Chair, Department of Fine Arts - VCUarts

Benefits:
All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

Unit: School Of The Arts MBU

Department: Deans Office Arts

Duties & Responsibilities:

Chair, Department of Fine Arts
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts

Anticipated Start
August 2, 2026

Chair Appointment Term
10-months (August 2 through May 30). It is anticipated that the Chair will serve for a period of up to five years, with the option to serve as Chair for an additional period of up to three years. Upon completion of the leadership appointment, the Chair will be provided with a 9-month faculty position in their area of expertise. A semester-long research reassignment will be provided after the Chair appointment ends to facilitate a return to teaching.

Rank
Associate/full Professor

Tenure
Expedited tenure review is available to streamline the university's tenure decisions for new faculty hires who were already tenured at their previous institution and is potentially available to a new Chair of the Department of Fine Arts who has been a tenured Full or Associate Professor at their previous institution.

Salary
Commensurate with experience. Generous benefits available.

Location
Richmond, Virginia

Final date to receive applications
For best consideration, applications materials due November 24, 2025.

Chair of the Department of Fine Arts

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts) is excited to announce an opportunity for an impactful, visionary, and collaboration-oriented academic leader to serve as the inaugural Chair of the Department of Fine Arts, pending approval of the department by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). A key position in the School of the Arts, the Department Chair reports to the Senior Director of the Fine Arts Group and the Dean and is supported by academic and administrative staff.

The Chair serves as a mentor to faculty colleagues, collaborates with administrative leaders and staff members, and advocates for the department from a perspective that considers the best overall interests of the School as well as the department. The Chair leads faculty in important processes that shape the curriculum that has an impact on student learning as well as the research activities of the faculty.

The Chair strives to effectively articulate both the department and the School's missions to internal and external constituencies, and establishes a welcoming academic environment that encourages engagement, participation, collegiality, and respect.

Pending approval by SCHEV, the Department of Fine Arts, located in the Murry N. DePillars Building, comprises Craft/Material Studies, Painting and Printmaking, and Sculpture and Extended Media. The three programs have a collective enrollment of more than 275 students and are recognized leaders in visual arts education, as recognized by the U.S. News and World Report's graduate rankings. It is expected that the Department of Fine Arts will receive the necessary approvals needed to function as a singular department by the start of the  academic year.

The Department of Fine Arts will continue to grant the program-specific BFA and MFA degrees that are currently granted by the fine arts programs and it will maintain the curricula unique to those programs.

Craft and Material Studies

Craft and Material Studies consists of the areas of Clay, Fiber, Glass, Metal and Wood. Craft and Material Studies has nine full time faculty, 10 graduate students and 100 undergraduate students.

Painting and Printmaking

Painting and Printmaking has nine full-time faculty, 12 graduate students and over 100 undergraduate students. The MFA program is ranked #2 in Printmaking and #12 in Painting/Drawing by U.S. News & World Report.

Sculpture and Extended Media

Sculpture and Extended Media's MFA program is ranked 1st in the nation by U.S.…