The Digital Media & Design Department in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor with a start date of August 23, 2018. This position will have a focus on Digital Design with expertise in Web and Interactive media. We seek a candidate with a strong professional record, previous teaching experience at the university level, and a commitment to teaching undergraduates of diverse backgrounds. The successful candidate is active in web design with knowledge of its underlying principles such as graphic design, animation, narrative development, creative coding, dynamic typography, and other areas that support the emerging fields of interactive time-based/motion media. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching undergraduate courses of all levels and will be expected to demonstrate a shared commitment to the development of innovative courses and advising/mentoring of students in research, outreach and professional development.

Finally, the successful candidate will have an opportunity to build upon existing core courses that relate to web and interactive media studies and participate in building collaborations across the disciplines, including the fields within design; education; engineering; marketing; social media; and business. Excellent communication skills and a collaborative predisposition are essential. Additionally, a successful candidate must be able to maintain an active academic agenda of research and/or professional design projects and engage in service activities consistent with a tenure-track position.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) is entering a transformational period of growth supported by the $1.7B Next Generation Connecticut ( http://nextgenct.uconn.edu ) and the $1B Bioscience Connecticut ( http://biosciencect.uchc.edu ) investments and a bold new Academic Plan: Path to Excellence ( http://issuu.com/uconnprovost/docs/academic-plan-single-hi-optimized_1 ). As part of these initiatives, UConn has hired more than 450 new faculty at all ranks during the past three years and opened up residential housing at the UConn Stamford campus. We are pleased to continue these investments by inviting applications for faculty positions in the Department of Digital Media & Design at the UConn Stamford campus.

The UConn Stamford campus is in a vibrant and exciting city - with over 400 restaurants, bars, and entertainment and art venues. With easy access to New York City and home to companies like NBC Sports, WWE, and Blue Sky Studios, Stamford has become a prime location for any practitioner and researcher of Digital Media.

The Digital Media & Design (DMD) department is a uniquely interdisciplinary academic unit lead by faculty from the arts, business, STEM, and humanities fields. Established in 2013, this evolving department currently has 20 faculty members across two campuses (Storrs and Stamford), 350 undergraduate and 15 graduate students. DMD is the second largest major at the Stamford campus and currently offers BFA and BA degrees with the following concentrations:

1) Digital Media Strategies for Business (BA)

2) Animation & Motion Graphics (BFA, BA)

3) Web / Interactive Media Design & Development (BFA, BA)

Building on our corporate relationships and partnerships, DMD Stamford students and alumni have secured internships and full-time jobs at local design agencies and leading digital companies headquartered in Lower Fairfield County. A growing tech community has also given rise to Stamford-based Digital Media startups, the Stamford Global Game Jam, and other hackathon and maker faire events, which allow students and faculty to engage in short and long-term projects within the community.

The UConn Stamford campus embraces its remarkably diverse student community, and in support the School of Fine Arts has activated a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. Therefore, DMD values opportunities to further collaborate with existing internal and external programs that support inclusion initiatives. And we are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of under-represented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for this position.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES

The successful candidate is expected to contribute to research and scholarship through (in disciplines where applicable): high quality publications, presentations at prominent national and international academic conferences, extramural funding, impact as measured through citations, exhibitions, and/or national recognition as through honorific awards. In the area of teaching, a successful candidate will share a deep commitment to effective instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels, development of innovative courses and mentoring of students in research, outreach and professional development. Successful candidates will also be expected to broaden participation among members of under-represented groups; demonstrate through their research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience; integrate multicultural experiences into instructional methods and research tools; demonstrate leadership in developing pedagogical techniques designed to meet the needs of diverse learning styles and intellectual interests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Terminal Degree in Digital Media, Graphic Design, Art, Visual Communication, or other appropriate fields. Equivalent foreign degrees are acceptable.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating professional design practice with an emphasis on web/interactive design.
• Ability to teach at all levels of curriculum from foundation to advanced.
• Expertise in Adobe CC, especially Photoshop, Illustrator and/or InDesign and other industry-standard print and interaction design software.
• Demonstrated fluency with HTML/CSS and/or other relevant supporting technology.
• The ability to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the learning experience through innovative research, teaching, and public engagement.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A record of distinguished teaching and mentoring at the undergraduate and/or graduate level, utilizing active and inclusive pedagogy.
• At least 4 years of professional experience in design and/or 2 years teaching/research experience at the university level.
• Experience with design for advertising, branding and/or social media.
• Demonstrated understanding of current and emerging web development technologies.
• Experience with UI/UX, web design, design for mobile and other digital technologies such as virtual and/or augmented reality.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track appointment with a start date of August 23, 2018. Salary is competitive and based on background, qualifications, and professional experience. The successful candidate primary academic appointment will be at the UConn Stamford campus with the possibility of travel to UConn's Storrs campus on occasion and/or online instruction as a part of their ordinary workload.

TO APPLY

Please select "Apply" to submit the following materials via Academic Jobs Online. Please include your last name as well as search #2018427 in the document title for each document submitted:

1. A cover letter specifically addressing your credentials relative to the minimum and preferred qualifications listed above,
2. A complete curriculum vitae,
3. A digital portfolio consisting of personal artwork and web-related student work (minimum of ten student works)
4. Syllabi from any level courses taught;
5. A statement of teaching philosophy,
6. A one to two-page research and scholarship statement
7. A one-page commitment to diversity statement
8. Names and contact information of three professional references.

Review of applications will begin on March 30, 2018. We will continue to review applications until the position is filled, but to insure full consideration, application materials should be submitted no later than March 30, 2018. Employment of the successful candidate will be contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check. (Search # 2018427)

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp .

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University's teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn's ranking as one of the nation's top research universities. UConn's faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.



To apply please click here!