Assistant/Associate Professor in Graphic Design & Design for Responsible Innovation (Tenure-Track)

School of Art & Design

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The School of Art & Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position, at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, to support the continued expansion of the program in Graphic Design and Design for Responsible Innovation. The School encourages submissions from individuals with specializations across a range of design areas. The anticipated start date is August 16, 2025.

We seek applicants who will contribute to our faculty by pushing beyond graphic design’s historical perspectives and approaches to engage design’s ethical implications, re-center those excluded by the discipline, or innovate methodologies and pathways. These include, but are not limited to, Indigenous design knowledges, queering design, applied experimentation in visual communication, social interaction design, liberatory approaches to the development and dissemination of knowledge, collaboration across disciplines and with community partners, and design for climate justice and to dismantle and reimagine other inequities faced by historically marginalized communities.

Qualifications

This position is primarily based in the Graphic Design BFA and the Design for Responsible Innovation MFA programs but supports opportunities in Art & Design’s Foundations curriculum and areas overlapping with other programs such as Industrial Design and Studio Arts. Familiarity with current and historical approaches to visual communication and experience design while also demonstrating a critical perspective on these systems is required.

Preferred skills and knowledge include - practice, teaching, and/or research that connect to one or more of the following areas of design: Typography, Motion Design, Indigenous Design, Design for Sustainability, Gender and Design, Equity and Design, and Design Futures.

Candidates are required to have a terminal graduate degree in design, applied arts, social sciences, informatics, or a related field. Candidates whose terminal degree is outside design must demonstrate academic experience in creative disciplines. All candidates must demonstrate a growing record of scholarly and/or professional research, design work, publications, and/or exhibitions, and must demonstrate teaching effectiveness and have a strong capacity to engage with contemporary design as a social, aesthetic, collaborative, and professional discipline.

We encourage individuals with MDES, MFA, DDES, Ph.D. in visual communications design or a related field or a BFA in design, with an advanced degree in another area to apply.

Responsibilities

Candidates will contribute to the BFA and MFA programs’ diverse and proactive approaches to leading and reshaping the design field through research, pedagogy, and service the broader equity goals set by the College of Fine and Applied Arts to create and sustain just, equitable, and sustainable communities. Candidates will enrich the undergraduate (BFA) program in Graphic Design, the graduate (MFA) program in Design Responsible Innovation, future graduate programs, the School of Art & Design and the University of Illinois through research, service, and public engagement.

Teaching responsibilities consist of two courses in the fall and two in the spring (2/2). This may include core undergraduate courses, foundation studios, and graduate courses. Course assignments are based on departmental needs. The candidate will contribute to existing graphic and interaction design curricula and implement new courses at entry and advanced levels. Additional responsibilities include service through shared governance to the department, school, college, campus, university, discipline, and/or the local community. Candidates will participate in regular assessments of their teaching, research, and service efforts.

Salaries of current faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor range from $75,000 to $84,500 and at the rank of Associate Professor from $85,000 – $100,000. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints.

Context

Building upon its longstanding reputation for excellence, the Graphic Design (undergraduate) and Design for Responsible Innovation (graduate) programs in the School of Art & Design are deeply responsive to the evolving contemporary design landscape. Faculty members engage in diverse research interests, methods, and modes of practice that collectively expand and redefine traditional notions of design in practice and academia. The BFA program in Graphic Design addresses the complex intersection of craft and rapidly advancing communication technologies, equipping students to drive positive change in today’s social and cultural systems. The MFA program in Design for Responsible Innovation explores intentional actions that foster equitable, sustainable futures, engaging networks of both human and non-human actors.

Student and faculty work is supported by state-of-the-art labs for traditional and contemporary media, including spaces for digital imaging and printing, audio-visual production, rapid two- and three-dimensional prototyping, and darkroom photography. Facilities for bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking, and fashion design are also available. The School offers undergraduate and/or graduate degrees and concentrations in Art Education, Art History, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Design for Responsible Innovation, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Studio Art.

About the University of Illinois

The School of Art & Design is part of the College of Fine & Applied Arts at the University of Illinois, an internationally renowned research and educational institution. The Urbana-Champaign campus is a public land-grant university and is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system. The University supports faculty as active researchers in the humanities, arts, sciences, engineering, and design through opportunities for funding and vital cross-disciplinary exchange in the campus’ many institutes, centers, and initiatives. These include the Campus Research Board, the Humanities Research Institute, the Center for Advanced Study, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Siebel Center for Design, and numerous other specialized centers.

The arts also play a vital and recognized role in the University’s service mission as a state university, as evidenced by the examples of the Krannert Art Museum, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and the Japan House, each a respected international hub for innovative scholarship and public engagement.

The University actively pursues a commitment to diversity through growing support for its numerous area and ethnic studies programs. Faculty and students in the arts routinely collaborate with these areas in their research and programming; such efforts enjoy support for activities on campus and around the world.

Supported by the nation’s fourth largest research library and abundant technological resources, the University of Illinois provides a rich environment for collaboration and experimental ventures. Urbana-Champaign is in East Central Illinois, within a two-to-three-hour drive of Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. For more information, please visit https://illinois.edu for the University, https://faa.illinois.edu for the college, and https://art.illinois.edu for the school.

Work authorization sponsorship is available for this position.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on November 3rd, 2024. Interviews may begin prior to the initial closing date; however, the review of applications will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Apply for this position using the "Apply Now" button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. Please create your candidate profile and upload the following as individual PDF files.

Concise detailed letter of application (2-page max.).
Design research statement (2-page max.).
Design teaching statement (2-page max.).
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access statement (2-page max.).
Curriculum vitae.
Names and complete contact information for three academic references.
Portfolio of work/publications (up to 15 pieces/articles).
Portfolio of student work (up to 15 pieces) with related course syllabi and project descriptions.

All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered. The total application content cannot exceed 10MB.

If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Professor Lynne Dearborn, Search Committee Chair, at dearborn@illinois.edu, or Bobbie Clegg, HR Coordinator at bjclegg@uillinois.edu. For technical questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.