University of Arkansas
Employer:The Department of Interior Architecture and Design at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Arkansas, seeks an individual interested in leading innovative and transdisciplinary approaches to teaching, scholarship, history and theory, emerging technologies, multimodal design strategies and/or social equity through design. The successful candidate will join a vibrant team of faculty in a department growing in stature and national recognition to forge a diverse culture of thinking and making within the existing professional undergraduate curriculum. In addition, resources are available to support the new faculty member's research, creative scholarship and/or creative practice.
The Fay Jones School's emphasis on collaborative design education is aimed at preparing students to address contemporary challenges and issues of imperative value to the state, nation and world. The school has diverse resources available in its award-winning building and state-of-the-art fabrication facilities. The U of A Community Design Center, Garvan Woodland Gardens, and the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Material Innovation by the Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Grafton Architects, provide for a range of teaching and scholarship activities. There also are opportunities to take advantage of the School's external relationships with institutions and programs such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Momentary, and the Walton Arts Center.
The school has a Master of Design Studies program with concentrations in Resiliency Design, Retail and Hospitality Design, Integrated Wood Design, Preservation Design, and Wellness Design. Successful candidates may have demonstrated ability to contribute to these post-professional degree concentrations.
We, the faculty and staff of the Fay Jones School, are committed to having faculty, staff, and a student body that reflects the diversity of the state and nation. We understand we can only fulfill our mission in education to the state and nation by working towards this goal. Our school's community is actively engaged in the transversal planning and implementation of multiple actions in the cause of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the Department of Interior Architecture and Design actively seek and invite underrepresented individuals to apply for this position. Please refer to our website for more information.
Interested candidates are invited to submit their qualifications for a full-time, nine-month, tenure track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor. Individuals with a wide and varied range of design practices, research/creative interests, and/or professional experiences are strongly encouraged to apply.
This position start date is August 2025.
REQUIRED
PREFFERED
Note: Uniquely qualified candidates with strength in areas other than those listed as “preferred”, and ABD candidates, will be considered.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Assistant Professor (tenure-track): Teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, pursuing peer-reviewed scholarly and creative inquiry, and providing service to the department, school, university, and community are foundational expectations. The standard tenure-track faculty workload is 65% teaching, 25% research, scholarship or creative activity and 10% service. The typical tenure-track faculty teaching assignment is two courses per semester, one studio and one lecture/seminar or two studios, per semester. This Assistant Professor will lead studio and classroom instruction, create curriculum material, construct syllabi, assess student knowledge and skills, advise students, and provide other scholastic achievement guidance.
SALARY + RANK
Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN DEPARTMENT
Established 50 years ago, the Interior Architecture and Design Department has more than 280
undergraduate students and a faculty with broad based, scholarly research accomplishment and strong professional practice experience. Graduates have a very strong employment rate at nationally and internationally recognized design firms. The CIDA-accredited professional program requires and provides high-quality international education and cross-disciplinary studio experiences.
Overarching values guiding the faculty are a commitment to a rigorous team-taught, process-driven design education, integration of research/creative activity into classroom teaching, assimilation of teamwork skills by our students, emphasis on inclusive environments, and the realization of sustainable design solutions. Students develop strong conceptual, spatial design and technical skills through experimentation, discovery, iteration, and invention.
Required practice-based internships in locations across the US and internationally build relationships between students and potential employers and produce sophisticated graduates capable of performing in a wide range of creative contexts. A supportive professional advisory board includes successful design leaders from across the country and assists the Department in achieving its goals and promoting the program.
International education; regular studio-based field trips to national urban centers; transdisciplinary collaboration; minors in sustainability, business, hospitality, architecture history and theory, preservation design and urban planning; and graduate concentrations enrich students' creative expression, deepen knowledge bases and cultural awareness, and build critical thinking skills. Student creativity and competency have been evidenced in the recent awarding of six national Donghia scholarships, two Gensler-Brinkmann Scholarships, and the 2024 National ASID portfolio competition. as well as numerous ASID design awards. Please visit our website for additional information about our Department of Interior Architecture and Design.
FAY JONES SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN AND COMMUNITY
The Fay Jones School includes highly regarded accredited professional programs in architecture, interior architecture and design and landscape architecture. Together, these programs provide a collaborative design education aimed at preparing students to address complex challenges and issues of imperative value to the state, nation and world.
International education is provided for all students in established programs in Rome, and European departmental programs in a wide variety of locations. These opportunities introduce students to interior environments, buildings, cities and landscapes very different from their own, enriching their design vocabulary and deepening their understanding of other cultures. A rigorous Honors program within the School engages exceptional students in experiential education that deepens classroom learning. The school's honors curriculum targets students interested in independent exploration of topics related to the natural and built environment.
Students benefit further from diverse and committed alumni, a vibrant professional network, and the voices of leading design thinkers from around the globe. A robust lecture and growing workshop series bring nationally and internationally known practitioners, artists, authors and educators to the campus to share their projects and philosophies with students and faculty in all disciplines. Our existing professional and industry relationships and over 3000 alumni provide a robust professional network along with opportunities regionally and internationally.
