Job Description

The Art Department at Furman University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Design to begin August 1, 2024. The successful applicant will have a strong commitment to teaching, an active creative practice, the capacity to contribute to an innovative undergraduate design curriculum, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion that would further existing initiatives in both the Art Department and the University. Our design curriculum offers a historical and critical framework through which students can understand the important theories and practices of art, design, and global visual culture. Our department currently offers a robust series of graphic design courses; the ideal candidate would teach within this curriculum and be able to introduce new courses in design or digital art.

Responsibilities of this position include teaching a 3:2 course load in our undergraduate program, as well as providing mentorship opportunities and high-impact learning experiences in line with The Furman Advantage. The successful candidate will be expected to teach all levels of design and employ pedagogical strategies that foster an inclusive classroom environment. They are also encouraged to create new courses and co-curricular experiences that follow their academic and professional interests within the fields of design, digital art or an adjacent field. There are also opportunities to teach in Furman’s Pathways program, First Year Writing program, Study Away program, and the Master of Arts in Strategic Design (MAS-D) program. Additionally, the successful candidate will maintain their creative practice at a regional, national, and/or international level and provide service to the department and institution.

Furman University is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all facets of university life, and strives to create a community that fosters a sense of belonging through excellence in teaching, mentorship, and programming. Numerous initiatives and programs are underway or planned to promote these ideals, including: historic projects, dialogue initiatives, the Center for Inclusive Communities, and a recently approved major in Africana Studies.

The successful candidate will have the ability to work with historically underrepresented students, including students of color, LGBTQIA+ and be committed to assisting the university in its continuing efforts to become a model of inclusive excellence.

Furman University is a small liberal arts university located in Greenville, South Carolina. The Art department offers BA degrees in Studio Art and Art History and contributes to an interdisciplinary minor in Visual Strategy. We graduate approximately 15-20 students per year between these two major areas of study. Our courses also satisfy a general education requirement for all Furman students and therefore enroll a mixture of art majors and non-majors. We employ 7 full-time faculty who offer classes in drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, printmaking, criticism, museum studies and art history. Our department focuses on developing students with technical proficiency in studio art and art history, but also stresses an interdisciplinary approach to viewing and making art that emphasizes critical thinking and writing.

Job Duties

• Teach 5 undergraduate courses each year in the area of design (with the possibility of teaching studio courses outside of design); potential exists to teach additional graduate courses in design, First Year Writing, Study Away, and May Experience courses.
• Advise students and provide mentorship opportunities in ways that align with The Furman Advantage.
• Maintain a significant record of creative practice that is evaluated through peer-review and/or exhibited in regional, national, and/or international venues beyond the University. This usually takes the form of exhibited artwork, though other creative practices within the industry or adjacent industries are recognized.
• Participate in meaningful service to the department and University in working towards our institutional strategic goals and priorities. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, sitting on committees and community engagement.

Minimum Job Requirements

• MFA in Design, Digital Art, or a closely related field, is required before August 1, 2024.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and other relevant software tools.
• Ability to develop new courses in design, digital art, or an adjacent field.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.

Job Preferences

• 3 or more years of teaching experience, which may include experience as an instructor of record.
• An established record of creative practice. The Art department is open to a wide range expertise in and around the design and digital art making spheres.
• Experience collaborating productively with colleagues and undergraduate students.
• Mentor undergraduate students in creative scholarship.

About Us

Furman University is a selective private liberal arts and sciences college committed to helping students develop intellectually, personally, and interpersonally and providing the practical skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly-changing world. Furman professors are exceptional teacher-scholars who mentor undergraduate students within a campus community that values and encourages diverse ideas and perspectives. Our recently-launched strategic vision, The Furman Advantage, promises students an individualized four-year pathway facilitated by team of mentors and infused with a rich and varied set of high impact experiences outside the classroom that include undergraduate research, study away, internships, community-focused learning, and opportunities to engage across differences.

Furman is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and staff. The University aspires to create a community of people representing a multiplicity of identities including gender, race, religion, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, geographic origin, socioeconomic background, ideology, world view, and varied abilities.

In keeping with our commitment to equity and inclusion, domestic partners of employees are eligible for comprehensive benefits and faculty/staff affinity groups exist to offer support for faculty/staff that identify as LGBTQIA+ and/or Black/African-American.

The Furman student experience is supported by a rich network of centers and institutes that includes The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Riley Institute, The David E. Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, The Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, The Rinker Center for Study Away and International Education, The Cothran Center for Vocational Reflection, The Shucker Center for Leadership Development, The Malone Center for Career Engagement, and our newest addition, The Center for Inclusive Communities.

Furman is located on traditional Cherokee land in Greenville, South Carolina, a racially and culturally diverse community that is one of the fastest growing cities in the Southeast. It has been ranked among “America’s Ten Best” by Forbes Magazine. Greenville has a thriving downtown, excellent private and public schools and a vibrant international community. A 20-mile bike and running trail connects the university to Greenville and Travelers Rest, which was named “one of America’s coolest small towns.” It is within a short driving distance of Asheville, Charlotte and Atlanta. The Blue Ridge Mountains and Atlantic Beaches are within easy reach.

How to Apply

• Letter of Interest that describes your teaching philosophy and how it aligns with Furman’s commitment to high-impact teaching and learning and how your experience and creative practice are a fit for Furman’s Art department.
• Curriculum vitae
• Diversity statement that describes how your professional experience, scholarship, mentoring, and/or service might contribute to the community of a liberal arts college committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values.
• Contact information for three references who could supply letters of reference upon request. We will only contact references for finalists in the application process.

• Artist Statement
• Portfolio comprised of 20 visual examples (completed within the last 5 years) that represent your creative practice.

• Teaching portfolio comprised of 15-20 examples of student work from design studio courses that you have taught (identify course and level, no student names).
• An example assignment for a foundations-level design course.
• An example assignment for an upper-level design course.

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: Design Furman Graphic digital art adobe. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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