POSITION PROFILE DEAN,
SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
GRENFELL CAMPUS, MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
THE OPPORTUNITY
Grenfell Campus (grenfell.mun.ca) is seeking an exceptional individual with excellent leadership and administrative ability to be Dean of the School of Fine Arts.
The future dean will be charged with building on the long-established success of undergraduate programming and supporting graduate program development.
GRENFELL CAMPUS, MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND
Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, was founded in 1975 and has gained a reputation for high-quality education in Fine Arts (Visual Arts and Theatre), humanities, science and social science, for its professional programs in business, nursing (in collaboration with Western Regional School of Nursing), and for its environmental programming and institutes. It currently has over 1400 students and offers 16 undergraduate and 3 graduate degrees.
Memorial University of Newfoundland is a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary public teaching/research university committed to becoming one of the most distinguished public universities in the world. Memorial University strives for national and global impact, all the while recognizing its special obligation to provide access to university education for the people of the province and to contribute to the social, cultural, scientific and economic development of Newfoundland and Labrador. Memorial University is home to more than 18,500 students and has produced over 100,000 alumni whose influence is felt all over the world. It has a major presence with campuses across the province: (three campuses in St. John's, one in Corner Brook, a marine station and research facility in Norris Point and an institute in Happy Valley-Goose Bay). Internationally, Memorial has a campus in Harlow, England, which regularly hosts Theatre and Visual Arts curriculum.
Approximately 900 faculty members and a staff of more than 2,000 support students at Memorial. The university annual budget exceeds $400 million. More specifically, Grenfell Campus has approximately 300 faculty and staff and an independent annual budget of approximately $30 million. In the School of Fine Arts, there are 25 faculty and staff members and 150 students.
Grenfell Campus enjoys collegiality among faculty, staff and students due to its small size, yet benefits greatly as a distinct campus of Memorial University. The following university frameworks and strategies support Teaching and Learning, Research, Public Engagement, and Indigenization:
Grenfell's Ferriss Hodgett Library has more than 1,000,000 volumes and access to the Queen Elizabeth II library on the St. John's Campus that houses over 5,000,000 volumes. The Memorial University library system has the largest collection of online resources in Atlantic Canada.
Grenfell Campus is committed to contributing to the western region of this province and beyond through innovative teaching and learning. This provides for an educated citizenry and skilled labour force through curiosity-driven and applied research, and through meaningful, respectful and mutually beneficial engagement.
CORNER BROOK, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Grenfell Campus is located in Corner Brook, on Elmastukwek/Bay of Islands, in traditional Mi’kmaw territory within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The City of Corner Brook is the largest community in Western Newfoundland, and is the main government and service centre, and houses a large regional hospital. Most of the region's residents travel to Corner Brook to shop, work or go to school. This port city, which is visited by cruise ships and other large vessels, is nestled among the rugged natural beauty of the Long Range Mountains. The city overlooks the Bay of Islands, affording a spectacular view of the Blomidon Mountains. It is located about 700 kilometres west of the capital city of St. John's; 80 kilometres from Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and only 10 kilometres away from Marble Mountain Ski Resort, nationally acclaimed for alpine skiing and snowboarding. Corner Brook is serviced by the Deer Lake Airport, which is a 45-minute drive east of the city, and by Stephenville Airport, which is about one hour south. Corner Brook offers a range of eateries, pubs, galleries, and a dynamic local arts scene. With its tree-lined streets, parks, and a well-developed system of local hiking, jogging, and cycling trails, Corner Brook has a reputation of being safe and friendly with excellent recreational and cultural facilities.
THE SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
Established in 1988 in its own building, the School of Fine Arts boasts a 120-seat black box theatre, a rehearsal hall, supporting production workshop facilities, and studio facilities for lens-based practices, painting, drawing, print media, sculpture, digital media, fabrication, and more. It is home to the campus’ first undergraduate degree programs in Theatre (with distinct acting and technical theatre production streams) and Visual Arts (with courses in studio, art history and visual culture). In 2018, the school expanded with a new low-residency MFA program in Visual Arts and is currently developing an MFA program in Theatre. The School of Fine Arts’ faculty and staff are active in their fields of creative research and production, and dedicated to excellence and innovation in their approach to pedagogy. Faculty and staff are civic minded and frequently work in collaboration with Corner Brook’s vibrant arts community on unique public programming that brings our students, programs, and community members closer together. The School of Fine Arts graduates are well known locally, nationally, and internationally for significant contributions to the fields of Theatre and the Visual Arts.
GRENFELL ART GALLERY
The School of Fine Arts is also home to Grenfell Art Gallery, the university’s art gallery and the only art museum in the province solely focused on visual arts. The Gallery is charged with stewardship of Memorial University’s sizable art collection, and currently has Category B Cultural Property designation with the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Gallery presents exhibitions as well as multi-year operating funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- To promote teaching and learning, research and scholarship, service and public engagement in the school
- To champion school initiatives/changes and leadership
- To facilitate regular evaluation of degree programs with a view to maintaining excellence and encouraging improvements, innovations, interdisciplinarity and collaboration
- To lead in tenure and promotion files to ensure due process and to mentor faculty
- To lead the school through periods of retirements, renewal and complement review
- To support the enrolment goals of the school
- To generate revenue through a variety of innovative initiatives
- To collaborate with the Senior Leadership Advisory Group
- To collaborate with other deans, associate deans and other senior leaders across campuses
- To recognize the special obligation the university has to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and to further develop opportunities for engagement with its peoples and communities
- To continue to support and encourage the collegial atmosphere and sense of community between Theatre and Visual Arts.
- To champion School of Fine Arts faculty and staff research and successes.
- To be an ambassador of the School of Fine Arts in the regional, provincial, national and international stage
IDEAL CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
- A recognized terminal degree in the field
- A demonstrated record as teacher
- A demonstrated record as a researcher and scholar
- A demonstrated record of engagement activity and advocacy
- Demonstrated effectiveness as a leader and an administrator within a university/post secondary setting
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
- Experience in an intercultural setting and a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
- A commitment to Indigenization
- Experience with mentoring faculty and career development in a tenure system
- Experience with budgetary and fiscal management including revenue generation
- Experience with the application of collective agreements
- Experience in supporting and/or developing new programs and curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and in monitoring existing programs
- Providing effective and transparent leadership in relation to faculty, staff, and students
- Experience in advocacy within a university/post-secondary setting and with government, professional bodies, industry, alumni, and other external stakeholder groups
- Experience developing and sustaining strong partnerships and teams with the various agencies, communities, organizations, and governments that form part of the local, national and international community
- Experience with recruitment and retention activities
- Experience in change management and associated skills in conflict resolution
- A collegial and participatory leadership style