Assistant Professor in Sound Design

Candidate should be proficient in Sound area in the Department of Theatre. Teaching responsibilities include courses in sound design and technology. Based on experience, other classes to be taught may include Introduction to Technical Theatre, Topics in Production Design, Graduate Design Studio, and the University’s Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities. In addition to teaching duties and mentoring student designers and technicians, the Sound Designer collaborates with the design team to build and run the department’s academic year productions, as well as design and run Summer Circle Theatre (SCT) season.

Professional expertise with industrial processes and problem-solving skills are a prerequisite for our formal productions across University performance spaces. Analyze current audio technologies and set-ups and work with faculty on optimal audio configurations and explore techniques for adapting audio technology to the idiosyncrasies of our hardware and mechanical systems. This overview of professional standards and pre-existing technological limitations within our spaces will set the foundation for ongoing experimental production work of the Department of Theatre. These skills serve a practical function to make possible the innovative work of our design team as they merge audio/visual, electrical, and projection technologies into live experimental performances.

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is a vibrant organization offering a BA, BFA (acting, design, and stage management), MFA (acting and design) and Minors in Dance and Musical Theatre. The department presents four-five major productions each academic year and three in the summer. The production season reflects the University’s values of cultural diversity and inclusion, using theatre to explore the human effect upon the global environment.

The College of Arts & Letters recognizes that only an academic and organizational culture, which actively seeks out and strengthens diverse voices and perspectives among its members, results in true excellence. We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. The College of Arts & Letters is particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that intellectual leadership is achieved through open access and pro-active inclusion. The Department of Theatre has a strong institutional commitment to diversity in all areas and encourages candidates from underrepresented groups including the LGBTQIA community. We favor candidates who can contribute to the College of Arts & Letters’ distinctive educational objectives, which promote interdisciplinary perspectives, intercultural understanding, and values diversity and inclusion as essential to achieving excellence.

MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities.

MSU enjoys a park-like campus with outlying research facilities and natural areas. The campus is located in the city of East Lansing, adjacent to the capital city of Lansing. The Lansing metropolitan area has a diverse population of approximately 450,000. Local communities have excellent school systems and place a high value on education. The University is proactive about its obligations under the ADA, and provides individual accessibility plans to students and employees with disabilities. Michigan State University is proactive in exploring opportunities for employment for dual career families, both inside and outside the University, and respects all family forms. Information about MSU’s dual career support can be found at http://miwin.msu.edu/. Information about WorkLife at MSU can be found http://worklife.msu.edu/. Information about the Academic Advancement Network can be found http://aan.msu.edu/. Information about MSU Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, including the Diversity Research Network can be found http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/.

The College of Arts and Letters employs 250 full-time faculty with 3300 undergraduates and 175 graduate students enrolled in 24 majors, 38 minors, and 9 graduate programs that are housed in 8 departments and 22 research centers and interdisciplinary programs. These include such outstanding programs as African and African American Studies, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Jewish Studies, the Center for Gender in a Global Context, and the Center for Interdisciplinarity. The College also has a vibrant mentoring program at the College and Departmental levels. It works closely with MSU’s five international centers that receive Title VI funding and is also a long-time leader in international education sponsoring 70-80 programs each year. In 2021, faculty of color made up 28% of the College faculty and students of color made up 28% of its entering undergraduate class.