Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to students from across the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, the School is one of the largest and oldest private schools of art and design in the country, with programs reflecting current practices in art. SAIC's educational philosophy is built on a transdisciplinary approach to art and design that provides unparalleled opportunities for students to develop their creative and critical abilities with renowned faculty who are leading practitioners in their fields.

SAIC provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum and the necessary freedom to develop as artists, designers, and scholars. Degrees offered include BFA in Studio; BFA with Emphasis in Art Education or Writing; BA in Art History and Visual and Critical Studies; Master of Architecture; Master of Design (MDes) in Designed Objects; MFA in Fashion, Body, and Garment; MFA in Studio or Writing; MA in Arts Administration; MA in Art Education; MA in Art History, Theory, and Criticism; MA in Art Therapy; MA in Teaching; MA in Visual and Critical Studies; and Master of Science in Historic Preservation.

Founded in 1866 by artists for artists, SAIC has a rich history of innovation in art and design education. For more than a century and a half, SAIC has been at the forefront of art education, fostering critical thinking, rigorous investigation, and playful creativity. The School's objective is to assemble a diverse body of intelligent and creative students and faculty in an environment designed to facilitate and encourage the discovery and production of significant ideas and images and to provide for the development of individual excellence in undergraduate and graduate programs in the visual and related arts. SAIC provides excellence in the delivery of a global education in visual, design, media, and related arts, with attendant studies in the history and theory of those disciplines set within a broad-based, humanistic curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences. It provides instruction for this education in a range of formats: written, spoken, media, and exhibition based. SAIC was among the first schools to embrace self-directed study across disciplines. SAIC alumni have gone on to shape the world as artists, designers, and scholars.

Chicago, a global cultural center full of opportunity and home to SAIC, is a diverse city of neighborhoods and strong communities and a welcoming place where creativity thrives. SAIC alumni often settle in Chicago to make work, open galleries and studios, and power the city’s creative industries. SAIC is an urban campus, close and yet not contiguous, forming a city within a city. Chicago’s richness, complexity, and contradictions are the perfect environment for this diverse community.

Reporting to the Provost, the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs serves as the chief student affairs officer, promoting student success, retention, graduation, well-being, and belonging through the development and oversight of the following student support areas: academic advising and career and professional experience; student affairs; wellness center; student life; study abroad; student success; and international student services. As a member of the president’s cabinet, the vice president is a key campus advocate for students’ interests and concerns.

Candidates will be expected to have held increasingly responsible leadership positions in student affairs in areas such as academic advising, conduct, wellness, crisis management, student activities and organizations, and residential life. Experience in a college of art and design and/or a passion for art would be a plus.

Nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest should be sent to SAIC@russellreynolds.com.

The Art Institute of Chicago, including both the school and the museum, is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for its students, visitors, faculty, and staff, and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on an individual’s abilities and qualifications. The Art Institute of Chicago does not tolerate unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or former military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law, in its programs and activities, public accommodations or employment practices. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu.