Acting Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives

ACT ASO DEAN&AST/ASO/FULL PROF

Acting Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives

Position: Full-time, 12-month faculty position with an anticipated 2-year term. Rank contingent upon candidate qualifications.
Date of Expected Hire: July 1, 2024
Salary: $126,000-$140,000 Commensurate with qualifications and experience

The University of Florida, College of the Arts invites applicants and nominations for the position of Acting Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives.  The position will report to the Interim Dean and be a part of the College’s Executive Committee.  The administrative duties of the position are to lead, expand and coordinate the college’s body of research and grant funding by managing current research, supporting new research/grant opportunities at the school level and leading grant writing at the college level; manage workflow for college level projects; assist with strategic initiatives, accreditation and program reviews; oversee all  faculty support programs/awards; oversee college strategic planning and implementation, including facilities and capital planning; manage and oversee assessment at the College level; represent the College internally and externally on committees, in national dialogues, and at meetings and events.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will prepare students to access and unsettle centers of power in a radically changing world. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for equity on local and global levels.

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty, seeking faculty of all races, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS: The mission of the College of the Arts is to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond.  We achieve the university’s mission by training professionals and educating students as artists and scholars, while developing their capacities for critical study, creative practice, and provocation.  The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,700 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 130 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, and the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the college comprises the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami. 

SCHOOL OF THEATRE + DANCE: The light-filled Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion is home to the School of Theatre + Dance (SoTD). The School’s international full-time faculty of 35 recognized artists and researchers, complemented by adjunct and guest faculty and staff, includes full- and part-time professionals. The School offers MFA curricula in acting and in design, which includes scene design, lighting design and costume design; BFA programs in acting, musical theatre, and theatrical production with concentrations in costume, digital media, lighting, scenic, and sound; and a BA with concentrations in general theatre, stage management, and theatre management. The School features two degree programs in dance designed to develop the individual voice of the dance artist, a BFA and a BA. Approximately 200 students major in the artistically diverse curricula of the School of Theatre + Dance. Through its production program, outreach and innovative programming, the School of Theatre + Dance provides multiple cultural opportunities annually to thousands of members of the University and the greater community. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance . 

SCHOOL OF ART + ART HISTORY: Organized within the College of the Arts, the School of Art + Art History nurtures a culture of critical inquiry in our scholarly and creative work. Our educational mission is to empower each student with knowledge, skills, and insight to engage thoughtfully with our changing world. The SA+AH believes that art, design, and scholarship are critical to our local, university, regional, national, and international communities. We pursue positive transformation and impact through socially engaged, local and global education, research, and creative works. Our community asks challenging questions, takes risks, and strives for excellence through an interdisciplinary, inclusive, and often collaborative practice. School of Art + Art History faculty publish, curate, and exhibit widely and internationally. They bring their scholarship and production into their teaching, offering innovative, engaged learning experiences to their students. We foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community through mutual respect and acceptance, assuming the best in others to enable a culture where everyone can flourish. Degree programs include the BA, BFA, MA, MFA, and PhD. Areas of study include art education, art history, design, museum studies, and studio art. The school has 400 undergraduate students enrolled in our majors and 190 graduate students in our residential programs and online art education MA. Also a part of the School of Art + Art History are the 4Most Gallery and the University Galleries—University Gallery, the Gary R. Libby Gallery, and Grinter Gallery — which provide exhibition space for contemporary art, including student work. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The art education program is accredited by NCATE. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/art .

SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Organized within the College of the Arts, the School of Music plays an important role in the academic and cultural life of the University, the College’s Creative Campus initiative and the community. The School has 40 full-time and nine adjunct faculty, serving some 200 graduate and 200 undergraduate music majors. Degree programs include B.A., B.M., M.M., D.M.A., and the Ph.D. in music education, composition, ethnomusicology, and historical musicology. Program emphases include performance, music education, theory, composition, music history and literature, ethnomusicology, conducting, and sacred music. The School of Music is also home to the UF Bands program, which includes “The Pride of the Sunshine” Gator Marching Band. School of Music facilities include the School of Music Building and Steinbrenner Band Hall, among others.  The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/music .

