Assistant or Associate Professor of Dance, Department of Theatre & Dance (9 Mo TT)

Samford University
School of the Arts
Department of Theatre & Dance

Assistant/Associate Professor of Dance

(9-month, Tenure-Track)

December 20, 2025

Samford University’s School of the Arts Department of Theatre and Dance invites individuals interested in serving in a Christian university environment to apply for the Assistant/Associate Professor of Dance position beginning August 2025. This tenure-track full-time faculty position is a 9-month appointment.

The School of the Arts is a community of artists that value interdisciplinary, harmonious working relationships within the areas of music, theatre and dance, graphic design, gaming and animation, architecture, and interior design. The Department of Theatre and Dance, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, offers the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts in dance, Bachelor of Arts in theatre (with a concentration in acting & directing), Bachelor of Arts in theatre (with a concentration in production design & technology), Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre for youth.

For more information, see the Department’s web page: https://www.samford.edu/arts/theatre-and-dance/

Qualified candidates are required to have completed a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and have significant professional experience in the field of dance. Candidates should have a successful record of  choreography in various styles, a commitment to applying this knowledge in the classroom, evidence of successful teaching or mentoring, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and a commitment to the university’s Christian mission. Professional dance performance experience is preferred. The theatre and dance department prioritizes faculty-mentored development of performance skills and desires to recruit faculty who are invested in and demonstrate a history of mentoring students from diverse backgrounds.

Rank and salary are dependent upon academic qualifications, professional experience, and previous academic teaching experiences. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, as Samford will not sponsor any employment visas for this position. The successful applicant must pass a background check.

Description

The successful candidate will teach studio and academic courses; advise and mentor students in the dance program; direct the mainstage dance concert; supervise the Bachelor of Arts in dance program, create choreography (or facilitate obtaining guest choreographers) for the department’s main stage productions which may consist of youth, opera, classical, dance, and musical theatre; collaborate with directors, guest designers, and choreographers; and continue to build out the Bachelor of Arts in dance curriculum.

Application

Review of applications will begin January 2025 and continue until February 17, 2025. To apply, please submit one PDF file comprised of a letter of interest, a complete curriculum vitae, a teaching philosophy statement, links to professional work, examples of teaching, an application for a faculty position, and a faculty applicant Christian mission statement. Teaching examples could include course syllabi and/or evidence of student work.

“Application for Faculty Position” can be found at: (https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/Human_Resources/application-for-faculty-employment.pdf)

“ Faculty Applicant Christian Mission Statement” can be found at: (https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/academic-affairs/Faculty-Applicant-Christian-Mission-Statement.docx).

Please submit all materials in PDF format (except recommendation letters that are sent separately by recommenders as indicated above) to:

FACAPP@samford.edu

Subject: Dance Search

For questions about the position contact:

Chelsea Reynolds Nicholson, Dance Search Committee Chair

cereynol@samford.edu

850-390-1273

Or

Mark Castle, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance

mjcastle@samford.edu

205-726-4282

About Samford University and Birmingham, Alabama

Samford University (www.samford.edu) is a leading nationally ranked Christian University.  Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87^th oldest institution in the U.S. and the largest privately supported and fully accredited institution for higher learning in Alabama. Located in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Homewood, with 425 full-time faculty and more than 6,100 students representing 45 states and 16 countries, Samford is ranked #2 in the nation for student character development and #8 in the nation for the quality of career preparation provided to students as listed in The Wall Street Journal (2025). The University is dedicated to the promotion of rigorous academic inquiry in a Christian setting. The University seeks and prefers employee applicants of the Christian faith and offers competitive salaries with a generous benefits package. Samford University and the School of the Arts embrace diversity in their faculty, students, and staff and encourage applications from those who would add to the diversity of our academic community. 

In accordance with applicable federal and state laws, such as Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act and ADA Amendments, the University does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, race, color, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, religion, or any other protected status under federal, state or local law applicable to the University, in its education policies, programs, and activities, in its admissions policies, in employment policies and practices, and all other areas of the University. As a faith-based institution, the University is exempted from certain laws and regulations concerning discrimination.