Assistant Professor of the History of Architecture and the Designed Environment - Design Justice Cluster-Hire Initiative

About the Design Justice Cluster-Hire Initiative

Design Justice is an initiative within the College of Design, seeking to create space, policy, and practices that support the inclusion and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) as well as other communities who have been historically underinvested. Design Justice is supported by a group of individuals across design disciplines, known as the Collective, who are committed to anti-racism, decolonized pedagogy, and the liberation of communities who have been underinvested historically, in both design academia and the design industry. Areas of scholarship, teaching, and/or service will involve: anti-racism, racial justice, racial disparities, and/or racial discrimination; equity, power/privilege, and/or bias; benefits to the BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee populations; environmental and social justice; and/or other forms of studying and countering systemic oppression. Successful candidates for all positions will have the clear potential, demonstrated ability, and/or related scholarship to support our BIPOC and other marginalized communities.

Position Details

The University of Minnesota's College of Design invites applications for a tenure-track position in the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design (ALI), with a focus on the history of architecture and the designed environment. We are seeking tenure-track candidates who are committed to advancing a scholarly, pedagogic, and/or service agenda specifically focused on design justice either through the history of architecture and the designed environment teaching, and/or in research, practice, or service to the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture or interior design.

This is a 100%-time academic year (9-month) position at the level of assistant professor. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience, and will be supplemented by a start-up package to support advancement of scholarship and teaching. The priority application deadline is November 15, 2024. However, applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Anticipated start date is August 2025.

We seek applicants whose work focuses on architecture and design from the mid-twentieth century onward; but other areas of expertise will also be considered. Preference will be given to those whose interests, especially in teaching, engage with each of the ALI disciplines. The successful candidate will also have a strong commitment to design justice, and eventually, the opportunity to participate in the College of Design's Design Justice Collective. Regardless of the start date, selected candidates will receive the cluster experience.

About the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design

Situated within the College of Design, the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design (ALI) was established in 2023 to enhance interdisciplinary connections between programs that until recently were in different departments, and in the case of Interior Design, on a different campus. ALI's studios, classrooms, workshop, and library are located in Rapson Hall. The building was designed by Thorshov & Cerny in 1960, renovated with an addition by Steven Holl in 2002, and named for the former head of the School of Architecture, architect Ralph Rapson.

ALI is committed to a diverse, socially engaged, contextually sensitive, ecologically responsible, and technologically rich vision of design. Its students, faculty, and programs are known for their history of design excellence, and their strong relationships with an exceptional practice community. They are well positioned to work together with culturally diverse local communities committed to race and climate justice, through a curriculum that actively pursues engaged design, research, and scholarship in the College, University, and beyond.
ALI enrolls over 800 students, including more than 450 undergraduates in architecture (Pre-Architecture, BDA, and BS in Architecture), approximately 100 graduate students in the NAAB accredited Master of Architecture degree, about 70 students in the professionally accredited BLA and MLA programs, and 150 in the professionally accredited BS in Interior Design program. In addition, there are approximately 40 students in the Master of Science in Architecture program (with tracks in Sustainable Design, Applied Research Practices, and Metropolitan Design) and the Master of Heritage Studies and Public History program. Recently, the School of Architecture has also launched an Architecture track in the College of Design's PhD program.
The department's faculty includes internationally recognized experts in a range of interrelated architectural fields: design; urban and rural design; building technology; digital design and representation, design/build; ecological design and sustainable building design; resilient and regenerative infrastructures; housing; heritage studies and public histories; critical practice and representation; history, theory, and criticism; and research embedded in practice.

Responsibilities

• Conduct teaching, research/scholarship/creative work, and/or service centered around areas of design justice.
• Conducting undergraduate and graduate architectural history courses, some of which will integrate landscape architecture, and interior design history. Teaching should contribute to students' understanding of and design for the contexts in which they will practice; and emphasize critical perspectives and intersections among cultural and global contexts, as well as design justice.
• Serving as a member of the Design Justice Collective for the first two years of the appointment. Contributing to the cultivation of policies and practices that exemplify the College's commitment to the mission of the Design Justice Collective. While issues concerned with design justice may inform your contributions in teaching, research, and service, they do not need to characterize your entire body of work.
• Conducting research on the history of architecture and the designed environment. Developing a strong record of publication and dissemination.
• Mentoring and advising students in their academic and professional development; fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment; and contributing to recruitment and retention strategies of students who have been historically underinvested.
• Participating in departmental and university service, including curriculum development and community engagement to support the land-grant mission of the University of Minnesota.
• Service in support of the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design, College of Design, University, and/or broader community.
• Advise/mentor undergraduate and graduate students and contribute to recruitment and retention strategies of students who have been historically underinvested.
• Participate in faculty governance at the program, department, college, and/or university levels.
• Contribute to and support the mission of the University of Minnesota, a public research

