Assistant Professor-Tenure System

Working/Functional Title

Ast Professor of Art Education

Position Summary

The Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) at Michigan State University seeks a full-time, tenure-track Art Educator to serve as the department's Art Education BFA Program Coordinator and Area Head. This position is anticipated to start August 16, 2027.

The ideal candidate will bring a forward-looking vision for Art Education and the scholarly, pedagogical, and leadership experience necessary to guide the continued development of the program. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in contemporary and inclusive Art Education pedagogy and teacher preparation, an active research and/or creative practice, and the capacity to develop curriculum, build collaborative relationships, and respond thoughtfully to the changing needs of students, emerging technologies, schools, and the field.

The successful candidate will provide leadership for the Art Education program, working collaboratively with faculty, students, field instructors, regional schools, and community partners to strengthen curriculum, teacher preparation, and opportunities for engaged learning. Responsibilities include oversight of the Saturday Morning Art Program (SmART); coordinating with mentor teachers, field instructors, and other area faculty; ongoing development of continuous improvement procedures related to state of Michigan policies and program accreditation; and coordination with colleagues in the College of Education. The candidate will contribute through teaching, research and/or creative activity, outreach, and service to the department, college, university, and profession.

Art Education is situated within the Studio Art program in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, alongside concentrations in Ceramics, Electronic Art & Intermedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture, and maintains important connections with MSU's College of Education. There are opportunities to partner with two on-campus museums and a robust regional arts and culture community. The Art Education position offers opportunities to build upon these relationships both in and outside the department while developing new interdisciplinary, community, and school partnerships that advance the Art Education program, with the support of a larger Arts Strategy within the College of Arts and Letters and the University.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

2:1 course load in Art Education

Oversight/management of SmART course (Saturday Morning Art; spring semester; community arts program for PK-12 students)

Lead area, including supervision of student assistants and coordination and collaboration with field instructors and mentor teachers

Ongoing development of data and quality assurance systems (coursework, clinical experiences, student portfolios, etc.)

Maintain contributions in Teaching, Research, Service, and Outreach

Art Education curriculum review and development

Develop strong relationships between regional public schools and AAHD.

Contribute to the significance and depth of Art Education, championing its value to diverse audiences through participation in conferences, workshops, events, and relevant professional organizations.

Being sensitive to and understanding students from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of abilities.

Please note that this is a union position represented by the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF), established in 2025. The university is working with the union to establish its first collective bargaining agreement.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Terminal -Art Education

Minimum Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• PhD, or EdD in Art Education or comparable degree with emphasis in Art Education by June 1, 2027.
• University-level teaching experience or comparable teaching experience.
• Evidence of an active and developing program of research, scholarship, and/or creative practice in Art Education appropriate to a tenure-system appointment at a research university.

Desired Qualifications

• Professional experience teaching art in PK–12 schools or comparable educational settings, including museums and community organizations.
• Evidence of leadership and organizational capacity through curriculum development, program administration, coordination of educational initiatives, or other experiences demonstrating the ability to guide program growth and improvement.
• Experience with teacher preparation programs, including clinical and field experiences, assessment, accreditation, licensure, and/or state educational standards.
• Experience directly preparing, mentoring, and supervising PK–12 art educators.
• Demonstrated ability to develop collaborative partnerships with schools, educators, university colleagues, and community organizations that strengthen educational opportunities and program development.

Required Application Materials

• Cover Letter/Letter of Application describing qualifications for the position, including relevant experience in program leadership, curriculum development, teacher preparation, and collaboration with educational and community partners.
• Curriculum vita
• Research/Creative Activity Statement (1-3 pages)
• Teaching philosophy for Art Education (1-3 pages)
• Examples of scholarly and/or creative work appropriate to the candidate's research practice (e.g., publications, writing samples, documentation of creative work (up to 20), community-engaged projects, exhibitions, or other relevant research outputs).
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness and student learning, including images and descriptions of student work, curriculum materials, assignments, documentation of community or classroom projects, or other relevant evidence.
• Sample syllabi (up to 3)
• Contact information for three (3) professional references familiar with your teaching, scholarship, and/or creative practice.

Special Instructions

Review of applications will begin 1/12/2027 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications must be submitted electronically to the Michigan State University Human Resources website http://careers.msu.edu. Posting number 1176727. 

For more information, please contact Dr. Marsha MacDowell, Chair of the Search Committee, at macdowel@msu.edu.

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

Review of Applications Begins On

01/12/2027

Website

art.msu.edu

Department Statement

MSU Arts Strategy: https://arts.msu.edu/about/msu-arts-strategy/

Arts MSU foregrounds creativity and exploration, igniting innovation and connecting campus and communities through the arts.

Guided by the belief that the arts are essential to a vibrant university community that is resilient, inclusive, collaborative, and globally minded, Arts MSU advances the impact and amplifies the presence of the arts on campus and beyond. Integrating the arts across MSU’s missions will lead to innovative practices of discovering, connecting, exploring, and remembering.

AAHD Department Overview: https://art.msu.edu/about/

Art Education at MSU is entering an important period of growth and development. As part of MSU's broader redesign of teacher preparation, the BFA in Art Education recently transitioned from a five-year to a four-year pathway, integrating teacher certification and extensive clinical experience within the undergraduate degree. The program combines a strong foundation in studio art and art history with pedagogical preparation and hands-on teaching experiences in schools and community settings, including the long-running Saturday Morning Art (SmART) program. With recent growth in student enrollment and expanding opportunities for community-engaged teaching, the program is positioned for its next phase of development. We seek a colleague who will bring a strong leadership vision to guide that growth.

AAHD MISSION:
Our department seeks to integrate the history and practice of art and design into the MSU community, through teaching, research, and public engagement. We further the mission of the arts to deepen understanding of the human condition.

AAHD VISION:
We inspire rigorous paths of study through individual expression and collaboration that focus in and across disciplines. Our faculty and students make meaningful contributions to and/or challenge existing paradigms in art, art history, and design. Through education and encouragement of broad dialogue within and about the arts, we promote positive and sustainable change in our global community.

AAHD VALUES:
As a department within a land-grant institution, we work “to democratize higher education and expand its opportunities based on merit, not social class.” Our creative work and scholarship are sensitive to the intersections between diverse contemporary contexts and their histories. The department provides an empowering environment where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are respected and celebrated. We recognize the value of diversity, which includes differences of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, religion, politics, and socio-economic status. We extend this social definition to include a diversity of aesthetics and modes of scholarship and creative practice.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.