Associate Professor/ Professor And Chair Of Theatre And Performance

Associate Professor/ Professor and Chairof Theatre and Performance

Theatre and Performance

Fall Semester 2024

Spelman College seeks teacher/scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the continued enhancement of the academic environment for students and colleagues. Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private four-year liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. The oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, Spelman is a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.

Associate Professor/Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Performance
Position DetailsPosition Information Division: Academic AffairsDepartment: Theatre and PerformanceEmployment Status: Tenured (Must have achieved Tenure at Previous Institution)Faculty Type/Rank Associate Professor / Professor andChair of Theatre and PerformanceArea of Study: Theatre and PerformancePosition Number: TBDBegins August 1, 2024
About the CollegeSpelman College seeks teacher-scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the continued enhancement of the academic environment for students and colleagues. Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private four-year liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. The oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, Spelman is a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education. All tenure-track candidates are expected to have a demonstrated interest in liberal arts and science education, contribute effectively to undergraduate teaching, assist in curriculum development, provide service to the department and College, as well as be active in scholarly, creative, and/or research productivity appropriate to a liberal arts environment.
About the DepartmentThe Department of Theatre & Performance prepares the next generation of African American women as thought leaders in Theatre and Performance by offering an interdisciplinary academic education at a premiere HBCU (Historically Black College and University). For more information about the program, visit https://www.spelman.edu/academics/majors-and-programs/theater-and-performance/major-requirements.Centered in an exemplary liberal arts College, the Department of Theatre & Performance offers the creative and inquisitive student an opportunity to explore theater and Performance, writing, and design through experimentation and exploration. The department is preparing actors, writers,directors, and technicians to inhabit the rapidly advancing work force of Theatre, film, and television by exposing our students to a range of contemporary, modern, and classical plays and original works at a level that prepares them for the top graduate schools and industry careers. Students are encouraged to experiment with performance modalities featuring text, film, songs, and site-specific installations to develop, create, and share original stories. In addition, students engage with African American cultural forms, classic theater texts, international creative methodologies, contemporary performance practices, and critical analysis of social activism. At present, there are one hundred and nine (109) majors and minors, five (5) full-time faculty including a technical director, and nine (9) part-time faculty. We have a strong partnership with other AUC Institutions such that many of their students in the Arts participate in classes and Performances hosted by Spelman College. The department is in the Division of The Arts, which also includes the Departments of Art & Visual Culture, Dance Performance & Choreography, Music, The Digital Moving Image Salon, and the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab.
Position SummaryThe Department of Theater & Performance in the Division of the Arts at Spelman College seeks a seasoned scholar, experienced leader and visionary at the Associate/Full Professor level who will also initially serve as Department Chair and lead the growing B.A program beginning August, 2024, which coincides with the opening of the newly renovated LaTanya Richardson & Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center (the candidate must be able to meet the tenure guidelines of the Spelman Faculty Handbook).The rank of the faculty position is tenured Associate/Full Professor.
· The department seeks applications from outstanding candidates with a stellar record of scholarship, creative productivity, knowledge about recent scholarship and emerging trends in the field, and who possess a strong strategic vision for 21st-century Theatre and Performance. In addition to the duties of all department chairs, the successful candidate will also be responsible for overseeing faculty-programmed annual performance season of three or four productions, identify high performing theater and Performance artistes, To perform effectively as Chair of an academic department, one must have effective leadership skills, a vision for the department, a spirit of cooperation with the faculty, the Division Chair, and other administrators.· The position of Chair is a three-year term in the first instance, renewable to a maximum of nine years, and is subject to administrative review and the renewal process as outlined in Appendix C of the College’s Faculty Handbook, April 2019: 76-77. The teaching load for department chairs is two/one (2/1), which is two courses in the fall semester and one (1)in the spring semester or vice versa. The Department Chair receives a stipend for an increase in their workload. The Department Chair will be expected to teach courses in the major core program and upper-level electives in their area of specialty.