Title Information Faculty TitleAssociate Professor Job Class Code10021 FLSAExempt Position Information Posting NumberFRGV1791 Working TitleAssociate or Full Professor – Director of the School of Art and Design Number of Vacancies1 LocationRio Grande Valley Division/OrganizationProvost - Academic Affairs Appointment Period for Non-Tenure Position Tenure StatusTenured FTE1.0 Scope of Job The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ( UTRGV ) invites applications for the position of Director of the School of Art and Design. This is a tenured, full-time, 12-month administrative faculty position. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The appointment begins in July 2025. The School of Art and Design offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in studio art and visual communication design and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art (Teacher Certification). The school also offers Master of Fine Arts degrees in design and studio art and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Art History. New minor programs to the school include Art and Entrepreneurship and Visual Communication Design. The School of Art and Design enrolled over 900 majors in Fall 2024 (976 ug; 30 grad) with a faculty of 19 tenured/tenure-track, 10 full-time professional faculty, and 15 part-time faculty. Additionally, the school has an associate director and 3 full-time staff. The School of Art and Design is seeking a Director with a history of administrative experience and an established record of teaching and creative excellence. The ideal candidate will have experience collaborating with faculty and leaders in the Arts community. The School of Art and Design is hosted on two locations (Brownsville and Edinburg) and the Director will be expected to have a presence and support the work of faculty, staff, and students in both locations. In Edinburg, the school is hosted in the 50,000 square-foot Edinburg Visual Arts Building, located three miles from the main campus. In Brownsville, the school is scheduled to move into the Brownsville Visual Arts Complex, a renovated elementary school, located 0.5 miles from the main campus in December 2025. This $35 million renovation project will yield 45,000 square feet in 14 separate buildings, hosting individual studios and offices. Additionally, plans are being made for a $47-million renovation of the Majestic Theatre in Brownsville, which in addition to serving as a new performing arts center for the College of Fine Arts, will have collaborative teaching and studio spaces for art programs, such as animation and game design, along with music technology and film. The Director of the School of Art and Design reports directly to the Dean of the College of Fine Arts. Duties will include providing artistic, administrative, and academic leadership of the school in recruitment, grant writing, and community outreach; managing the department’s budget; supervising and evaluating faculty and staff; a continued commitment to teaching by teaching two courses a year; and contributing as a member of the Dean’s College Leadership Council. The new Director will be responsible for: · Providing leadership and direction to all the academic and scholarly activity programs within the School of Art and Design, leading by example with the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. · Advancing the school’s academic and research/scholarly activity programs, working with faculty to articulate a shared vision of excellence, and focusing on developing, expanding, and strengthening excellent academic programs across the Valley. · Working with the Dean, Associate Deans, and fellow school directors and department chairs to implement UTRGV’s core priorities and the College of Fine ArtsStrategic Plan. · Overseeing the School of Art and Design facilities, including the transition to the Brownsville Visual Art Complex in December 2025 and the Majestic Theatre collaborative media space in August 2027. · Contributing to UTRGV’s goal of becoming an R1 institution (very high research activity) by 2028, the Director must work with faculty to develop, expand, and strengthen the school’s research/scholarly activity portfolio, with a focus on increasing externally-funded research, as well as building graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels, when appropriate. · Leading School of Art and Design faculty and staff to apply for initial accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design ( NASAD ). · Maintaining budgetary and administrative oversight. · Integrating student engagement and experiential learning initiatives throughout the student-life cycle that will enable students to become productive citizens who value and pursue community engagement as a mechanism to contribute to our society, locally, regionally, and globally. · Promoting, encouraging, and supporting shared governance. · Cultivating a college environment that promotes and values communication, collaboration, and collegiality. · Fostering leadership within the School of Art and Design. About UTRGV : UTRGV serves the Rio Grande Valley and beyond via an innovative and unique multicultural education dedicated to student access and success. By championing leading research, healthcare, and application of university discoveries, we support sustainable development, community engagement, and well-being. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ( UTRGV ) is committed to building and sustaining a highly qualified and talented faculty to pursue excellence in everything that we do, including teaching, research, and service. Drawing on our unique identity as the leading Hispanic-Serving Institution in a bilingual and bicultural environment, UTRGV will promote student access and success by building from strength in education and creating a vibrant campus experience. By 2027, we will accelerate transformation in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond by driving meaningful advancements in research and creative works, expanding access to high-quality and affordable healthcare, and fostering authentic community engagement and integration. UTRGV is a distributed campus, one university spanning four counties and multiple locations. Our purpose is to be a university for the entire Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Over 91% of the students enrolled at UTRGV identify as Hispanic, making UTRGV one of the top 3 universities with the highest percentage of Hispanic students. For additional information, please visit UTRGV website (https://www.utrgv.edu/index.htm) . Minimum Qualifications All Ranks: · A terminal