Required Qualifications

• Commitment to teaching, scholarship, and/or service with a demonstrated ability, interest and/or potential to intersect with design justice and/or antiracism.
• Experience and/or commitment to teaching and/or mentoring students who have been historically underinvested.
• PhD in Architecture, Architectural History, History of Art, or a closely related field (ABD candidates will be considered with the expectation of finishing the degree by the start date).
• Experience teaching at the collegiate, graduate, and/or professional level. (This may include TA experience.)
• Ability to teach courses on the history of the designed environment that could be taught across the design disciplines in our department.
• Potential to develop a strong record of achievement in scholarship.

Preferred Qualifications

• A record of teaching and research in the history of architecture and the designed environment with a focus on issues at the intersection of equity, design, representation, and justice.
• Demonstrated potential and ability, and/or related scholarship to support our BIPOC and other marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated experience in securing grant funding to support research related to the history of architecture and the designed environment.
• Commitment to collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching.
• Evidence of collaboration with multiple disciplines.
  

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota People, ceded in the Treaties of 1837 and 1851. We are committed to recognizing the complex history of this land by honoring the truth of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together now. We acknowledge the need to end the violence against missing and murdered Indigenous women- a local and national epidemic which can be traced back to the arrival of European colonizers across Turtle Island. We acknowledge and fight against the legacy of white supremacy and culture of anti-Black racism in our own community, which has led to the murders of Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Winston Smith, and countless other Black Americans across this nation. Black lives matter. We stand with our Hmong, Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities against the rise of xenophobic violence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize that words are not enough and we remain committed to the work of eradicating the injustices against all Black, Indigenous, and people of color caused by systemic racism.

Formed in 2006, the University of Minnesota's College of Design encompasses a full range of design disciplines, including apparel design, graphic design, product design, human factors and ergonomics, retail and consumer studies, and heritage studies and public history, in addition to architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. We offer eight undergraduate degrees, twenty-four graduate and professional degree options, and nine centers for research, creative scholarship, and engagement. Through rigorous commitments to creativity, equity, and advancing technologies, College of Design educational programs and innovations address emerging issues, identify problems, frame creative approaches, and generate solutions across all scales of human experience. We offer rich opportunities for interdisciplinary research and public engagement, through highly-regarded research and engagement centers, including the Center for Retail Design and Innovation (CRDI), Wearable Product Design,Digital Design Center (DDC), Minnesota Design Center (MDC), Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR), and the Goldstein Museum of Design. For more information about the college, please visit our website at design.umn.edu.

We are located in the Twin Cities, known as a major design hub and home to design-oriented Fortune 500 companies such as Target, 3M, General Mills, Best Buy, and Medtronic, several international and national award-winning architecture practices, thriving local businesses, and a strong non-profit sector. Our students have a wide range of internship opportunities, our graduates enjoy high employment rates, and our alumni are highly engaged with current students and faculty. We take pride in Minnesota's designations as a Research 1 and Community-Engaged University, which provide foundations for many of our award-winning projects.

The University of Minnesota, a Class 1 research institution, enables connections with faculty and students in a broad range of disciplines. The Institute for Advanced Study supports interdisciplinary collaboratives and programs. The Northwest Architectural Archives holds an extensive collection of architectural drawings and related ephemera, and the University of Minnesota Press is known for its architecture publications. For more information, see: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/about-us.

Pay Range: $70,000 - $90,000; commensurate with qualifications and experience, and will be supplemented by a generous start-up package to support the advancement of scholarship and teaching that aligns with the tenure standards of the Apparel Design and Apparel Studies programs.

Time Appointment: 75%-100% Appointment

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

To be considered for this position please submit the following:

1. A cover letter outlining your teaching approach, research interests, and how you would contribute to the Design Justice Collective.
2. Curriculum vitae.

If you advance to the next level of the search (Stage 2), we will reach out to you to submit additional materials including:

1. Sample teaching and research work.
2. Three references who can speak to your qualifications and potential.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

This position will remain open until filled.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).