Assistant Professor in Graphic Design

Organizational Unit Overview
The School of Art and Design provides a multidisciplinary approach to art and design that offers opportunities for students to develop their creative and critical thinking abilities by thinking through making. The School currently enrolls more than 500 students in twelve areas across four degrees. The School of Art and Design is the largest BFA Art program in the University of North Carolina system and has been continuously accredited by NASAD since 1962. The School has over 40 full-time faculty and is located in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center, a 142,000 square-foot facility with specialized equipment, tools, and technology for the School’s 14 disciplines—animation/ interactive design, art education, art history, ceramics, film and video production, glass, graphic design, illustration, metal design, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textile design. From computer labs, digital looms, CNC router, and laser cutters to a woodshop, foundry, letterpress shop, black and white darkroom, and beyond, the School’s facilities are comprehensive and available to faculty and students who think, make, and work across the School’s disciplines.

The School of Art and Design takes responsibility for its actions and the future we build, acknowledging the diversity of our community as we work in a thriving, supportive community that values, acknowledges, and respects our differences and creates opportunities for everyone. We commit to holding ourselves and our leadership accountable for creating an inclusive, diverse community that provides opportunities for underrepresented community members; presenting artists from underrepresented communities in our teaching practice, giving context for the traditional/historical canon, and teaching the work of contemporary artists working in and outside the museum/gallery model; educating ourselves on race and social justice issues to decolonize classroom environments and actively foster compassion, understanding, and appreciation for each other’s differences; increasing the number of invited guest lecturers and exhibitions from more diverse communities; supporting the community (students, faculty, staff, guests), particularly regarding race, socio-economic class, and inter-generational poverty; recruiting students and hiring faculty from diverse backgrounds to amplify underrepresented voices; working collaboratively toward shared goals of inclusivity and justice; identifying, locating, critiquing, and challenging factors that have contributed to and perpetuated a disconnect between the predominately white leadership (administration, faculty, and staff) and the more diverse community we serve; and developing a culture in which identifying mistakes is encouraged and welcomed, as well as taking responsibility for errors and committing to respectful action in the future.

East Carolina University has a long heritage and record of contributions to our community since its founding in 1907. Within the University of North Carolina system, ECU is the third largest of the state’s 16 degree-granting public institutions. Based on the quality of its academic programs, ECU has been named one of the best colleges in the Southeast region by the Princeton Review. ECU is committed to maximizing student success, serving the public, and leading regional transformation in the East.

The University is located in Greenville, North Carolina, on the Tar River, a community of over 90,000 and ranked 12th best college town by the Wall Street Journal. A former tobacco town, Greenville is a cultural center in eastern North Carolina. In addition to extensive arts offerings by the School of Theater and Dance, School of Music, and School of Art and Design and its Gray Gallery, the city boasts the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge and Greenville Museum of Art and numerous community schools of music, dance, and more. Outdoor amenities include access to the Tar River for boating and kayaking, the expansive River Park North, a greenway system, a superb Little League stadium and programs, and BMX/skateboarding parks. ECU is located adjacent to the city’s historic downtown—Uptown. Restaurants, coffee shops, brewpubs, retail businesses, and galleries comprise this thriving district, which regularly hosts community events such as Umbrella Markets, Freeboot Fridays (before home football games), and First Friday Art Walks.

 

Job Duties
The School of Art and Design at East Carolina University seeks a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Graphic Design.

This position will teach 3 three-credit courses per semester in the BFA in Art and/or MFA in Art. Additional responsibilities include scholarship, collaborating with area faculty on curriculum development and recruitment, and service to the School and profession. The selected candidate is expected to contribute to and expand on the present graphic design curriculum based on their expertise and knowledge of the discipline.

The graphic design program, a concentration within the BFA in Art, prepares students for a variety of professional outcomes. Graphic design at ECU includes a strong grounding in typography and typographic systems and addresses issues related to design, business, communication, technology, the social sciences, and art.

The graphic design faculty are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse community. We strive to incorporate these values in our teaching, scholarship, and professional practices.

The graphic design concentration and School of Art & Design encourages and supports interdisciplinary and collaborative work across the School’s 14 concentrations, the College of Fine Arts & Communication, the University, and community.

This position is contingent upon available funding.

 

Minimum Education/Experience

  • MFA or terminal degree or equivalent in graphic design, or related field required.
  • Record of professional accomplishment in graphic design or design-related field.
  • Evidence of professional communication and collaboration skills.

 

Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education

  • Experience teaching graphic design courses.
  • Although this position is broadly defined within graphic design, candidates with experience in design research, design theory, and/or design business is preferred.
  • Potential to produce nationally recognized professional design work and/or scholarship.   
  • Ability to contribute to curriculum development, based on the evolving field of graphic design and the candidate’s expertise.
  • Ability to support and engage diverse learning strategies and methods in the classroom, promote equitable and inclusive learning environments, and integrate universal design teaching strategies in their curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Experience in information design, design thinking, design systems, or editorial design.
  • Interest in interdisciplinary work or community-engaged work.

 

Special Instructions to Applicant
To apply, candidates must submit the following materials online via the PeopleAdmin system jobs.ecu.edu.

  • Candidate Profile
  • Cover letter addressing position description
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • A statement describing how the applicant would contribute to developing a diverse and inclusive learning community at ECU through their teaching, scholarship, and/or service.
  • Teaching Philosophy
  • List of at least three professional references, including affiliation, email address, and phone number
  • A link to your personal website that includes: 20 images of personal work and 20 images of student work (if available)

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Please be aware that if selected as a candidate of choice, an automatic email will be sent to the individuals entered by the applicant in the References section of the People Admin applicant tracking system. Letters of Recommendation submitted via the applicant tracking system will be verified and considered towards meeting this requirement.

 

Additional Instructions to Applicant
In order to be considered for this position, applicants must complete a candidate profile online via the PeopleAdmin system and submit any requested documents. Additionally, applicants that possess the preferred education and experience must also possess the minimum education/experience, if applicable.

Applications will be considered until position is filled. Please submit an online ECU application for vacancy #930529 to ECU Human Resources at http://jobs.ecu.edu.

East Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Visit this job posting https://ecu.peopleadmin.com/postings/45237