Description:

The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University seeks a dynamic leader from the fields of media arts, gaming, film and/or emerging media to oversee development and operations of transdisciplinary curricular and public programs at the new ASU@Mesa City Center facility, which opens in 2021. This position will report directly to the dean of the Herberger Institute and carries an appointment as either Professor or Professor of Practice, depending on experience.

About ASU

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 80,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation's fifth largest city. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.

About the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the largest comprehensive design and arts school in the nation, is a vibrant example of the of the New American University philosophy. With nearly 5,000 students, more than 400 faculty and faculty associates, 135 degree options and a tradition of top-ranked programs, the Herberger Institute is built on a combination of disciplines unlike any other program in the nation. The institute includes the School of Art, School of Arts, Media and Engineering, The Design School, School of Film, Dance and Theatre, School of Music, and the ASU Art Museum. Through recognizing that design and the arts are critical resources for transforming society and solving complex problems, ASU’s Herberger Institute is committed to positioning artists, scholars, designers, and educators at the center of public life. For more information on the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, visit herbergerinstitute.asu.edu.

About ASU@Mesa City Center

The future of the creative media industries hinges on two trends that are currently nascent but will soon have profound impacts across our world: (1) the fusion of technologies and knowledges across the fields of film/media/television, gaming, architecture/design, and emerging media, and (2) the potential of what rises from that fusion to create intersections between worlds – the present and the future, the near and the distant, the virtual and the actual. In the coming decades, advanced practices in visualization and experience design will provide our civilization with tools that far transcend entertainment; companies, communities, and countries will use them to test ideas, enact realities, and tell transformative stories across a range of media - to design futures and prototype solutions to wicked problems. ASU’s development of a world class facility and programs in this area will comprise a vital resource for Mesa’s Digital Innovation District.

Curricular programs

This new facility will host several significant curricular programs, comprising the majority of student engagement in this new venture. Providing the largest number of majors, particularly in startup phase, is the existing program in Film and Media Production in the School of Film, Dance and Theatre, currently in leased space. The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts will also be developing and expanding several new graduate programs in media arts and design. Finally, a cross-university working group has been convened to explore potential transdisciplinary applications of relevant practices to industries and sectors outside of the arts and design. The Director will be the primary convener and point of contact with each of the academic units engaged in these constituent programs.

Professional and community-based practice

It is critical, both in response to the City of Mesa’s investment in this facility and for contemporary educational best practices, that the programs based in the City Center facility be broadly and deeply connected to local communities, to the emerging innovation district, and to the professional fields beyond. Building on existing university strengths and programs such as Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), Community Solutions Corps, Design and Arts Corps, the Cronkite New Media Innovation Lab, and others, as well as existing programs related to Entrepreneurship and Innovation, ASU will build a world-class suite of professional development opportunities for students with direct benefits to the community and beyond.

Research and knowledge enterprise development

This facility represents a rare opportunity for researchers in all fields: the opportunity to conceptualize, visualize, prototype, communicate and enact new ideas and new futures in a transdisciplinary environment. As a natural evolution of programs such as the Decision Center for a Desert City, we propose to create one of the world’s premiere sites for imagining and testing revolutionary ideas in a flexible, dynamic, and adaptable environment, where researchers can co-locate and partner with relevant industries to accelerate the growth of the Downtown Mesa Digital Innovation District.   

Position Responsibilities

The Director of Academic and Community Programs will have broad-reaching responsibilities across the areas of operations, public programming and academic program coordination, including, but not limited to:

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PHASE (2018-2021):

• Assemble and coordinate, in collaboration with faculty and School Directors, advisory groups from the university, the field/industry, and the community.
• Consult with the architectural design team and University stakeholders on the design and outfitting of the facility and coordinate field-level and community advisory group participation in the design process.
• Facilitate the development of cross-disciplinary academic curricula in partnership with academic units, including the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the Fulton Schools of Engineering, the School of Sustainability, and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society.
• Plan and facilitate with staff assistance public programming for the university and the community in mission-related areas.
• Coordinate with ASU Offices of Governmental Affairs and Media Relations around public messaging related to constituent Schools and programs of the facility and their relationship to the community.
• Consult on and participate in hiring of program faculty and staff when appropriate.
• Supervise support staff and programming/development budget.

OPERATIONS PHASE (2021- ):

• Coordinate collaborations between academic, public-facing and research units for maximized use of the facility, including but not limited to: the Synthesis Center, FilmSpark, the Institute for the Future of Innovation in Society, the Center for Science and the Imagination, Graphic Information Technology, and the Interplanetary Initiative.
• Plan and facilitate public programming for the university and the community in mission-related areas.
• Consult on and participate in hiring of program faculty and staff when appropriate.
• Supervise support and operations staff, including laboratory/facility managers.
• Plan and supervise facility operations, public programming, and research support budgets where appropriate.

Required Qualifications:

Qualified candidates for this position must possess:

• Demonstrated knowledge of or familiarity with the following or related fields: film/media, digital storytelling, gaming, VR/AR/blended reality, experience design, interaction design/interactive technology, design theory, worldbuilding, 3D modeling/animation/visualization, motion/spatial sensing/imaging, technology entrepreneurship.
• Advanced degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in leadership of complex enterprises.
• Experience with and knowledge in cross-cultural communication and demonstrated ability to work with diverse publics.

Desired Qualifications:

Highly-qualified candidates for this position will possess:

• Demonstrated experience in developing cross-sector partnerships, particularly in areas related to media and technology development/transfer and/or public-private partnerships with cities, states and/or other units of government.
• Demonstrated experience in use of community- or socially-engaged design/creative practices for community/economic development and or social entrepreneurship.
• Demonstrated skill in facilitating multi-stakeholder design processes and complex collaborations between organizations, departments, institutions, and/or communities.
• Higher education faculty experience.
• Experience working with or within higher education in an administrative/leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated experience and commitment to issues of representation and participation in the fields of entertainment and technology, particularly in areas related to gender, race, and identity.
• Experience in overseeing design and build-out specification of facilities in related fields.

Instructions to Apply:

Please submit a CV, letter of interest, and the names and information of at least three professional references.

All applications must be submitted electronically via http://apply.interfolio.com/59234.

Application Deadline:

The application deadline is March 1^st, 2019. If not filled, reviews will occur every two weeks thereafter until the search is closed.

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses and certifications.

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. See ASU's complete non-discrimination statement at https://asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html. See ASU’s Title IX policy at https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.