· The Chair provides academic and artistic leadership for the Department’s faculty, students, and staff. They advocate and articulate the vision of the Department within the Division of the Arts, the College, and the professional theater and Performance community. They are responsible for creating a season of innovative programs that will expand the traditional boundaries of theory and practice in theater and Performance and developing relationships with graduate programs and the community. The chair should be prepared to lead the department in articulating the mission, vision, strategic goals, and plan for the Department within the Division of the Arts, and consistent with the mission, vision, and strategic goals of the College, graduate programs, and the professional theater community. The chair will be expected to advocate for the department, and advise the college of the needs, environment, and initiatives of the department.· The Department will have three new theater and Performance spaces: the LaTanya Richardson & Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center, a renovated space with a proscenium stage that will be completed in the spring of 2024; a black box space; and a performance space in the Center for Innovation in the Arts, which is scheduled to open in 2024.
Duties of the ChairThe duties of Department Chair include, but are not limited to, the following:§ Assures the high quality of instruction within the department by reviewing teaching and grading practices of faculty and conducting peer reviews of faculty scholarship/creative activity and service activities. The Chair conducts and oversees the Departmental Review Process.§ Oversees and provides leadership for department’s academic program (s), including enhancing the department’s course offerings§ Manages the departmental budget in consultation with department faculty§ Assesses the quality and effectiveness of the academic program through curriculum review with departmental faculty§ Ensures that there is an equitable distribution of faculty work in the department§ Initiates and assists in grant writing efforts for the department§ Assumes major responsibility for departmental search procedures related to hiring new faculty, including recruitment§ Mentors tenure-track faculty and tenured faculty seeking promotion§ Oversees hiring, and review of part-time faculty§ Conducts annual evaluation of departmental faculty§ Advises departmental majors and minors and monitors graduation requirements for seniors§ Prepares annual departmental reports§ Oversees department reviews§ Convenes regular faculty meetings and ensures that proper minutes are kept§ Supervises Administrative Assistant / Program Coordinator(Spelman College Faculty Handbook April, 2019. Appendix C: 76).
Qualifications· Candidates must hold a terminal degree (MFA/PhD) in Theatre and Performance or a related field. Applicants should be proven leaders with a record of stellar scholarship, strong artistic and intellectual vision, along with administrative and teaching experience.
· The department seeks an accomplished theater professional and scholar-artist with experience in academia as well as non-profit or commercial theater. This candidate will guide the faculty to shape the curriculum, ensure scholarly rigor, and create a spectrum of theatrical career opportunities by providing a diverse and well-rounded theater education. They must be committed to leading the Department’s next stage of development in artistic and academic curricular innovation, faculty and staff development, professional collaborations both national and local, and engagement with graduate programs. The role requires a candidate with strong leadership, management and organizational ability, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Posting Detail InformationSpecial Instructions Summary: Please upload your application and supporting documents at: https://spelman.peopleadmin.com/postings/ Include reference letters as part of your Interfolio dossier package or have referees send letters by the stated deadline directly to the Office of the Provost.
Documents to be submitted: Required Documents1. Cover Letter2. Curriculum Vitae3. Graduate Transcripts4. Teaching Philosophy Statement5. Scholarly and Creative Philosophy Statement6. Service Philosophy Statement
7. Sample Syllabus
8. Portfolio; Writing Sample
9. Three (3) Letters of Reference

Candidates must hold a terminal degree (MFA/PhD) in Theatre and Performance or a related field. Applicants should be proven leaders with a record of stellar scholarship, strong artistic and intellectual vision, along with administrative and teaching experience.
Candidates must have achieved Tenure at previous institution.

F483P

01/24/2024

03/01/2024

Any correspondence regarding the position or your application will be relayed to you by our Faculty Affairs Team. Please do not reach out to any department faculty regarding the position or status of your application. We appreciate your interest and consideration.

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03/08/2024

Due to the heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 and the spread of variants, Spelman College requires up to date COVID-19 vaccination of all faculty, staff, and students (collectively “Campus Community”) that have job duties, attend classes, or are otherwise present on campus. You will need to submit proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination: full vaccination and a booster (when eligible) or a single dose of the bivalent vaccine) prior to your first day on campus or you may seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement by providing the necessary documentation to: Yemi Brown, PharmD Manager of COVID-19 Operations, at ibiyemibrown@spelman.edu. Upon receiving your Spelman Technology log-in credentials, please keep your vaccination or exemptions records up-to-date using Etrieve.