Assistant/Associate Professor of Foundations
- Employer
- Montclair State University
- Location
- Montclair, New Jersey, United States
- Salary
- Competitive Salary
- Date posted
- Oct 24, 2024
View more categoriesView less categories
- Position Type
- Faculty Positions, Arts, Art, Design & Graphic Arts, Other Arts
- Employment Type
- Full Time
Job Details
IMPORTANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
- Upload Resume or Curriculum Vitae for automatic population of information to the application.
- The contact information, work experience, and education listed on your Resume/CV will be parsed and input into your Montclair application.
- Review information and double-check all fields containing information that the system parsed – the software is intelligent, but you need to verify that the data is accurate.
- In the “My Experience” section, you will find a Resume/CV upload option where you can submit your cover letter and all other supporting documents.
Job Description
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The Department of Art and Design at Montclair State University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of Foundations to begin work on September 1, 2025. This role encompasses leadership, teaching, scholarship, and service responsibilities. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the foundational experiences of first-year students in the department.
The faculty member will teach courses within the foundations area, which currently includes Surface, Color and Light, Visual Culture, Perceptual Drawing, Space, and Time. They may also have the opportunity to teach other courses aligned with their expertise. As the Head of Foundations, the successful candidate will be responsible for developing class schedules, advising on the recruitment and retention of adjunct faculty, coordinating budgets, assessing and developing curricula, and fostering a positive and collaborative culture within the area.
This position requires a candidate who is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, or scholar with an active creative or scholarly practice. We seek an educator who is passionate about first-year pedagogy in the fields of art and design and who views foundations as a unique educational space ripe for innovative and effective curricula, projects, and learning experiences. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to interdisciplinary foundational education and possess a forward-thinking approach to teaching and leadership.
In addition to teaching and leadership, the successful candidate is expected to engage actively in faculty governance, participate in community and institutional partnerships, and contribute to the co-curricular life of the university. As Montclair State University is an R2 research institution, maintaining an active creative or scholarly practice with a record of exhibitions or publications in contemporary art or design is essential. The faculty at Montclair State University are expected to be innovative and adaptive teachers, producers of impactful creative and scholarly work, and leaders in meaningful service activities to multiple communities. We seek faculty members who are strategic thinkers capable of engaging with our dynamic and diverse communities.
The Department of Art and Design serves over 350 first-year and transfer students each year through its foundational courses. These courses deliver essential student experiences and learning across all of the department’s degree programs, introducing students to perceptual, material, critical, and process-based studies. The goal of the foundation’s sequences is to provide an immersive educational experience that nurtures students' abilities and encourages expansive ideas and attitudes toward creativity while building essential skills in the comprehension and execution of foundational aspects of art and design practices.
We are committed to inclusive excellence, prioritizing student and faculty success, impact, and access within an environment that inspires critical thinking and responsible citizenship.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidates must have an MFA or PhD in design, illustration, fashion, studio art, art history/visual studies, or arts or design education, a strong record of university-level teaching excellence, commitment to foundational pedagogy through experiential learning and teaching, experience in student mentorship, demonstrated administrative ability, and a significant record of work in the professional field.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ART AND DESIGN:
The Department of Art and Design (ARDS) offers four undergraduate degrees: a BA in Fashion Design and Merchandising, a BA in Visual Art with an optional concentration in Art Education, a BFA in Illustration, and a BFA in Visual Communication Design. The department supports its talented student body of over 1,000 majors with a range of specialized studios and facilities, including seven computer labs and analog studios for small fabrication, ceramics, 3D design, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and apparel creation. The department’s Print Center enables students to work on course projects across various surfaces, while the Finley Gallery showcases student work throughout the academic year.
All academic programs emphasize teaching and learning that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, skill development, and an understanding of disciplinary history and cultural contexts. We also prioritize experiential learning opportunities, including internships, to prepare students for their careers. The department's full-time faculty of 17 consists of scholars, practicing designers, and visual artists who are dedicated to making a positive impact on students’ lives and the broader community.
THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS:
The College of the Arts (CART) at Montclair State University offers 50+ undergraduate and graduate programs and certificates through its four academic units: Department of Art and Design, School of Communication and Media, John J. Cali School of Music, and Department of Theatre and Dance. The College provides a comprehensive education and training to a diverse and talented student body of nearly 4,000 majors in first-rate facilities. Programs are rigorous, creative, and designed to meet the needs of students while offering rich opportunities for experiential learning, performance, and internships. The faculty includes scholars as well as working composers, designers, actors, musicians, directors, choreographers, conductors, fine artists, filmmakers and communications specialists, including Fulbright, Guggenheim, Howard, and Emmy Award winners who bring to the campus community impressive expertise. The College of the Arts also houses the University Art Galleries, Arts and Cultural Programming, Performance Operations, and Broadcast and Media Operations and thus has strong arts and corporate partnerships and is proud to offer cultural enrichment of all kinds to the campus and surrounding communities.
