Program Chair - Fashion

Stephens College is seeking a dynamic, experienced, and innovative individual to serve as Chair of our Fashion Program. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to the program and for ensuring its continued growth and success. This is a full-time, nine-month, non-tenure track position to begin August 2023.

Stephens College is embarking on visioning for tomorrow. Committed to focusing on students first, supporting teaching excellence and providing high quality immersive learning experiences, Stephens College is reconsidering all operations including curriculum offerings and delivery systems, course scheduling, professional partnerships and immersive learning experiences. The Fashion Program Chair will be someone who can think outside of the boundaries of traditional higher education to design, develop, launch and support new initiatives.

The Fashion Program includes the following majors:

• Apparel Studies
• Fashion Communication
• Fashion Design and Product Development
• Fashion Marketing and Management

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and direction to the Fashion Program
• Develop and implement a strategic plan to ensure the continued growth and success of the program
• Manage the program budget and resources
• Maintain a teaching load to be agreed upon with the Dean as other responsibilities allow
• Develop and maintain relationships with industry partners, alumni, and other stakeholders
• Recruit, hire, and retain high-quality faculty and staff
• Ensure that the curriculum is current, relevant, and meets the needs of the industry
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to faculty and staff
• Continue professional engagement in the fashion industry that provides current networking and trend analysis
• Foster a culture of inclusivity and diversity within the program

Stephens College is a women’s college proudly located in downtown Columbia, MO, home to the University of Missouri and two private colleges with a total student population of about 40,000. Since our founding in 1833, we’ve been offering innovative, career-focused programs sound in the liberal arts with a focus on creative arts and sciences. We take a hands-on, experiential approach to education, making sure our students get both quality classroom instruction and external work experiences that complement their coursework. Stephens College prepares students to become leaders and innovators in a rapidly changing world. Graduate, online, and certificate programs available to women and men as part of our commitment to lifelong learning.

The college prides itself on fostering a close-knit faculty community and on providing a welcoming, learning-centered environment for students. The learning community is distinguished by small classes, close engagement with faculty, intellectual rigor, and dynamic programs of study that reflect the College’s mission of lifelong learning. Stephens College contributes to the vibrant social and cultural climate which makes Columbia such a desirable place to live.

Stephens College offers excellent benefits, including vacation/holiday/sick pay, health/dental/life insurance, tuition waiver and college-matched retirement plan.

Job Requirements:

• Hold a Ph.D. or M.F.A. in fashion or a related field
• A minimum of 5 years of full-time teaching experience in higher education, with a track record of successful leadership and administration
• Experience in the fashion industry with a strong network of industry contacts
• A strong record of teaching and research in fashion or a related field
• Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to diversity , equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the job

  Preferred Qualifications:

Content expertise in several of the following:

• 3-D fashion design software such as CLO3D
• Adobe Creative Suite used for creating fashion content
• Advanced fitting skills
• Design concept development – and stimulating creativity in students
• Draping
• Fashion drawing and illustration
• Fashion events and promotion
• Garment construction or bespoke sewing skills
• Global: deep understanding of global issues in the fashion industry, including sustainability
• Patternmaking
• Product development: understanding of/experience in product development
• Surface design and textile manipulation
• Technical design
• Textiles