Tenure-Track Faculty Position Announcement

 

Tenure-Track Faculty Position Announcement

Historic Preservation Program

School of Architecture and Environment, University of Oregon

Beginning September 2019

Art DeMuro Assistant or Associate Professor in Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation Program

School of Architecture and Environment

University of Oregon Portland

Position Announcement
The University of Oregon (UO) School of Architecture and Environment invites applications for the Art DeMuro Professor in Historic Preservation, a full-time, endowed tenure-related position at the rank of assistant or associate professor at the UO’s Portland, Oregon location to begin September 2019. Candidates should have the potential to make a strong contribution in research, teaching, and service to the program’s nationally-recognized professional master’s degree program in the Historic Preservation Program and the affiliated architecture program. We especially welcome applicants who will engage a rigorous and innovative research/practice at the forefront of cultural resource management, heritage conservation, or building science.

Department or Program Summary
The School of Architecture and Environment is part of the College of Design at the University of Oregon, an Association of American Universities member and tier-one research institution in the Pacific Northwest that is ranked “highest research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The School of Architecture and Environment offers doctoral degree programs in architecture and landscape architecture, graduate degrees in historic preservation, fully accredited graduate and undergraduate professional degrees in architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture, and concurrent graduate degree programs at locations in both Eugene and Portland, Oregon.

With the support of a major individual gift, the Historic Preservation (HP) Program relocated in 2016 from the University’s main campus in Eugene to its new headquarters in the historic White Stag Building in the Old Town district of Portland where it shares space and curriculum with the Department of Architecture. The Portland facility includes professional programs in Journalism, Communication, Law, and Business and offers state-of-the-art facilities including a library, classrooms, studios, offices, conference facilities, and a woodshop/lab. The Portland metro area offers HP faculty a rich laboratory of physical and cultural landmarks, a strong network of professional practitioners, and significant resources for research, including the Oregon Historical Society archives and the Architectural Heritage Center’s collection of historic building components. For more information on the program, visit: https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu/hp.

Minimum Requirements
Qualifications include a terminal graduate degree from an accredited institution, preferably in historic preservation or a closely related field (such as Anthropology, American Studies, Architectural History, Urban or Environmental Planning, History, Cultural Geography, or science related to building materials or technology). The terminal degree will be Ph.D. or a master’s degree, as expected in the candidate’s academic field, and must be obtained before the date of appointment. The successful candidate must demonstrate an active research agenda with existing publications or promise for future activity; experience in professional practice and/or in fieldwork; and evidence of university-level teaching excellence. Success in external funding is preferred.

The successful candidate will possess excellent communication and collaboration skills and the ability to establish, maintain, and grow relationships with preservation professionals and stakeholders in the community. The UO is committed to creating a more inclusive and diverse institution and seeks candidates with demonstrated potential to contribute positively to its diverse community. The successful candidate will have the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, and local communities of diverse backgrounds.

The successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the role of preservation in addressing issues of cultural diversity and will have an interest in broadening the field to incorporate underrepresented constituencies. A record of research and teaching that considers the heritage of underrepresented cultures is desirable.

Preferred Qualifications
The candidate is expected to have significant scholarly interest in specializations within this field, such as vernacular architecture, cultural landscapes, urban historic buildings, cultural heritage studies, or building technology/materials. Preference will be given to candidates with research expertise/teaching experience in one or more of these areas:

1. Cultural Resource Management: Includes instruction in planning for and managing historic resources. Courses will explore methods of surveying and documenting sites; domestic and/or international regulatory processes that govern preservation practice; and political and legal frameworks for preservation planning.
2. Building Sciences: Includes instruction in evaluation and treatment of historic structures. Courses encompass building condition assessment and material pathology (wood, masonry, metal, etc.); conservation methods; building recordation (including HABS/HAER); and the history of construction.
3. Heritage Conservation: Includes instruction in the identification and conservation of both tangible and non-tangible representations of cultural value, particularly among minority groups within a larger cultural framework (such as race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc.). Courses will explore cultural values in different contexts and explore various means of protecting and interpreting varied cultural practices.

In addition, candidates who can offer courses in the history of American architecture and culture and candidates who possess the skills and interests necessary to serve as Faculty Director of the Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School. The Field School is a summer field experience aimed at students and professionals in fields related to historic preservation with little experience in building conservation. The Field School Director would be expected to teach only 4 courses during the academic year rather than the standard 5 courses. More information on the Field School is available at: https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu/hp/field-schools/pacific-northwest-preservation-field-school.

Required Application Materials by November 15, 2018

http://careers.uoregon.edu/cw/en-us/job/522270/assistant-or-associate-professor-of-historic-preservation

1. A letter of application explaining your interest in this position and addressing your specific qualifications. Please include a discussion of your approach to field training and related activities, if appropriate. Please also include some explanation of how you will further the University’s and the School of Architecture and Environment’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, perhaps in terms of how previous teaching, research or service has engaged diverse communities.
2. Your comprehensive curriculum vitae.
3. A one-page statement of your scholarly approach to historic preservation.
4. A one-page statement of your teaching philosophy and approach toward mentoring students.
5. A copy of one article-length, peer-reviewed submittal in the historic preservation field or a related professional field addressing historic resources. You may substitute a portfolio item of an applied preservation project (e.g., National Register nomination, HABS drawing, or professional report) for this submittal.
6. The names and contact information for three referees. Referees will not be contacted unless the applicant advances forward to the semifinal round of review.