Associate Director for Speaking/ Full Time Faculty

Employer
Fashion Institute of Technology
Location
New York, NY
Starts
Closes

Associate Director for Speaking/ Full Time Faculty
About Fashion Institute of Technology:

 

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), an internationally renowned college of art and design, business and technology, of the State University of New York, invites nominations and applications for a full-time tenure-track non-classroom faculty position serving as the Associate Director for Speaking in FIT's Writing and Speaking Studio program.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, a part of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are relevant to today's rapidly changing industries. Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative community in which to learn. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace.

With close ties to industry, FIT draws faculty from the city's art, business, and design elite, and from the rich academic community of the region. The college continually seeks creative faculty members who are passionate about their field and demonstrate exceptional professional capability in the core competencies of instruction design, learning enrichment, globalism, and use of technology, as well as mastery of established and emerging industry practices.

The Writing Studio at FIT opened in 2008, advancing the profile of written communication on campus. Since then, the Writing Studio has grown significantly, working with both student writers and faculty from across the college. As part of the college's strategic plan, FIT recently approved an expansion plan to develop the Writing Studio into a comprehensive 21st century center for speaking, writing, and diverse literacies. The newly approved program will offer students one-on-one and group feedback on public speaking and visual and oral presentations. 

To realize key initiatives of the Writing Studio expansion plan, the department is seeking a specialist in Communication Centers to bring a vision for the speaking studio component of the program, educate peer and professional tutors, and support departmental initiatives in communication across the curriculum and in the disciplines.

In addition to managing a staff of peer and professional tutors, the program's faculty support quality communication experiences across the curriculum by supporting faculty in developing assignments, facilitating workshops, responding to speeches/presentations, advancing cross-cultural communication, and demonstrating digital presentation delivery and design.


Job Description:

The Writing and Speaking Studio is part of faculty and student academic support in the Academic Affairs division. Reporting to the Director of the Writing and Speaking Studio, the Associate Director for Speaking is responsible for motivating and educating a staff of peer and professional speaking consultants, engaging faculty in discussions on communication pedagogy, and developing new initiatives in an active and growing program. Writing and Speaking Studio faculty regularly work with other units in Academic Affairs, including the Center for Excellence in Teaching and the Office of Online Learning and Academic Technologies. The successful candidate must demonstrate research and teaching interests in communication studies and a vision for communication center work in the 21st century.

The Associate Director for Speaking's duties will include but not be limited to:

  • Developing and growing the speaking component of the Writing and Speaking Studio.
  • Recruiting, educating, and managing student aides and peer and professional speaking consultants.
  • Working with the Writing and Speaking Studio staff to consult with faculty and develop communication across the curriculum initiatives.
  • Planning and facilitating workshops, discussions, and lectures for students and faculty focused on current issues in rhetoric/communication.
  • Staying current with pedagogical and technological innovations in the field.
  • Performing ongoing research and scholarly activity.
  • Managing budget, grants, and conducting program/department assessment.
     

This is a tenure-track non-classroom faculty position with a 12-month appointment with no classroom teaching obligations starting at the rank of assistant professor. This is a dynamic and interdisciplinary position with opportunities for campus-wide leadership in the areas of public speaking, presentation, pedagogy, and new media.


Requirements:

Specific competencies sought as related to the position:

Globalism/Diversity

  • Appreciate and respect the impact of varying racial, ethnic, religious and social identities and divergent opinions and attitudes in communication center tutoring sessions, outreach to students, and outreach to faculty and staff.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of cultural differences and how they influence the teaching of speaking.
  • Model how to work effectively with multilingual speakers of English.
  • Understand issues in cross-cultural and intercultural communication.

Learning Enrichment/Higher Education

  • Demonstrate an ability to engage faculty from other disciplines in discussions about speaking/communication.
  • Work effectively with faculty on student learning issues such as supporting English Language Learners, assessing and responding to student speeches, developing effective speaking/presentation assignments, and fostering critical and analytical thinking skills.

Professionalism

  • Demonstrate a record of participation at professional conferences and/or scholarly publications in Communication Studies.
  • Exhibit a commitment to professional service, support, and assistance to students, faculty, and the campus community.
  • Represent the department in college-wide conversations about speaking, teaching, and learning.
  • Model professional behavior that prepares students and peer tutors for entry into their chosen fields.

Instructional Design/Student Development and Success

  • Understand today's students, their academic and developmental needs, and counsel, consult, or mentor them as needed to ensure they are successful in meeting their educational goals.
  • Advocate for student learning needs/success.
  • Assist faculty in developing engaging speaking assignments/opportunities that promote student development and intellectual growth.

Technology

  • Demonstrate an awareness of how evolving technology influences speaking and presentation skills and opportunities for communication.
  • Utilize emerging pedagogical technologies inside and outside the classroom/department.
  • Utilize technology to enhance professional productivity.
  • Optimize the use of technology to improve service delivery to students, faculty, and campus community.

 

Minimum Qualifications: Master's degree in communication studies or a closely related discipline required. The successful candidate must demonstrate research and teaching interests in communication studies and communication center work and a record of involvement in professional organizations/scholarship in the candidate's area of expertise.

Preferred Qualifications: PhD and experience in tutor education in the areas of speaking and oral presentation; communication center administration; communication across the curriculum; and/or, communication center program development.


Additional Information:

FIT is firmly committed to creating an environment that will attract and retain people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. By providing a learning and working environment that encourages, utilizes, respects, and appreciates the full expression of every individual's ability, the FIT community fosters its mission and grows because of its rich, pluralistic experience. FIT is committed to prohibiting discrimination, whether based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military service status, genetic information, pregnancy, familial status, citizenship status (except as required to comply with law), or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. FIT is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment, including the opportunity for upward mobility for all qualified individuals.  Applications from minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged.  Inquiries regarding FIT's non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Officer/Title IX Coordinator, 212 217.3360, titleix@fitnyc.edu.


Application Instructions:

Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled. First consideration will be given to completed applications received by September 15, 2018. 

The salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and cumulative experience. Please note that a background check is required for appointment to this position. Please note applications without all application materials will not be considered.

For consideration, please provide:

  • Letter of interest clearly indicating your qualifications for the position;
  • Professional resume/Curriculum Vitae;
  • A minimum of three professional references, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contact information.

For more information about FIT, please visit FIT's website at: http://www.fitnyc.edu

Returning Applicants Login to your FITNYC Careers Account to check your completed application.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each applicant individually regarding his or her application status.

*If applying from a website outside of www.FITNYC.edu please visit  http://www.fitnyc.interviewexchange.com.