.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty, students, and administrators, while supporting diversity across the department and University.
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a multicultural population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant experience in academic administration, such as one or more years of previous service as department chair.
• Evidence of vision and leadership skills in administrative and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Evidence of commitment to diversity in the pedagogical practices of art and art history.
  
  

Responsibilities

• Candidate will participate in shared governance, in department, college, and university committee and other service assignments normally associated with the duties of department chair.
• Candidate will be responsible for facilitating communication among faculty, staff, students, and administrators in accordance with all relevant policies.
• Candidate will be responsible for course scheduling, enrollment management, temporary faculty recruitment, and coordination of faculty evaluations.
• Candidate will supervise all department staff and manage an annual budget allocation of approximately $150,000.
• Candidate will be responsible for promoting department programs, including managing publicity materials, recruiting applicants, and maintaining relations with alumni and donors.
• Candidate will collaborate with the Director of the Thompson Gallery to bring public programming to the department and connect with the wider community.
• Candidate will be responsible for leadership in curriculum development, program planning, and maintaining accreditation.
• Candidate will be responsible for teaching at least one course per year in the area of expertise.
• Candidate will be responsible for collaborating with the Department of Design and other departments with shared curricular interests.
• Candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, cultural background, ethnicity, primary language and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  
  

Compensation - Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Starting Date: August 2021

Eligibility - Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• statement of leadership vision and experience
• statement of teaching philosophy and inclusive pedagogies
• selected portfolio of artwork and/or published scholarship
• diversity statement, with attention to supporting historically marginalized students
• three references with contact information

For full consideration, please apply by Monday, February 15th, 2021.

Inquires may be directed to Daphne Purisima email: daphne.purisima@sjsu.edu telephone: (408) 924-4320.

The University

San José State University enrolls over 35,700 students, a significant percentage of whom are members of minority groups. As such, this position is for scholars interested in a career at a national leader in graduating URM students. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution; 40% of our students are first-generation, and 38% are Pell-qualified. The university is currently ranked third nationally in increasing student upward mobility. The University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

San José State University is California’s oldest institution of public higher learning. Located in downtown San José (Pop. 1,000,000) in the heart of Silicon Valley, SJSU is part of one of the most innovative regions in the world. As Silicon Valley’s public university, SJSU combines dynamic teaching, research, and university-industry experiences to prepare students to address the biggest problems facing society. SJSU is a member of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or disability. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose. Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Additional Information

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

Advertised: November 03, 2020 (9:00 AM) Pacific Standard Time
Applications close: