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The Department of Art and Art History in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Graphic Design at the rank of Assistant Professor. The successful candidate will have the experience and ability to contribute significantly to the vision and objectives of Graphic Design within the department. The program focuses on graphic design as an exploratory process within a fine arts context. A hands-on, conceptual approach to typography, design, interactivity, objects, and environments is sought. The anticipated start date is August 23, 2019.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the research and scholarship missions of the department, school, and university. These contributions may include national recognition as measured through both commissioned and self-initiated creative projects and exhibitions, grants, and awards. The successful candidate should be prepared to collaborate with other departments in the School of Fine Arts and throughout the University. In the area of teaching, the successful candidate will share a deep commitment to effective instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels, possess experience in the development of innovative courses, and have the ability to mentor students. Successful candidates will also be expected to broaden participation among members of under-represented groups; demonstrate through their research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience; integrate multicultural experiences into instructional methods and research tools; and provide leadership in developing pedagogical techniques designed to meet the needs of a variety of learning styles and intellectual interests. Candidates will also be expected to participate in departmental and university service to support curricular and program development and advise undergraduate and graduate students in the department.

The successful candidate will be curious, inquisitive and eager to explore multifaceted collaborations and cooperative conduits between existing disciplines within the Department (Painting/Drawing, Photography/Video, Sculpture/Ceramics, Illustration/Animation), as well as within the University at large. You are intrigued by potential and able to discover and implement innovative methodologies. You are able to identify broad and imaginative solutions. You embrace the approach that art and design are evolving modalities in which thinking and making require both mastery and improvisation. You are able to write and direct compelling project briefs that develop and challenge intellectual curiosity. You infuse each brief with a clear approach to soft skills (ideation, conceptualization, analysis, process) combined with appropriate hard skills (technical, digital and manual). You value concept and the generation and communication of those concepts into clear and appropriate form. You believe in rigorous formal quality, technical and manual agility, and the analysis (and re-analysis) of design problems from a range of perspectives. You possess a fluency in digital and manual skills such as, but not limited to, 3D and 2D software, printmaking, screen-printing, coding, physical computing, as well as other forms of making.

About the Program

Our program is predicated upon Graphic Design as a multifaceted discipline and approach in the art and practice of verbalizing, visualizing and communicating ideas. The studio-based curriculum focuses on visual principles, theories, and strategies for the practice of visual communication across a broad range of media. Our program offers students the creative, analytical and technological skills to explore the context and function of graphic design in the arena of visual communication.

The Department of Art & Art History has over 170 undergraduate majors, 15 graduate students, and a full-time faculty of 21, along with a number of specialist adjunct faculty and a committed team of staff. The department is dedicated to the cultivation of artists and scholars with a wide-ranging understanding of the concepts, aesthetics, techniques, and social functions of contemporary art practices within broader historical and cultural contexts. The Department of Art & Art History offers a BA in Art History, a BFA in Studio Art, a newly formed BA in Art and an MFA in Studio Art. The department is also committed to enriching the wider university and regional community through a range of courses for non-majors, minor programs in Studio Art and Art History, and a variety of offerings at UConn’s regional campuses across the state, as well as through major public exhibitions and thematic programming in collaboration with other departments and schools across the university. Additional information about the Department of Art & Art History can be found at: http://art.uconn.edu.

About the University

The University of Connecticut is a comprehensive, public, R1 institution. The Storrs campus is located in a beautiful area of New England, with a moderate cost of living and proximity to major cultural, recreational, and urban centers of the Northeast. The University community provides residents with a rich diversity of cultural, artistic, athletic, and historic experiences, and the surrounding area offers affordable quality housing and top schools for faculty and families.

