Assistant Professor of Digital Arts

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Assistant Professor of Digital Arts at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Located in the heart of Detroit’s Cultural Center, Wayne State University is seeking qualified candidates to fill 2 full-time tenure-track appointments as Assistant Professor in Digital Arts in the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History.

The ideal candidate is, first, excited to work in Detroit, a city of arts and culture with a core identity rooted in innovation and creativity. A distinct characteristic of Wayne State University is its location in Midtown Detroit, adjacent to The Detroit Institute of Art, one of the nation’s premiere art museums, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). Detroit and the WSU campus community is rich with engagement opportunities.

Our department has a rapidly growing Digital Arts program. This position is the perfect opportunity for someone who is enthusiastic about joining our diverse faculty and staff in continuing to build and strengthen this program.

RESPONSIBILITIES: This position requires excellence in teaching Digital Art courses relating to topics such as UX/UI design, game design, digital drawing, digital fabrication, digital imaging, animation, and/or print media. The candidate may also teach in other areas of the department that are connected to that person’s research expertise.
Responsibilities include:

· Teach undergraduate and graduate courses

· Work one-on-one with graduate students

· Conduct a program of creative and/or scholarly work

· Contribute to curriculum development

· Participate in appropriate service / committee work

THE JAMES PEARSON DUFFY DEPARTMENT OF ART, ART HISTORY, AND DESIGN:  The department has a deep history in Detroit located at the center of the historic Cass Corridor art movement. The department offers programs leading to the following undergraduate degrees: BA in Art, BFA in Art, BFA in Design, BA in Art History and BA or BS in Fashion Design and Merchandising. The department also offers the following graduate degrees: MA in Art, MFA in Art, and MA in Art History. The department currently has 21 full-time faculty and a staff of 7 for 15 graduate students and 600 undergraduate students. The department is regionally and nationally recognized for providing a high-quality education in the fine arts, design, and art history. For more information, visit www.art.wayne.edu.

THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY: As a university, we have a responsibility to uphold diversity as a value, and demonstrate commitment, through our policies and actions. Through our everyday activities and interactions, creative and scholarly practices, curricular design and teaching, and service and community engagement, we seek to create an inclusive institutional atmosphere that recognizes and celebrates the inherent value of a diverse campus community.

We are a university of access and opportunity, and we have a responsibility to demonstrate a commitment to our mission of providing access to an excellent and affordable college education. We are here to make our students’ lives and futures better. Financial aid avenues that help support this commitment are the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Wayne State Guarantee (a tuition-free program open to all Pell Grant-eligible Michigan residents, as well as most families who earn less than $70,000) for first time students, and Michigan Reconnect for transfer pathways. In addition, the Detroit Promise award ensures any eligible Detroit-resident student graduating from a high school in the city will have a tuition-free path to a bachelor's degree.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History, and Design, is one of four departments in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; the other constituent units are the Department of Communication, the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, and the Department of Music. The college offers 17 undergraduate programs, 10 graduate programs and three graduate certificate programs. It is home to today’s aspiring artists, performers, scholars, dancers, debaters, entrepreneurs, and communication professionals who all represent the college’s legacy of excellence in our respective fields.

From debate to dance, jazz to journalism, and fashion design to center stage, our students create captivating performances, inspire artistic and academic excellence, and conduct innovative research on behalf of our Detroit community. The college’s alumni include a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and winners of and nominees for the Grammy, Emmy, Tony, Golden Globe, Obie, Screen Actors Guild and Caldecott awards.

Wayne State University is a Carnegie Tier 1 Research (R1) university enrolling more than 24,000 students in 350 undergraduate and graduate programs offered through the University’s 13 schools and colleges. Wayne State’s immediate neighbors in our Midtown Cultural Center include the Detroit Public Library, Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan Science Center, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Detroit Opera Theatre. The vibrant Midtown and Downtown areas are also home to active theatres, galleries, professional sports stadiums, and entertainment venues ranging from Detroit Artist Market and the Fox and Fisher Theatres.

Qualifications:

We are seeking an exceptional artist/teacher with a strong research practice in digital art. An appropriate terminal degree is required in art, design, or closely related field. A willingness to mentor undergraduate and graduate students from diverse populations is also required.

APPLICATIONS: All applicants must use the Wayne Talent at http://jobs.wayne.edu, and submit the required documents.

Applications must include the following:
Completed application form
Cover letter
Curriculum vitae
Application materials compiled as a single bookmarked PDF. Please upload these as one document in Other.
▪Teaching Philosophy
▪Diversity Statement
▪Link to a Portfolio of Work Samples
▪Names and contact information for three references.

The search committee will begin reviewing applications on January 16, 2024. Applications remain open until position is filled. The position begins August 16, 2024; salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Inquiries about the position may be directed to:

Wes Taylor and Millee Tibbs, Committee Co-Chair
Department of Art, Art History, and Design
Wayne State University
105 Schaver Building
Detroit, MI 48201
bg3578@wayne.edu
ex0360@wayne.edu

Preferred qualifications:

Experience teaching various aspects of digital art is preferred as is experience working across disciplinary boundaries. A minimum of two years teaching at the college level, evidence of teaching effectiveness.

School/College/Division:

H04 - Fine & Performing Arts

Primary department:

H0402 - Art and Art History

Employment type:

• Regular Employee
• Job type: Full Time
• Job category: Academic/Faculty

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary
• Salary minimum: TBD
• Salary hire maximum: TBD

Working conditions:

Job openings:

• Number of openings: 2
• Reposted position: No
• Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)
• Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

Equal employment opportunity statement:

Wayne State University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. The university encourages applications from women, people of color and other underrepresented people. Wayne State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.