Position: Director of Art History Program
Position Number: F28090
Position Location: Doha, Qatar
Position Begins: July 1, 2012
Review of Applications begin: February 9, 2012 and continues until position is filled.

VCUQatar (www.qatar.vcu.edu) is the Qatar campus of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1998 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, VCUQatar offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Painting & Printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Design Studies.  Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUQatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from more than 40 different countries.

VCUQatar strives to provide an engaged, learner-centered environment that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation in a global setting. The university hosts the biennial international design conference Tasmeem Doha and supports the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Islamic Art Symposium, attracting globally recognized designers, academics and thinkers while fostering sustainable, university-community partnerships that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar.  The university has substantial involvement with the emerging design industries in Qatar and is a significant catalyst for that growth. It has established itself as a center of excellence for education and research in art and design.

VCUQatar has 131 full-time faculty and staff and a student body of 249. VCUQatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2500-acre campus community. The university has since been joined by Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Northwestern University, and HEC Paris.

Qatar is a liberal, hospitable and progressive country in the Arabian Gulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region. English is the standard second language and the population of Qatar is approximately 1.65 million and growing – 350,000 Qatari, the remainder expatriates. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, and also maintains a traditional Arab flavor, evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. The Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art (MATHAF) opened in 2010. The US Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.

Position Description

The Director of Art History is a new 12-month faculty position that will provide leadership to implement the new Bachelor of Arts in Art History degree at VCUQatar. The director will be responsible for managing the undergraduate Art History Program. In addition to the BA program, the director will provide electives for BFA majors and administer a minor in art history that consists of 18 credits. The span of courses oversight includes courses in the following periods and categories: (1) Classical, (2) Medieval, (3) Renaissance, (4) Baroque/18th century, (5) 19th and 20th century and (6) Islamic, and (7) Non-western.

Class sizes are small (typically 10-15:1 ratio) and art history faculty work very closely with students.   Teaching faculty are required to maintain office hours to meet with students, serve as academic advisers to students, contribute to the function and educational objectives of the program, and provide service to the university, the community in Qatar, and the profession. Faculty members teach 12 credit hours per year, typically on a 2/2 split across fall and spring semesters.  Members of the teaching faculty are required to engage in the development and delivery of significant research, seek publication, and present their work at international conferences.  Art history faculty members are also encouraged to liaise with museums within the Gulf area and facilitate exhibitions. 

The director will support collaborations across Education City with university partners and Qatar Foundation Centers to achieve the Qatar Foundation’s mission to “create a center of excellence in education and research that will help transform Qatar into a knowledge-based society.”

The director in concert with the Virginia Commonwealth University – Monroe Park Campus, Department of Art History, will implement program goals, facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to professional education, initiate new directions and support for research activity, professional development, oversee adherence to accreditation guidelines, and increase the program’s national and international involvement and visibility.  In addition, the director is responsible for adhering to university policies and procedures, as well as making day-to-day administrative, academic, and managerial decisions. The director will report directly to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Other responsibilities include teaching, service to the school, faculty governance and student advising. The director’s teaching responsibility will be determined each year upon consultation with the Associate Dean Academic Affairs. The director will teach courses consistent with his/her area of expertise.

Successful candidates must demonstrate scholarly and creative activity that makes a contribution to a body of knowledge within the arts, and reflect a high standard of quality and competence. Research is evidenced by exhibitions, inclusion in public or private collections, presented papers or seminars, performances, publications, consulting, commissions, prizes, and significant awards recognizing scholarly or creative activity.

Qualifications

•  Applicants will have PhD in art history and an established academic career distinguished by peer-reviewed publications and comparable research accomplishments.
• The successful candidate will have demonstrated leadership experience in the area of art history education, administration and research.
• The successful candidate will be an experienced educator with a thorough knowledge of fine art and design education at the university level.
• The candidate will possess the ability to teach at all levels of the program.
• Minimum five years of University-level academic instruction beyond the TA level and three years of administrative experience strongly preferred.
• Strong collaborative and communication skills are required as well as strong experience for working in a culturally diverse work environment.
• Knowledge in the fields of Islamic Art and Contemporary Arab Art.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU and VCUQatar.

Benefits

• Competitive international salary
• Tax protection for U.S. Taxpayers
• 30% Off-shore supplement to base salary
• Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium and employer cost shared options available)
• Fully furnished villa or apartment including wireless internet
• Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include a spouse and dependents relocated to Qatar)
• Monthly transportation allowance
• Educational reimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in an accredited K-12 program
• International Professional Development and Research Opportunities

Application Process:  Qualified applicants who have a record of achievement appropriate to VCUQatar should submit a letter of interest with a curriculum vitae, written samples from professional publications and student writing, unofficial transcripts, and the names of five (5) references including email and telephone contact information to Tomaree L. Porter (tlporter@vcu.edu), Human Resources Administrator, Qatar Support Office. Only Electronic submissions will be accepted.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

For more information on VCUQatar and this unique international opportunity, please visit

www.vcu.edu/arts/employment/qatar