The University of Connecticut is experiencing a transformational period of growth supported by the $1.7B Next Generation Connecticut (http://nextgenct.uconn.edu/) and the $1B Bioscience Connecticut (http://biosciencect.uchc.edu/) investments and a bold new Academic Plan: Path to Excellence (http://issuu.com/uconnprovost/docs/academic-plan-single-hi-optimized_1). We are pleased to continue these investments by inviting applications for this faculty position in Art & Art History.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will:

• Be a multidisciplinary graphic designer engaged in professional practice, research, education, and innovation.
• Demonstrate design and visual communication excellence in a broad range of media with special emphasis on typography and fundamentals of graphic design as an analytical and aesthetic tool and methodology.
• Teach five, three-credit undergraduate courses per academic year with a 3/2 teaching load, which may include all levels of courses in Graphic Design as well as a team-taught freshman Foundation course, Independent Studies, and/or supervised internships, and actively participate in administration and development of the program and its curriculum.
• Demonstrate visible dedication to vigorous academic excellence, rigorous liberal arts curriculum, and the vital importance of the fine arts and design in theory and practice in relation to social, cultural, economic, and emerging media is highly encouraged.
• Contribute to the larger curriculum of the department through reevaluation of the current curriculum and developing new courses, which may be interdisciplinary within and outside of the department. Maintain a personal creative activity/scholarship/research agenda that is attuned to the department’s instructional program; participate in the MFA program; advise students; assist with the maintenance of department studios and facilities; contribute to the department’s recruitment and outreach activities, as well as event and visiting artist programs; attend faculty meetings and serve on committees in order to participate in school and faculty governance; contribute additional service at the department, school, and university levels; other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• MFA degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or closely and demonstrably related study. MDes or other, appropriate terminal degree will be considered.
• Expertise in graphic design and typography as defined broadly to include applied and conceptual issues and practices, with experience in both traditional and digital media.
• Three years of teaching experience beyond Teaching Assistantship at college level.
• Three years of professional experience in graphic design either as a freelance practitioner or in a design studio.
• Evidence of exceptional creative work and student work must be demonstrated in the submitted portfolios.
•   The ability to contribute to interdisciplinary initiatives and the ability to work across disciplines within the Department is also a necessity.
• A strong record of professional development is essential, as evidenced by an increasingly noteworthy record of successful and adjudicated exhibitions, commissions, grants, and/or other appropriate graphic design projects.
• Experience with student advisement, departmental service, and evidence of continuing creative activity and professional development in the field is expected, in addition to a record of effective teaching.
• Fluency in digital tools (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability in traditional printmaking techniques (silkscreen, letterpress, etc.) and book production.
• Proficiency in current web design technologies and practices.
• Ability to teach both introductory and advanced level courses that encompass conceptual and applied issues.
• Knowledge of contemporary and historical issues and theory in graphic design.
• Innovative visual thinking in both analog and digital processes.
• Experience working within a strong art department situated within an equally strong liberal arts institution, and a reflection of this in teaching pedagogies.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a full-time, tenure-track position with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2019. The successful candidate’s academic appointment will be at the Storrs campus, though faculty members may also be asked to teach at one of UConn’s regional campuses or online as part of their ordinary workload. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

TO APPLY

Select “Apply Now” to be redirected to Academic Jobs Online to complete your application. Please submit the following materials:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Teaching statement (including teaching philosophy, teaching experience, commitment to effective learning, concepts for new course development, etc.)
• Research and scholarship statement (innovative concepts that will form the basis of academic career, experience in proposal development, mentorship of graduate students, etc.)
• Commitment to diversity statement (including broadening participation, integrating multicultural experiences in instruction and research and pedagogical techniques to meet the needs of different learning styles, etc.)
• Submit 20 digital images of professional work (or URL), 20 digital images of students’ work as available, and examples of creative briefs from courses taught, preferably in a single PDF with embedded links to online work. As an alternative, please include all additional material on a labeled CD, flash drive or linked via a Cloud service (Dropbox, Google Docs, etc.)
• Three professional references

Review of applications will begin on January 15, 2019, and applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be submitted no later than January 15.

Please contact Charlene Haukom at charlene.haukom@uconn.edu, Administrative Assistant for the Department of Art & Art History, with any questions. For more information regarding the Department of Art & Art History, please visit the department website at https://art.uconn.edu/.

Employment of the successful candidate will be contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check. (Search #2019271)

This position will be filled subject to budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics, which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

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The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. The diversity of students, faculty, and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural, and diverse community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.