Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History

The Department of Art and Art History at Cornell College invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History beginning fall 2025.  Ph.D. in art history and college-level teaching experience preferred; ABD considered.  A candidate with a completed doctorate would be considered for an anticipated future tenure-track hire. Candidates with a masters degree will be considered for a renewable appointment as a lecturer. The Department seeks a generalist who is committed to excellence and innovation in undergraduate education.

The candidate should be a broadly trained art historian who can provide courses focusing on global contemporary art, modern art, and courses that can serve other majors in addition to studio art and art history, such as Classical Studies, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Latin American Studies, Social Justice and Ethnic Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies.  The candidate's area of specialization is open; of particular interest are the arts of Africa or Latin America, and digital humanities/media studies.   

The department offers courses focused on specific themes or periods, which adapt more readily to the One Course At A Time calendar employed at Cornell College, rather than general survey courses. The teaching load includes six courses per academic year. The successful candidate will also direct independent studies and senior thesis projects, serve as an academic advisor, and serve on a department or college committee. 

Because Cornell College values diversity and strives to create a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included, the entire campus community engages in dialogue around issues of difference, identity, and ideology. The college is committed to fostering a faculty and staff community that reflects our diverse student body. We encourage applications from candidates who share our vision for a campus that embraces differing backgrounds, viewpoints, and identities, and who will excel at teaching and mentoring a student body that is broadly diverse.  (See our diversity statement.)

Cornell’s One Course At A Time academic calendar is divided into eight- 3½ week blocks in which students take and faculty teach a single course.  Full-time faculty teaching load is 6 block courses during the academic year with the other 2 blocks reserved for professional development, course preparations, or travel to academic meetings; further opportunities for summer teaching and research supervision may also be available.

The college encourages interdisciplinary interests among its faculty and the development of teaching strategies that capitalize on our unique academic calendar. Our academic calendar allows us the freedom to take students off-campus without impinging on other course commitments. In addition, class size is limited to 25 students, and upper-level courses are often smaller.   

About Cornell College

Cornell College is a national liberal arts college committed to excellence in teaching and the creation of a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included. Our innovative curriculum includes a focus on the essential abilities of writing, quantitative reasoning, and intercultural literacy as well as experiential learning. The One Course At A Time approach fosters strong student engagement and close faculty-student relationships while allowing faculty freedom to design and carry out their classes, on campus or off.

Founded in 1853, Cornell’s distinctive campus community reflects our ongoing pursuit of our core values and continuing tradition of shared governance.  Always a coeducational institution, we were the first college west of the Mississippi to graduate both men and women and the first college in the country to afford a female faculty member the same title and pay as her male colleagues. Academic immersion, real world experience requirements through Ingenuity in Action, and unparalleled flexibility attract an ambitious student body from around the world. Seventy percent of our students are from outside Iowa, representing 44 states and 13 foreign countries. Students of color comprise one-fifth of the student body.

Cornell's picturesque hilltop campus contains a mix of historic and modern facilities. Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a flourishing community with a vibrant arts scene, recognized by Frommer's as one of "America's Coolest Small Towns" and located in the heart of the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids creative corridor.

Cornell College offers a very competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, HSA & FSA accounts, a TIAA 403(b) retirement account, and tuition remission and exchange for employees and dependents. We also offer life insurance, disability insurance, travel insurance, and accident insurance.

Interested applicants should submit the following materials through Cornell College’s online application system:

• A letter of application/cover letter, which includes a description of any experience working with individuals from historically marginalized or underserved groups.
• Current Curriculum Vitae
• Graduate transcript(s) (may be unofficial)
• Teaching statement, describing teaching interests, experience, and philosophy, including examples of inclusive pedagogy
• Names and contact information for a minimum of three references. 

The deadline for ensuring consideration is December 31, 2024.   Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

For more information about the department, please visit the Cornell College Department of Art and Art History website.

Any questions can be directed to Susannah Biondo-Gemmell, Department Chair and Professor of Art, at sbiondogemmell@cornellcollege.edu.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Cornell complies with Iowa's Smoke-free Air Act. Cornell utilizes E-Verify and requires the satisfactory completion of a background check.