The Fay Jones School is located in Vol Walker Hall and the Steven L Anderson Design Center, an award- winning addition and renovation that affords exemplary learning environments for students, and an outstanding teaching and working facility for faculty and staff. Completed in 2013, the building has received numerous accolades including a 2018 AIA Honor Award for the work completed by Marlon Blackwell Architects and Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. The School’s state-of-the-art resources in computational design and design robotics as well as fabrication labs inform student and faculty making and design processes. The facility includes a Multimedia Center, Design Shop, Maker Lab, Materials Lab, exhibition gallery, and related lecture hall, classrooms and seminar spaces. Additionally, off-campus maker spaces, the U of A Community Design Center, U of A Resiliency Center, and the Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs expand teaching and research opportunities for both students and faculty.
The developing Windgate Art and Design District will provide for multiple facilities supporting the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the School of Art including the Anthony Center for Design and Materials Innovation provide for a range of teaching and scholarship activities. The University of Arkansas’ School of Art offers degrees in art education, art history, ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture including a Master of Fine Arts.
The School is located in a rich architecture and design community. The work of Fay Jones and Edward
Durrell Stone, along with the mid-century body of work found on the University of Arkansas campus and in the nearby region, establishes our historic design legacy. The contemporary work of Marlon Blackwell Architects, Modus Studio, Marvel Architects, Wheeler Kearns Architects, Ecological Design Group, and Nelson Byrd Woltz, contribute to the distinctive regional and national dialogue about contemporary design.
In addition to outstanding architecture and design, there is an abiding commitment to the visual and performing arts. Northwest Arkansas is home to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, 21C Museum Hotel, Scott Family Amazeum, Walton Arts Center, Theater Squared , Arkansas Music Pavilion, and a host of nationally recognized art, music, and food venues enhancing quality of life for students and families. Nicknamed the Natural State, Arkansas boasts diverse outdoor activities in settings that include forest lands, limestone caves, rivers, and lakes protected in nearby state and national parks and wilderness areas.
Business diversity contributes to the economic vitality of the region. There are seven Fortune 500 companies located in Northwest Arkansas with Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, being the most notable. Additionally, more than 300 additional Fortune 500 companies have located satellite offices in the area. Entrepreneurs find equal ground, further diversifying this business environment. DataFox names Fayetteville the third best place to start a business.
This business environment provides a depth of opportunity for career development and NWA was ranked second in Forbes’ "2017 Best Midsize Cities for Jobs." Affordable living, economic opportunity, and social and cultural richness make Fayetteville an outstanding place to live, work, and study. Sperling’s Best Places Index lists Fayetteville’s cost of living as 91.4, almost 9 percent below the national average and the 2021 U.S. News & World Report identified Fayetteville as the fourth Best Place to Live in America. Fayetteville Public Schools are ranked No. 1 in Arkansas. Please visit our website for additional information about the Fay Jones School.
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
Founded in 1871 as a land grant institution, the University of Arkansas is classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the top two percent of universities in the nation with the highest level of research activity. Ten colleges and schools serve more than 33,600 students with more than 200 academic programs. University of Arkansas students earn nationally competitive awards at an impressive rate and represent 50 states and more than 120 countries.
Located in the stunning Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas campus, known for its spectacular views and ample green spaces. Fayetteville is considered one of the country’s finest college towns, and the surrounding northwest Arkansas region is regularly ranked one of the best places to live in the U.S. Some of the nation’s best outdoor amenities and most spectacular hiking and mountain-biking trails are within a short distance of campus.
As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.
APPLICATION
Completed applications received by Friday, January 3, 2024 will be assured full consideration. Later applications will be accepted and reviewed as necessary to fill the position. Review of applications will commence upon receipt.
Please include the following:
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Letter of Interest (2-page maximum)
The letter should clearly describe the candidate's:
- vision of interior design education and practice
4. List of previous courses taught with roles, responsibilities, and work samples (if applicable)
- student work completed under direction of applicant with associated project descriptions
Application materials must be uploaded to the U of A's employment system at
Portfolios will be collected through uark.box.com. Once you complete your job application, you will receive an email in one to two business days with a link to upload your portfolio materials to uark.box.com. For questions or assistance with uploading your materials, or if you do not receive a link to upload your portfolio in one to two business days, please contact Human Resources at (479) 575-5351. (If your portfolio is not uploaded, you will not be considered for the position.
Note: Official transcripts will be required from finalists.
Search Committee Chair: Kimberley Furlong, Associate Professor of Interior Architecture and Design, kfurlong@uark.edu
Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Statement
The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The university welcomes applications without regard to age, race/color, gender (including pregnancy), national origin, disability, religion, marital or parental status, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sexual orientation or gender identity. Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment. All applicant information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
All application materials must be uploaded to the U of A's employment system at:
https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjob...