SALARY RANGE: Commensurate with experience
STARTING DATE: September 1, 2025
REQUIRED MATERIALS :
To be uploaded during the application process.
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of teaching philosophy that addresses a commitment to
foundational pedagogy
- Samples of creative or scholarly work:
- If applying as a studio artist or designer, please include a
PDF of 20 examples of your current work, including title,
dimension, media, and year, or a link to an online portfolio with
up to 10 minutes of video.
- If applying as a scholar, please include PDFs of 2-3 samples of
current written work.
- Teaching Portfolio: Must include 2-3 sample syllabi, with at
least one 100/foundational level syllabus, and can also include
representative examples of student work.
- List of three professional references that we may contact
during the search process.
- Candidates who are shortlisted will be asked to supply 3
letters of recommendation separately.
Department
Art and Design
Position Type
Faculty
Contact Information:
For questions or concerns, please contact Human Resources' Workday Recruiting Support at 973-655-5000 (Option 2), or email talent @montclair.edu .
EEO/AA Statement
Montclair State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution with a strong commitment to diversity.
Additional information can be found on the website at
www.montclair.edu/human-resources/about-us/eo-aa-and-diversity/
Title IX and 34 C.F.R. 106 Policy
Montclair State is required by Title IX and 34 C.F.R. 106 not to discriminate on the basis of sex or gender, and does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in the operation of education programs and activities. The requirement to not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in the operation of education programs and activities extends to admission and employment. For further details, please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/human-resources/job-seekers/
Company
Montclair State University defines what it means to be a university with a public purpose — one that not only creates transformational opportunities for students, but also partners with communities to make a difference in the lives of others.
Montclair invites students to imagine the world they want to live in and empowers them to develop the skills and knowledge to create it. As a solutions engine, we ask: How can we harness the power of 21,000 students and 1,800 professors to be a force for good in the world?
This distinctive approach continues to attract students, propelling Montclair to become New Jersey’s second largest institution of higher learning, and one of its most diverse. Under President Jonathan Koppell, the University enrolled the largest entering class in the University’s history two years in a row.
Founded in 1908, Montclair has grown big enough to offer more than 300 programs across 13 colleges and schools at all degree levels – and yet, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 17 to 1, is still small enough for students to receive personalized attention from professors and staff who truly care. Students have numerous opportunities to conduct research with professors who are respected leaders in their fields.
More than 50% of Montclair’s students identify as underrepresented minorities. It is New Jersey’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institution, serving more Latinx students than any other university in the state.
Montclair’s highly diverse students thrive in the University’s supportive, welcoming environment. Their graduation rates outperform state and national benchmarks and predictions with U.S. News & World Report ranking Montclair as seventh among national universities in graduation rate performance in 2022. It is consistently recognized as one of the most inclusive and best value universities and ranked No. 21 in the country in social mobility.
Many of Montclair’s students are working and raising families, and the University offers flexible programs that give them the opportunity to learn in ways that work best for them, on campus or online, in real time or asynchronously.
Faculty include winners of a MacArthur fellowship, Fulbright grants and Emmy awards, and NSF, NEH and NIH grants, among many other distinctions. These highly respected researchers, scholars and creators are dedicated to student success, and they are always innovating to meet the needs of learners and of the state. Montclair has launched dozens of new degree and certificate programs, and offers more combined bachelor’s and master’s degree programs than any other university in New Jersey – empowering students to enter the workforce faster, with stronger skills and for less cost.
Montclair’s mission is to elevate its students and partners, and in so doing, help make the world a better place.
At Montclair State, our employees are among our most valuable assets.
When you work at Montclair State, you join a talented, diverse and inclusive community of employees who work together to support the educational mission of the University.
You are part of a leading institution of higher education in New Jersey. Our 11 colleges and schools serve 21,000 students on a beautiful 252-acrea, vibrant suburban campus just 12 miles from New York City.
Dedicated to providing employees with opportunities for professional achievement and development, we take pride in a dynamic workplace environment that respects all employees and encourages excellence.
As a Montclair State University employee, you enjoy access to:
- Comprehensive health, dental and retirement benefits to discounted membership to the campus recreation center and tuition reimbursement
- Policies, programs and services that support our commitment to affirmative action, equal opportunity employment, multicultural diversity and inclusion
- A dynamic, sophisticated and diverse environment
- Website
- http://www.montclair.edu/
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