Chair, Animation and Media Arts

The Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) seeks a dynamic, collaborative, and entrepreneurial artist and educator to serve as the inaugural chair of the newly formed Department of Animation and Media Arts. The department chair should be both aspirational and grounded; a flexible, adaptive thinker and a creative problem solver—someone who easily moves from big-picture vision to on-the-ground implementation. The chair should model facilitative and care-based leadership and prioritize relationship building among faculty, staff, and students.

About MICA:

Founded in 1826, MICA is the oldest independent, continuously degree-granting college of art and design in the U.S. Unwilling to rest on its reputation as a premier leader in art and design education, MICA is deliberately cultivating a new generation of artist and designers—one that is capable of seamlessly integrating innovation, entrepreneurship and creative citizenship with contemporary approaches to art, design and media making. MICA actively and intentionally redefines the role of artists and designers as creative, solution-oriented makers and thinkers; citizens who will drive social, cultural, and economic advancement for our future.

The College enrolls almost 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and open studies students from 45 states and 56 countries. Located in the historic heart of Baltimore, MICA students, faculty, and programs connect deeply with the community and are part of the thriving cultural landscape of the region. MICA is a leading contributor to the creative economy regionally and a top producer of nationally and internationally recognized professional artists and designers.

MICA envisions a better world for everyone in which art and design—processes, practices, thinking, creations, and interventions—bring voice and equitable opportunities to groups affected by disparities; advance environmental, economic and social justice; and enhance individual lives. The MICA community fully embraces individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values. We understand that a culturally diverse population broadens our educational knowledge and creates an opportunity for a deeper appreciation and acceptance of others. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, are guiding values, principles, and strategies that infuse our academic and institutional planning, practices, research, and outcomes. They are catalysts for creativity, excellence and thoughtful engagement on campus and in the interconnected global environment.  

About Animation and Media Arts:

The newly constituted Animation and Media Arts Department brings together programs in 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation, game design, film/video, interactive arts, photography, and sound arts, and will offer BFA degrees in Animation, Photography, and Interactive Arts. The faculty are designing a new BFA degree in Media Arts, which will integrate the curriculum from the various programs into an interdisciplinary major. The graduate-level Film MFA integrates with the undergraduate Film/Video program. There are currently 177 undergraduate majors (majors are declared after the first year of study), and 10 MFA Film students. The department’s outstanding 32 full- and part-time faculty are nationally and internationally recognized with screenings and awards at major film festivals including Sundance, Slamdance, and SXSW; Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundation fellowships; and museum and gallery exhibitions too numerous to list here.   

Department Chair Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished media maker and educator with (1) at least three years in a significant academic administrative role at the department, school, or college level, (2) an MFA or other terminal degree, or professional achievements in the media arts equivalent to an MFA, (3) at least seven years of full-time college teaching experience in a field represented by the department.

This is a full-time faculty appointment with an administrative stipend and significantly reduced teaching load. MICA awards renewable five-year term contracts and recognizes years-in-service and professional accomplishments for initial salary determination. The college does not award tenure or academic rank.

Department Chair Responsibilities:

The successful chair will create a supportive and collaborative environment allowing departmental faculty and staff to fulfill their duties as educators, artists, designers, professionals, and scholars while forging the identity of this new department. Through ongoing open communication and participatory decision-making, the chair will lead the new department in integrative curriculum development; new faculty searches; and facility, equipment, and budgetary planning.

As the primary internal representative for the department, the chair will advocate on behalf of the department, communicating the needs, wishes, and concerns of the faculty and staff to the college leadership. The chair is also expected to align the department with the broader strategic goals of the college. The chair serves as the principal spokesperson on behalf of the department, and they will represent MICA, the department and its various programs to prospective students, alumni, and industry and community partners.

This is an in-person position and the chair will be expected to be on campus a minimum of four days each week. Additional evening and weekend duties are a regular requirement of the chair’s job.

The chair’s key duties include:

• Leading curriculum development for programs and courses that serve the needs of a range of students—from pre-college through graduate education
• Collaborating with other department chairs and program directors on curricular initiatives
• Scheduling course offerings and faculty assignments
• Arranging and promoting visiting artists/designers/scholars
• Developing student-learning outcomes and overseeing assessment activities
• Representing the faculty needs, opinions, and concerns to the administration, and those of the administration to the faculty
• Mentoring faculty members through all phases of their careers
• Convening the faculty and implementing two-way communication to ensure faculty participation in policy and decision-making processes
• Recommending new faculty positions, and leading approved searches for new full and part-time faculty
• Maintaining compliance with faculty CBA provisions  
• Conducting required faculty contract renewal reviews and faculty evaluations 
• Advising students
• Approving student course changes, and other enrollment requests
• Managing the departmental budgets and participating in the capital budget process
• Participating in external communication about the department and its programs, including regularly updating the departmental webpage
• Supporting recruitment and retention efforts
• Creating and maintaining industry partnerships that support students
• Collaborating with college leadership on college-wide initiatives

To Apply:

Please submit a letter of application, a current curriculum vita, the names and contact information for three references (not to be contacted without applicant's approval), and links to recent work samples.

In the letter, candidates should highlight their background and experience as a media maker and educator and describe their experience bringing faculty together both to define and work toward common goals. Letters should be detailed and specific, acknowledging challenges as well as successes. Candidates should note any programs or courses they have developed with industry or community partners. Candidates should also submit a short statement articulating their perspective on the value of a college education in the media arts, and what they see as the current opportunities and future possibilities for students studying animation and media arts at an art and design college.

All application material should be submitted via SlideRoom at www.micahr.slideroom.com, where you will be asked to login (or create a login). Once you have logged in, please follow the instructions posted in SlideRoom.  

Preference will be given to applications received by October 11, 2024, but the position will remain open until filled.