THE CENTER FOR ARTS, MIGRATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship (CAME) connects networks of scholars, artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and advocates to the engines of creative and cultural economics at the heart of migration. Defining the arts as all forms of cultural production, the center seeks to effectively create new models and power alignments that return value—entrepreneurship—to cultural producers to build more just global futures. Through community-responsive programming, research, and creative production, the center facilitates and extends the innovation, resilience, and ingenuity of diasporic and migratory communities.  

CENTER FOR ARTS IN MEDICINE: Housed in the College of the Arts, the Center for Arts in Medicine (CAM) is committed to advancing research, education, and practice in the arts in health, locally and globally. The Center facilitates research, education, and training in the use of the arts to enhance health in healthcare and public health contexts. The Center provides a framework for interdisciplinary collaboration among University of Florida faculty and students, healthcare providers, clinical artists, and our local and global communities. The Center develops and effects interdisciplinary research studies through its two research labs, and educational curricula on all levels. The Center serves as a national model for the arts in health research, education, and training. The Center provides certificate and degree programs, including MA and graduate certificates in Arts in Medicine and Arts in Public Health, and undergraduate certificates across disciplines. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/cam .
 
DIGITAL WORLDS INSTITUTE: Digital Worlds Institute (DW) is an interdisciplinary institute that offers academic and research programs at the intersection of the arts, communications, and technology. Founded in 2001 as a partnership between the College of the Arts and the College of Engineering, DW has grown its initiatives across additional units including the Colleges of Education, Journalism & Communications, and the Health Sciences. DW offers both a graduate and an undergraduate program in Digital Arts & Sciences. By bringing together the diverse talents of UF faculty, students, and staff in a multifaceted collaborative environment, the Institute serves as a platform for interdisciplinary research and teaching that would not have occurred within the confines of any one college or department. Through the use of interactive tools and technologies, the Institute promotes transdisciplinary creativity across classrooms, continents, and cultures. For more information, visit  www.digitalworlds.ufl.edu .

$126,000-$140,000  Commensurate with qualifications and experience

• Evidence of skill in designing and facilitating academic work that advances curiosity, inclusion, open intellectual discourse, and the well-being of all in an environment of complex diversities.
• Terminal degree or equivalent professional experience
• Demonstrable experience in successful grant writing and grants management
• Demonstrable experience in interdisciplinary research coordination and leadership within the Arts or related fields
• Evidence of success fostering collaboration across disciplines and work styles

Please be encouraged to apply even if you do not meet these preferred qualifications

• Record of securing external funding and of driving the advancement of external funding
• Terminal degree in an arts or related field (i.e. Arts, Design, Humanities, Engineering and other fields)
• Familiarity with specific research approaches in the Arts (practice-led research, performance-as-research, laboratory practice, etc.)
• Experience in team management
• Experience with socially engaged strategic initiatives
• Familiarity with strategic planning and implementation
• Fluency in national and/or international issues and trends around the arts and interdisciplinary arenas in which the arts engage
• Experience with navigating large, public academic/administrative systems

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until an applicant pool is established. To ensure full consideration, all application documents must be submitted by January 26, 2024. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the University of Florida’s online application system. Online applications must include the following: (1) a detailed letter of application that explains how you match the particular qualifications of this position and how your work and perspective will contribute to and enhance our transformative community; (2) a curriculum vitae; and (3) a list of three professional references with contact information. The UF system will give you the option to upload letters of reference. We are not requiring letters of reference with initial application materials. Please ignore that option. The Search Committee may request additional materials at a later date, including letters of reference. 

Inquiries may be sent to:
Kevin Orr, Director of the School of Music
Chair, Acting Associate Dean of Research Search
Email: [email protected]