Description

The Art & Design Department at Suffolk University invites applicants for a full time, tenure-track position as Department Chair (Art & Design) & Associate Professor of Interior Architecture & Design beginning July 1, 2025.  The duties of the position are divided between leadership and administration of the department, teaching 3 courses in the BFA and MA degree programs in Interior Design and Architecture, and engaging in creative activity/studio practice.

The Art & Design Department offers accredited programs in Fine Arts, Graphic Design (NASAD), and Interior Design/Architecture (CIDA). We are an artistic and intellectual community whose goal is to teach students to become thoughtful visual thinkers and practitioners.  The Department encourages its Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and certificate students to develop an understanding of their discipline, become conversant with traditional and new technologies, and cultivate their professional careers. Our students use the knowledge and skills they gain to help them shape the future and fully participate as creative citizens.  Our faculty are dedicated mentors and teachers, accomplished artists who create and curate original art and designs for clients, galleries and juried exhibits, and community activists and advocates for the role of art, artists and design to shape a more just, sustainable and engaged world.  Faculty and students take advantage of our location in the heart of Boston to incorporate art and design into the city and to incorporate the city into their art and designs.  Boston is our classroom and design studio.  Proximity to top design firms and art institutions enriches students learning and provides access to world-class internships and guest artists for critiques.

We are seeking a visionary, collaborative and student-centered departmental and idea leader who is a curious, engaged, and motivated studio instructor and advocate for incorporating sustainable and inclusive design into the broader university discourse.  Successful candidates will be versatile, forward-thinking, and possess an understanding of the complex issues shaping our built environment locally and globally with a professional orientation for preparing students for career readiness in the art and design field. 

The Chair of the Art & Design Department oversees the administration, operations and optimization of the department, including its programs, budget, faculty, staff, and facilities. This includes but is not limited to implementation and oversight of all academic programs, accreditation, periodic program review, curriculum and course scheduling, budget, faculty review and development, supervision of departmental staff. Additional responsibilities include oversight and coordination of facilities and departmental spaces (including the University Gallery and Maker Space) as well as their utilization by faculty, staff and students in alignment with Suffolk University’s strategic plan and strategic collaboration with other creative disciplines including Theater, Communication/Journalism/Film.

The successful candidate will contribute to a rich tradition of community-engaged teaching and experiential education that prepares our diverse, substantially first-generation college students—40% of whom are Pell eligible—for careers and civic engagement. The successful candidate will have a commitment to inclusive pedagogy and curricular diversity, mentoring and advising students—especially first-generation college students—as well as creating impactful art and design projects as practitioner. We seek candidates excited about centering best practices pedagogy focused on active, applied and experiential learning in their teaching; a commitment to ongoing and continuous improvement in teaching is expected.  Familiarity with and experience using pedagogical methods that enable students across racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and ability groups to reach their maximum potential is a valuable qualification.  The workload for this position is 50% departmental leadership; 30% teaching, 20% creative activity/scholarship. 

Not sure this is you? Contact us to find out! Research indicates that women and members of marginalized populations tend not to apply to jobs when they think they do not meet the qualifications, when, in fact, they often do.

Suffolk University is dedicated to a diverse and inclusive academic community. Diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into our fabric.  Founded in 1906 to provide access to legal education during the evening for individuals who might not otherwise have been afforded that opportunity, Suffolk University consistently seeks to advance its history and mission as a school of access and opportunity.  This mission is lived through our decisions at every level.  U.S. News ranked Suffolk University among the top 100 universities in the country for social mobility.  Suffolk was also listed 14th nationally in percentage of international students.  Through student, faculty and staff recruitment and support, community engagement, curriculum development, and research, the University community works to advance equity for every student, every day.  Learn more about how we manifest the core values of our mission at Suffolk DEI.   

Candidates must hold a terminal degree in a relevant discipline and demonstrate prior teaching, administrative and faculty/staff mentoring experience; evidence of teaching excellence with both undergraduate and graduate students is preferred.  Application should be made through the Suffolk University Human Resources’ Careers at Suffolk  site.

A complete submission will include: cover letter; CV; Teaching Philosophy; Diversity Statement; a creative statement indicating interests and agenda; student course evaluations; and 3 letters of reference.  For full consideration, applications should be submitted by October 1, though applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Initial interviews will be via Zoom followed by on-campus interviews.

Suffolk University is a private, comprehensive, urban university located in downtown Boston and is an equal opportunity employer committed to faculty diversity. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Suffolk offers substantial employee benefits, including retirement benefits, tuition remission for employees and their families, tuition exchange program with participating institutions, as well as health, dental, and life insurance, commuter benefits, and a strong employee assistance program. Learn more about CAS faculty here.  To learn more about the Art & Design Department, visit our website.  Inquiries about the position should be addressed to Randal Thurston, current Chair of the Art & Design Department at rthurston@suffolk.edu. 

Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment. As an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, the University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.