Assistant Professor of Art

POSITION SUMMARY:

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:

• Finalist Candidates for faculty positions shall provide copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the search committee at the time they are notified that they are a finalist.

• Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) letter providing some detail of the applicants qualifications and interest in the position; (2) current resume/CV; (3) portfolio of representative work (in PDF format no greater than 20mb) including links to an online portfolio; (4) artist statement; (5) portfolio of representative student work (in PDF format no greater than 20mb); and (6) names and contact information for three professional references. - PLEASE NOTE - during the application process you will be prompted to attach these documents in the area titled Resume. Please either combine ALL documents into ONE attachment OR upload each item separately in this section. Failure to upload ALL of the required documents may disqualify application from consideration.

• For inquiries and additional information please contact: Human Resource Services via email at or by phone at .

• To view SOUs very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions please visit benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and ourTotal Compensation Calculator demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The College of Arts & Humanities at Southern Oregon University (SOU) is seeking applications for a full-time nine-month tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art with an emphasis in Painting/Drawing.

We are looking for an outstanding individual who will serve a collaborative role in a unique Creative Arts Department that is home to art and art history digital media and creative writing. Applicants should have an MFA (or equivalent terminal degree) and a professional practice and teaching portfolio that emphasizes Painting/Drawing along with other 2D practices and/or digital practices. At least one year of experience teaching in higher education and a promising record of distinguished scholarship and/or creative work exhibition research and/or professional project development appropriate to be appointed at the assistant professor level is also required.

We seek an artist with a wide-ranging skill set spanning contemporary painting and drawing practices and an ability to engage and inspire both novice and advanced students. Application materials should demonstrate proficiency with a broad range of 2D concepts techniques and materials. The craft of observation two-dimensional representation and creative mark-making remain essential and foundational to studio artists and digital makers alike.

As a tenure-track faculty member the new hire will be expected to engage in ongoing professional development through a balance of teaching service and scholarship. Teaching responsibilities for this position may include (but are not limited to) introductory and advanced studio courses in drawing and painting senior capstone courses BFA thesis and critique and other related courses based on the candidates interests and departmental needs. Service expectations include shared oversight and upkeep of departmental studio spaces and galleries. Other responsibilities include advising curriculum development research professional affiliations as appropriate and other responsibilities as assigned.

We offer excellent comprehensive health and retirement benefits. The start date is September 16 2026 and the position will be open until filled with priority deadline of December 15 2025.

The position is housed within the Creative Arts Department containing faculty and degree programs including Studio Art Art History Emerging Media Digital Art (EMDA) and Creative Writing. Within an interdisciplinary framework the Creative Arts Department includes state-of-the-art facilities in: Painting Drawing Printmaking Ceramics Sculpture Photography Digital Art and Interdisciplinary Arts and Technology.

The Creative Arts Department is housed within the College of Arts and Humanities which is also home to academic programs in Music Theatre and Digital Cinema the Schneider Museum of Art and the Oregon Center for the Arts which serves as a community arts presenter partner and producer. Situated in the beautiful and vibrant Rogue Valley surrounded by majestic mountains Southern Oregon University is a creative catalyst for our diverse combination of students educators and artists who come to us from around the world to infuse the southern Oregon cultural landscape with artistic excellence.

Southern Oregon University is a public liberal arts institution of approximately 2500 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. The surrounding area is known for cultural offerings such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival the Ashland International Film Festival and the Britt Music Festival. The region is noted for its unparalleled biodiversity and the university lies in close proximity to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The Rogue Valley is renowned for outdoor activities such as hiking skiing and biking.

Minimum Qualifications

• MFA PhD or other terminal degree in an appropriate field

• Applicants should have at least one year of experience teaching in higher education and demonstrate effective teaching and mentorship

• The successful candidate will have a promising record of distinguished scholarship and/or creative work exhibition research and/or professional project development appropriate to be appointed at the assistant professor level

• Experience in Painting/Drawing along with other 2D practices and/or digital practices

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability and desire to teach occasional courses in digital painting/illustration printmaking and/or other relevant art practices that extend beyond the traditional drawing/painting studio

• Ability to work collaboratively and cordially with fellow faculty students and guest artists

• Desire ability and patience to effectively teach and train students from novice through to our most advanced artists. Show promise in attracting and retaining students interested in art and expansive practices

• Have demonstrated ability to successfully nurture interested students from a diverse student population

• Can demonstrate potential for connecting students with a variety of post-degree options

Essential Functions

Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive

(100%) The primary responsibilities of all faculty members are: teaching professional development and service.

• Teaching encompasses normal instructional activities beyond the teaching of assigned courses such as academic advising working with students outside of class posting and maintaining appropriate office hours course and curriculum planning etc.

• Professional Development includes maintaining currency in the discipline taught.

• Service includes program and institutional administrative committee and student support and retention activities

• In addition professorial faculty members are expected to participate in scholarly and/or creative activities including formal research (whether in scholarship of discovery scholarship of synthesis scholarship of application or scholarship of teaching) and in service to the university and beyond the campus such as in professional organizations or other professionally related public service

Skills Knowledge and Abilities

• Demonstrated excellence in written verbal and technical communication skills and with a high degree of personal integrity and standards

• Ability to facilitate an innovative transformative curriculum and pedagogy to enable students to be prepared for the future

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner both verbally and in writing

• Demonstrated experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations

• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist

• Demonstrated ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures sometimes under pressure and a fast-paced environment

• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather evaluate and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations

• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems

• Ability to independently analyze software functionality and design and document efficient/effective work processes

• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with community leaders business leaders and donors to advance the mission and vision of the institution.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information.

• Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion tact and diplomacy

• Ability to take initiative in independently planning organizing and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters

• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail

• Proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word-processing spreadsheets databases internet/online systems (e.g. calendaring and email) social media platforms Learning Management Systems etc.

• Demonstrated ability to initiate establish and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive cooperative productive work atmosphere internally and externally and to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds

Physical Demand

• Regular teaching activities including standing/sitting lecturing and using a computer.

Special Conditions

• Workload expectations are outlined in the Association for Professors Southern Oregon University (APSOU) Collective Bargaining Agreement Article 19.

• Teaching assignments may include First Year Experience online and/or hybrid courses Medford and Ashland campus classes and day evening and weekend courses.

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.

• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.

• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.

• Under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) this position classification is defined as exempt and is not subject to overtimeregulations.

• The person holding this position is considered a mandated reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

• Compensation: Any formally approved and authorized salary change shall automatically amend this contract.

SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Southern Oregon University will provide if requested reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application interviewing and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If however you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.

Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity we strengthen and enrich our role as learners educators and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.

SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta Takelma and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization the Gold Rush and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s the discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands leading to warfare epidemics starvation and villages being 1853 the first of several treaties were signed confederating these Tribes and others together who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States and in return they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856 these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon () and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians () are living descendants of the Takelma Shasta and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourageYOUto learn about the land you reside on and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the Clery Act) require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOUs Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use possession and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.

An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR) can be accessed at the following link: A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy please visit the Office of the General Counsel located in Churchill Hall 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard Ashland Oregon 97520. For more information call or email.