Description
INTRODUCTION
The Digital Media & Design Department in the School of
Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut (UConn) invites applications for a
tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in Fall 2021.
The position will have a focus on Digital Media Business Strategies including
digital content marketing and creative production/distribution.
Acknowledging a lack of diversity in digital media industries, DMD embraces an
inclusive environment and is particularly interested in receiving applications
from members of underrepresented and diverse groups.
The Digital Media & Design (DMD) Department is a
uniquely interdisciplinary academic unit led by faculty from the fine arts,
business, STEM, and humanities fields. Established in 2013, this innovative and
evolving department currently has 25 full-time faculty members, 320
undergraduate and 18 graduate students (MFA and MA) and offers BFA and BA
degrees in the following concentrations: Digital Film/Video Production (BFA),
3D Animation (BFA), Motion Design & Animation (BFA), Game Design (BFA),
Web/Interactive Media Design (BFA), Digital Culture, Learning, & Advocacy
(BA), and Digital Media Business Strategies (BA).
All of our concentrations place a strong emphasis on
collaboration and experiential learning, best preparing our students for the
challenges they may face when working in industry. The department has
established strong working partnerships with large and small companies,
start-ups, public institutions, and charitable nonprofits, giving students
hands-on, real-world opportunities that benefit the creative economy of the
state.
Founded in 1881, the UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant
institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s
flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs,
CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges,
including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn
Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty
and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over
8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest
research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the
nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces
diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its
students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being
of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural
environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of
academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social
service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and
innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and
notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support
for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily
selective.
The UConn Storrs campus is located in a beautiful area of
New England, with a moderate cost of living and proximity to major cultural,
recreational, and urban centers of the Northeast. The University community
provides residents with a rich diversity of cultural, artistic, athletic, and
historic experiences. UConn is ranked as the top public university in New
England, and among the top 25 public universities nationwide.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The selected candidate will teach undergraduate and
graduate-level classes and develop new courses in: digital content marketing,
digital consumer behavior, online advertising, and creative
production/distribution, as well as courses related to our other
concentrations. Courses are designed to be experiential in nature, providing
students with hands-on experience in developing strategies and plans and in
creating digital communications assets for clients. S/he will serve as an advisor
to students in the Digital Media Business Strategies concentration. Excellent
communication skills and a collaborative predisposition are essential. The
incumbent will also support faculty collaborations conducted through the
department and external client relations for purposes of business
communications, marketing, branding, advertising, and entertainment. The
successful candidate will be expected to maintain an active creative/academic
research agenda that indicates a high likelihood of future success at the
national and international levels consistent with a tenure-track
position.
The position has a 2/3 teaching load, comprised of five
3-credit courses per year - at all levels from freshman to graduate courses -
as well as possible independent studies and supervised internships. The
candidate is also expected to participate in service activities for the
Department, College, and University.
The successful candidate is expected to contribute to
research and scholarship through: high-quality publications, presentations at
prominent national and international academic conferences, extramural funding,
impact as measured through citations, exhibitions, festivals, 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 (Ph.D. or M.F.A.) in business, communications, design, film,
digital media, or other appropriate fields. Equivalent foreign degrees are
acceptable.
- Demonstrated
teaching experience.
- Demonstrated
expertise in brand management and integrating digital channels (websites,
social media, video, email, apps, etc.) in the marketing of products and
services for businesses.
- Evidence
of industry experience in the design, development, and implementation of
marketing plans for a product or suite of services.
- Demonstrated
understanding of design principles, branding, and short-form video.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- At
least three years of distinguished teaching and mentoring at the
undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Experience
with multicultural or cross-cultural marketing strategies for engaging
diverse populations and communities.
- Demonstrated
professional/commercial experience with innovative digital business
strategies
- Knowledge
of various forms of digital media (e.g., film production, animation,
motion graphics, web design, game design, etc.) and an interest in social
media and how it challenges the traditional way that an audience engages
with visual content.
- Functional
knowledge/usage of creative and digital applications such as Adobe
Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere), and Google Analytics,
or their equivalents.
- Evidence
of a deep commitment to contribute through research, teaching, and/or
public engagement to the diversity and excellence of the learning
experience.
APPOINTMENT TERMS
This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track appointment with
a start date of August 23, 2021. The successful candidate’s primary
appointment will be at the Storrs campus with the possibility of travel to
regional campuses on occasion and/or online instruction. Faculty may also be
asked to teach at one of UConn’s regional campuses as part of their ordinary
workload. Salary is competitive and based on background, qualifications, and
professional experience.
TO APPLY
Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/18021 and
submit the following application materials:
- A cover
letter specifically addressing your credentials relative to the
minimum and preferred qualifications listed above,
- A
complete curriculum vitae,
- A digital
portfolio of scholarly and/or creative research and 3-5 student
work samples, if available,
- A
statement of teaching philosophy,
- A one
to two-page research/scholarship statement,
- A
one-page commitment to diversity and inclusion statement,
- Names
and contact information of three professional references.
Review of applications will begin on February 28, 2021 and
will continue until filled.
For more information regarding the Department of Digital
Media & Design, visit http://dmd.uconn.edu.
At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to
excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse
community.
Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon
the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.
This position will be filled subject the budgetary approval.
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.