The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) at Virginia Tech invites applications for a full-time, nine-month position as a tenured/tenure-track faculty member of Cinema Studies and Chair of the Cinema program; currently a major in the Theatre Arts Degree. This role will be integral to the expansion of this program and, in turn, the advancement of the school’s mission and objectives.

Responsibilities:
In addition to teaching and maintaining a productive program of scholarly research, the successful candidate will serve as the inaugural Academic Program Chair of Cinema, playing a pivotal role in the SOPA leadership team. Key administrative responsibilities include:
• Contributing to annual reports and managing program-specific budgets.
• Drafting faculty performance evaluation summaries.
• Coordinating pre-tenure reviews, teaching evaluations, and developing hiring plans.
• Overseeing teaching assignments and assisting the Director with research leave requests and modified duties.
• Providing recommendations on staffing space management, budget allocation, and faculty support.
• Serving on the SOPA Personnel Committee and leading programmatic goals, faculty meetings, and cross-discipline collaboration.
• Mentoring faculty, supporting student learning, and overseeing student events and daily operations.
• Collaborating with advisors on student concerns and managing curricular development, including teaching loads and course scheduling.

Teaching and Service:
The teaching assignment includes lower- and upper-division undergraduate courses, encompassing general education courses. The Cinema Chair will collaborate closely with the Theatre Chair to ensure the continued success of the Cinema major within the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts degree program. Additionally, the Chair will work with Cinema faculty and relevant stakeholders to develop new degree programs and contribute to existing ones. Service responsibilities include participation in departmental and university committees, leading programmatic development and recruitment efforts, and spearheading strategic planning for the Cinema program in alignment with the School of Performing Arts and university-level plans.

Contract and Compensation:
This is an academic year (9-month) position.  The role of program chair will require some summer availability and will be contracted for an initial three-year term with the possibility of renewal. Compensation in recognition of responsibilities as academic program chair will include an administrative/summer stipend, one course release per semester, and annual professional development funds.

About Us:
The School of Performing Arts (SOPA) is one of four schools (along with the Schools of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design) in the newly formed College of Architecture, Arts, and Design (AAD), which launched in July 2022. SOPA offers programs in music, theatre, and cinema at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs are delivered in Virginia Tech’s Creativity and Innovation District, which concentrates 11 performance spaces within a three-block area on the Blacksburg campus. Performance venues range from the 1,300-seat Moss Arts Center to a 101-seat experimental theatre.

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech affirms our collective responsibility to encourage, build, and embrace the polyculturism of our world. We do this by acknowledging and addressing our past, recognizing our current responsibility, and acting in the interests of building and sustaining communities that are truly safe, supportive, and inclusive for all. Our commitment is to engage in these processes continually and proactively for the benefit of our students, staff, and faculty across the college and the communities around the world we aim to serve.