Department Head for Fine Arts and Visual Studies

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Job Description Summary
Department Head for Fine Arts and Visual Studies, Full-Time Faculty Appointment with Benefits

Job Description

Beginning August 2026

Department Head for Fine Arts and Visual Studies

Full-Time Faculty Appointment with Benefits

Institution

Founded in 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design is a private professional college fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Ringling College of Art and Design's primary mission is to prepare students to be discerning visual thinkers and ethical practitioners in their chosen area of art and design and to provide an intensive professional education in the visual arts. Ringling College has taken a leadership role in the integration of high technology within art and design curricula. The institution's strategic plan positions the College for continued growth and development. It is authorized to award the BFA in 10 visual arts disciplines and the BA in two degrees - Visual Studies and Business of Art and Design. The residential campus is near downtown Sarasota. A cultural center of Florida, Sarasota is 65 miles south of Tampa and 75 miles north of Fort Myers. Additional information about the College is available at www.ringling.edu.

Ringling College is seeking an experienced arts faculty member and administrator to undertake responsibilities for the academic and artistic leadership of the Fine Arts and Visual Studies Department. The Department Head is expected to be responsible for the leadership and effective and safe operation of all facets of the department. This is a full-time renewable ten-month faculty appointment reporting to the Vice President of Academic Affairs with benefits, reduced teaching load during the academic year and an administrative stipend. The salary will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. The anticipated start date is August 2026. Ideal candidates will be comfortable working across disciplines and encompassing broad approaches to teaching and a program of continuous assessment of student learning.

The Fine Arts and Visual Studies Department

The Fine Arts program of study leading to the Bachelor of Fine Art degree has concentration choices in: Painting; Printmaking; Sculpture and Photography. The Department offers a Fine Art minor and a pool of electives for students in other majors who wish to integrate visual arts study and skills in a variety of areas. A Bachelor of Art program in Visual Studies capitalizes on this integration and provides students an opportunity to customize a curriculum and study art and design broadly. The instructional program is enhanced by enrollment in related courses throughout the Ringling College of Art and Design, as well as student participation in special programs in New York and several European settings. The Fine Arts Department demonstrates its commitment to inquiry through creative and conceptual studio investigation interfaced with critical analysis. Recognizing its students as artists, it encourages them to explore self-awareness and perception through their art practices. The Department's aim is to focus the determination and responsibility necessary for a sustained and enduring dedication to art.

Among the Duties and Responsibilities of this position are to facilitate the physical and material needs of the department; provide initiative in curriculum and/or program development and planning; evaluate the performance of all full-time and part-time faculty in the department; and maintain responsibility for development, review, evaluation, assessment and evolution of these academic programs.

Education and Experience

(Minimum Qualifications) Include evidence of:

• A terminal degree or its equivalent in an appropriate Arts discipline.
• A strong professional record of creative achievements in a Visual Arts field.
• Administrative capabilities and demonstrated experience in exercising leadership and consultative decision-making at the departmental level in higher education.
• Successful college level teaching.
• An ability to clearly communicate and work effectively with faculty, students, administrators and staff.

(Preferred Qualifications) Include evidence of:

• A terminal degree or its equivalent in an appropriate Fine Arts or Visual Studies discipline.
• Experience with key aspects of curricular development, budget activities, facilities, equipment and new technologies.
• Capacity to increase the national reputation of the Ringling Fine Arts program.
• The ability to accommodate, and support both traditional and technological approaches to Fine Arts.
• Awareness of both current and evolving issues facing the field and curricular strategies to best address them.
• Significant professional/creative practice and achievements including professional exhibition experience or other creative endeavors.
• Skill as a consensus builder and ability to combine and manage the interests of diverse viewpoints.
• Experience in the design and delivery of academic programs, program assessment, planning and budgeting.
• Aptitude in developing external sources of program support and external fund raising, including grants.
• A respected record as a teacher with empathy and understanding for the role of teaching.

Department Heads and Program Directors represent the faculty in their respective departments or programs, and have administrative responsibilities. They have the special obligation to foster creativity, to develop curricula, and to encourage effective teaching within the academic areas they administer.

(Special Instructions to Applicants)

Required materials include cover letter incorporating experiences that address the position requirements, resume or CV, employment history, contact information of three references (names, titles, email and telephone numbers), examples of personal work and an unofficial transcript copy of the most relevant degree. Official transcripts will be required upon hire. Student work examples may also be submitted, if available. Candidates may be asked to submit additional materials if needed. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For portfolio, you have the option to upload electronic documents/images, up to 5 MB, or a

URL.

General questions regarding the job application process may be emailed to aamail@ringling.edu

Apply on-line to https://www.ringling.edu/hr/

Ringling College of Art and Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The College provides equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to sex, age, gender, color, race, national or ethnic origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law.

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