POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Chair, Graduate Interaction Design Program

Open Rank Faculty Position, Full Time

October 2018

COLLEGE

Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) is an independent non-profit art college with undergraduate programs in architecture, design, fine arts, visual studies, and writing and literature. The college also has graduate programs in architecture, comics, design, interaction design, curatorial practice, design strategy, fine arts, social practice, film, visual and critical studies, and writing. Through these programs, the college has created a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment to fulfill the school’s motto of “Make art that matters.” Diverse cultural perspectives enrich the CCA community and the college believes that continuing to expand the horizons of the students and faculty is essential to achieving its educational objectives. CCA represents over one hundred years of dedication to its mission, whose character reflects its location in the San Francisco Bay Area, where histories of radical politics and technological innovation inform a culturally rich academic community infused by art schools, research universities, world-renowned museums, galleries, start-ups and community-run institutions. With campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls 1,950 full-time students and is embarking on a major campus planning project that will unify the college in one location and ensure its academic excellence for the next century.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

The Graduate Interaction Design Program at California College of the Arts was founded in 2015.   It is an intensive, highly competitive, one-year Master of Design (MDes) program for students with prior experience in design or a design-related field. Interaction Design is one of the most dynamic and expanding fields of professional practice today and is a key area of growth for the College.  

The mission of the program is to empower students to humanize technology through design. We do this through a curriculum that imparts a bold mix of design craft, strategic vision, and leadership skills. Our emphasis on leadership enables graduates to have a greater impact on the culture of teams and organizations, and in turn, positively affect the larger culture. We learn by doing, and while much of the education takes place in a collaborative, studio-based environment, a significant portion is oriented toward the surrounding world. We consider the city of San Francisco as an extension of our campus, and we work with community partners to practice design and leadership skills in a real-world setting.

We recognize the importance of including diverse voices in the practice of interaction design.  Our faculty consists of design leaders drawn from outstanding companies in the San Francisco Bay area, and our students join us from around the world.

The Graduate Interaction Design Program is part of the Design Division, which consists of undergraduate programs in Illustration, Furniture, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interaction Design, and Industrial Design, as well as a multi-disciplinary Graduate Design Program and Graduate Design Strategy Program.   

POSITION SUMMARY

The chair is responsible for the vision, leadership, and administration of the program within the context of the Design Division and the college.

The Chair is responsible for ensuring program relevance, educational excellence and ongoing successful operations. Responsibilities include planning, oversight, and operational management of the program’s curriculum, budget, and initiatives, as well as organizational leadership for staff, faculty, and students. The Chair is responsible for staying actively involved with both the curriculum and professional fields related to the Program’s graduates.

The Chair reports directly to the Dean of Design and works to achieve programmatic, divisional, and institutional goals in partnership with key offices including Academic Affairs, Admissions, Alumni Relations, Marketing, Communications, Facilities, and the offices of the Provost and the President. As this is a faculty position, the Chair is expected to teach in the program.

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Curriculum

● Lead faculty in developing and implementing program curricula and identity.

● Ensure curricula comply with specialized and primary accreditors’ guidelines.

● Lead regular assessment of student learning in partnership with faculty and use results

to inform strategic decisions to improve curricula, facilities, technology use, staffing, etc.

Program

● Devise, prepare, and monitor program budget in support of learning outcomes and the program mission.

● Work with faculty and Deans to develop program goals, strategies, and metrics consistent with college and program missions. Conduct ongoing progress evaluation.

● Work with the Dean and academic director’s office and appropriate staff to determine and communicate staffing, facilities, equipment, and other program needs.

● Provide the academic directors with a timely, accurate, and appropriate course schedule.

● Work with academic staff to manage the day-to-day running of the program.

● Ensure that faculty in the program have accurate and appropriate teaching loads based on their appointments.

● Ensure all program’s administrative documents are submitted accurately and in accordance with timelines, including goals documents, course schedule, budget, and course syllabi.

● Maintain a program that responds to the needs and goals of a culturally diverse student and faculty community and is relevant to the rapidly changing respective professional fields.