degree ( MFA , PhD or EdD) from an accredited institution in studio art, design, art history and/or art education. · 3 years of substantial administrative experience in a department of the above disciplines. · Active record of scholarly and/or creative achievement on a national and/or international level respective to the candidates’ discipline. Full Professor: record of scholarly and/or creative achievement that meets the UTRGV and School of Art and Design standards of a full professor with tenure. Associate Professor: record of scholarly and/or creative achievement that meets the UTRGV and School of Art and Design standards of an associate professor with tenure. Discipline Specific Required Qualifications The successful candidate should show a demonstrated capacity to contribute to the scholarly and creative life of the School of Art and Design at UTRGV . Below are the discipline-specific expectations of a candidate for the Director: If the candidate has a Graphic Design background, the candidate should have an advanced working knowledge of the leading technology and software in the field and have fluency in new media tools and digital skills. Evidence of innovative professional achievement and an active practice of exhibiting is essential at the national and international level. The candidate should also show activity in creating inter-disciplinary digital projects for both undergraduate and graduate students. Experience in illustration and/or sequential narrative imaging is a plus. If the candidate is from the field of Art History, the candidate should have a substantial record of publication in this discipline, as well as demonstrate excellence in teaching and mentorship. The successful candidate will help train our graduate students to work in academic fields and be accepted into competitive PhD programs nationwide. If the candidate has a background in a studio discipline, the candidate should possess a demonstrated, recognized studio practice and a substantial record of exhibition at the national and/or international level relative to one or more creative visual disciplines. The UTRGV School of Art and Design currently supports concentrations in multiple studio areas including painting and drawing, printmaking, photography, jewelry and metals, ceramics, and sculpture. Within the 3-D areas there are rapid prototype and 3-D printing capacities. If the candidate has an Art Education specialization, the candidate should demonstrate a record of national and/or international scholarly and artistic achievements with the understanding that pedagogy in the field has both visual and scholarly applications. The successful candidate will be expected to assist in developing a graduate program in this discipline. The position can also serve as a liaison between the College of Education and School of Art and Design. Preferred Qualifications The successful candidate will be a forward-thinking leader with the demonstrated ability to develop a nationally competitive School of Art and Design and cultivate an environment conducive to growth. Other preferred qualifications include: 1. A proven track record as a qualified administrator. 2. Demonstrated experience with recruitment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. 3. Minimum of six years of experience teaching full-time in an institution of higher education. 4. Experience working with graduate students and part-time faculty. 5. Demonstrated experience in development of new degree plans and a graduate program. 6. A commitment to promoting excellence in research, art practice, and teaching across the undergraduate and graduate programs. 7. Ability to contribute to UTRGV’s bilingual, bicultural mission. 8. Experience with the NASAD accreditation process. 9. Evidence of external grant awards. License or Certification Required?No SalaryCommensurate with Qualifications and Experience Desired Start Date07/01/2025 Posting Detail Information EEO Statement It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest. Open Date12/19/2024 Close Date Additional Information UTRGV is a distributed institution. As such and as assigned, the position may require presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Work is performed primarily in a general office environment. This position is security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215. The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas ( TRS ), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program ( ORP ) instead of TRS , subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. Special Instructions to Applicants Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Social Security Number *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. To be considered for this position, a complete application must be fill out online: visit careers.utrgv.edu. Required Documents 1. Curriculum Vitae 2. List of 3 References 3. Letter of Interest 4. Unofficial Transcripts 5. Additional Documents: Examples of research and/or creative work: a. If in studio art or design, 20 images of personal work with accompanying image lists (72dpi, jpgs, 1000 px tall/wide). Provide URLs to online video files if necessary. b. If in art history or art education, two examples of publications or book chapter excerpts. Please Note Texas law requires faculty members whose primary language is not English to demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by a satisfactory paper-based test score of 500 (computer-based of 173 or internet-based of 61) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language ( TOEFL ) or a satisfactory test score of 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System ( IELTS ). Incomplete applications will not be considered. All positions are subject to budget approval. Quick Linkhttps://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/45513 Posting Supplemental Questions Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). Applicant Documents Required Documents + Curriculum Vitae + Unofficial Transcripts + List of 3 References + Letter of Interest + Additional Document Optional Documents + Resume + Cover Letter/Letter of Application + Teaching Philosophy + Writing / Publication Sample + Reference Letter 1 + Reference Letter 2 + Reference Letter 3 + Multi Media + Certifications and Licenses + Training Certificates + Other Document + Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness + Unofficial Transcripts 2 + Unofficial Transcripts 3 + Unofficial Graduate Transcripts + Teaching Statement + Research Statement + NCCPA Certification + State Licensure + Representative Research Publication/Grant Documents