● In cooperation with the Dean of Design, build a portfolio of external partnerships to enhance and define student experience.

Faculty

● Identify, recruit, and make hiring recommendations for qualified faculty while maintaining a sustainable curricular model.

● Assess program faculty composition in light of diversity, visibility, and program goals and teaching effectiveness.

● Develop a multi-year hiring plan and provide written recommendations for new positions, promotions, and hires.

● Conduct regular performance evaluation of all program faculty.

● Manage, mentor, and support faculty in their roles as teachers, mentors, and practitioners.

● Participate in the formal review process through Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure for all program faculty.

● Effectively implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement for covered faculty.

● Lead regular program meetings with the ranked faculty.

College-wide

● Build a strong community with regular, open communication between students, faculty and staff.

● Work collaboratively with the Enrollment Management to establish and reach enrollment goals by developing and implementing effective student recruitment strategies.

● Develop and manage, with associate chairs, key partnerships internally including: facilities, career services, alumni services, communications, enrollment management, and financial aid.

● Attend and represent the program at all required Academic Affairs, Enrollment, Alumni, and Advancement-related events.

● Work with the Marketing/Communications and Alumni Offices to increase college and program visibility through promoting up-to-date student, faculty and alumni achievements.

● Attend mandatory chairs trainings, as well as all college- and division-wide chairs meetings.

● Communicate with other chairs to foster effective use of resources around public programs, events and exhibitions.

● Be responsive to requests for program-related information or input from college-wide staff in a timely manner.

Professional

● Establish and enhance academic and professional networks for the program.

● Attend conferences and stay up to date with issues relevant to the field.

Other duties specific to the program’s needs, as required.

CANDIDATE QUALITIES:

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a forward-thinking view of design education, have a substantial understanding of contemporary practice, and a proven record of success in an applicable professional field such as design leadership, design for social impact, systems design, IxD, UX, and AI. The successful candidate will be a well-connected design thought leader, ideally with prior teaching or administrative experience in a dynamic academic environment. They will have worked with culturally diverse groups and demonstrated an understanding of issues of sustainability and social impact from a global perspective. They will be an experienced collaborator, an excellent communicator and a good listener who is receptive to multiple points of view. They will evidence an ability to make informed decisions that maintain high ethical standards and demonstrate respect for colleagues, peers and stakeholders. They will have a commitment to advancing design education in alignment with a vision of the critical role and the responsibility that designers have in humanizing technology.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Evidence of successful leadership in an academic or professional environment

• Three years of  professional design experience

• Three years of recent teaching experience at the college level

• Evidence of teaching and leading in a culturally-competent manner with a global perspective

• Evidence of teaching effectiveness

• Experience managing professional networks in design and other fields

• Professional and/or academic experience in collaborative interdisciplinary contexts, project-based community engagement, social impact, participatory design, design advocacy or design research

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D, Masters, or terminal degree in studio-based design, design strategy, business or a relevant technical discipline. Candidates with a non-terminal degree but with significant professional experience and a significant record of achievement will also be considered.

• Experience working with diverse groups

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested candidates may apply via an online application (URL forthcoming).

Qualified applicants must complete the online application by uploading the following materials:

• Curriculum vitae

• Letter of interest

• Statement of teaching philosophy highlighting areas of pedagogic concentration

• Statement addressing professional practice

• Portfolio – one 15-20 page pdf file and/or up to 10 minutes of video (required)

• Up to 3 Pdfs of relevant published scholarly work (optional)

• Link to a website with examples of professional work (optional)

• Contact information for three professional references

Additional materials may be requested by the search committee at a later date.  

EEO Statement

As an educational and cultural institution, California College of the Arts has a responsibility to provide access and opportunities for all people, with special attention to supporting groups historically underrepresented in higher education. We believe that a culturally diverse campus is integral to academic excellence, and our student, faculty, staff, and trustee bodies should reflect the diverse world in which we live, with attention to race, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and ability. California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.