Program Chair and concurrent Open-Rank Faculty Appointment 

ASSISTANT or ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, RANKED RENEWABLE 

UNDERGRADUATE (BFA) AND GRADUATE (MFA) FILM PROGRAMS

FALL 2024 (POSITION BEGINS AUGUST 16, 2024)

Reports directly to the Dean of the Fine Arts Division

OVERVIEW

Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) is an independent non-profit art college with undergraduate programs in fine arts, architecture, design, visual studies, writing, and literature.  The college also has graduate programs in film, fine arts, architecture, comics, design, interaction design, curatorial practice, design strategy, visual and critical studies, and writing. Through these programs, the college has created a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment to fulfill the school’s motto of “Make art that matters.” Diverse cultural perspectives enrich the CCA community and the college believes that continuing to expand the horizons of the students and faculty is essential to achieving its educational objectives. CCA represents over one hundred years of dedication to its mission, whose character reflects its location in the San Francisco Bay Area, where histories of radical politics and technological innovation inform a culturally rich academic community infused by art schools, research universities, world-renowned museums, galleries, start-ups and community-run institutions. With a campus in San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls 1,400 full-time students and is completing a major campus-planning project that will unify the college in one location and ensure its academic excellence for the next century. 

For more information on the college: www.cca.edu. 

POSITION BRIEF
CCA seeks a Program Chair for the Undergraduate (BFA) and Graduate (MFA) Film Programs. The chair position includes a concurrent open rank renewable faculty appointment (assistant or associate professor commensurate with experience). 

The Program Chair is the primary academic administrator, faculty supervisor and visionary leader of the Film programs and is responsible for teaching a minimum of one course per an academic year. All Program Chairs may be assigned additional projects and duties by their Dean and/or the Provost in accordance with their expertise, interests and the needs of the program, division or college. A detailed description of chair administrative duties is available here. 

CCA seeks a visionary film educator-practitioner who is deeply connected to the contemporary and emerging practices within filmmaking and moving image work. We welcome applicants with a vital creative practice and commitment to teaching in a film program within an art school environment and curriculum. Candidates should be well versed in diversity and representation within the film field and have experience working with multilingual learners and international students. 

PROGRAM SUMMARY

The Film Program and Graduate Film Program, both housed within the Fine Arts division, develop students’ distinctive voices as contemporary filmmakers. The curriculum encourages students to take formal risks, to push the medium of film into new territory, and to explore their individual vision. Our courses focus on cinematic craft, strong narrative foundation, and professional practice, which enable students to successfully realize their films and continue their development after graduation. Students in the Film and Graduate Film Programs create work in a wide spectrum of forms, including non-fiction, dramatic, narrative, alternative, experimental, and hybrid works. 

The Film Program faculty is composed of internationally renowned filmmakers and artists, including recipients of Guggenheim Fellowships, Academy Awards, and Emmys. Program faculty have close professional associations with the Sundance Institute, IDA, PBS, BAMPFA, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, A.C.T. , San Francisco Cinematheque, SF FILM and many other Bay Area institutions. Our program attracts world-class visiting artists and lecturers through its Voices in Moving Image and (previously) Cinema Visionaries series, including artists and filmmakers such as Trinh T. Minh ha, Barry Jenkins, Danielle Dean, Yance Ford, Julie Dash, Deborah Stratman, Gus Van Sant, Kerry Tribe, Barbara Hammer, Sam Green, Zack Khalil, Reid Davenport, Werner Herzog, Laura Poitras, David Lowery, Joshua Oppenheimer, and Michael Moore.

The program takes advantage of the unique histories and the current moment of the Bay Area with an emphasis on interdisciplinary dialogue, hybrid culture, social conscience and a dynamic focus on the schools’ location on the Pacific Rim. Our San Francisco campus is embedded amongst world-class galleries, arts institutions, and technology companies.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Film Program at California College of the Arts seeks applications for a part-time, ranked renewable position as Assistant/Associate Professor of Film to begin in fall 2024. 

The successful candidate will have an expansive notion of filmmaking and an openness to hybrid forms. Experience with new directions in motion-picture and moving image practices, including creative non-fiction, video art, international narrative and experimental cinema, essay film, artist moving image, and hybrid cinema is also desirable. 

We welcome applicants with a vital creative practice and commitment to teaching in a film program within an art school environment and curriculum. Candidates must be well versed in diversity and representation within the film field and possess a strong desire to advance the discourse of film in a broad cultural and educational context.  Specifically, we are seeking applicants whose professional areas of focus will enhance our current program offerings particularly for multilingual learners and international graduate students. Specialization, scholarship, and creative work related to professional practice, film pedagogy, community building, and related subject matter is strongly preferred. Candidates should also exhibit a robust exhibition or screening history that can include film, video, digital media, and multi-media installation work.

In keeping with CCA’s commitment to diversity, community engagement, and social justice, we seek candidates who cultivate an equitable scholarly environment and curriculum within an increasingly international student body and a large demographic of first generation college students. In their letters of application, candidates should address their proven track record of teaching and leading in a culturally competent manner with a global perspective, working with diverse groups and fostering an understanding of and respect for diverse cultural practices. 

Teaching responsibilities cover a full range of classes, from undergraduate introductory-level studio courses to graduate-level seminars and critiques, housed in the undergraduate Film and Graduate Film Programs. This position is required to teach fundamental hands-on production courses that cover the full spectrum of production skills, in addition to upper level courses that deal with aesthetics and conceptual aspects of filmmaking. 

Additional responsibilities may include directing the graduate film thesis process and helping supervise undergraduate film events. We welcome applicants whose research practice and pedagogy promise to connect with the College's students and faculty across Divisions and disciplines. Interdisciplinary teaching and research experience is a plus. Candidates for this position must possess the ability to balance professional practice with teaching and service to the college, as well as the ambition to emerge as a leading voice in the direction of the college and to take on a significant leadership role within the Undergraduate and Graduate Film programs. 

Working closely in collaboration with colleagues, the ideal candidate will bring energy and enthusiasm to the task of teaching and developing innovative curriculum in order to foster the next generation of artists to achieve brilliance in the 21st century. We value intellectual flexibility and creative approaches to scholarship and to teaching. Candidates for this position must possess the ability to balance professional practice with teaching and service to the college, as well as the ambition to emerge as a leading voice in the direction of the college. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• MFA or equivalent terminal degree
• Professional activity, including screenings, distribution, press, published writings, invited artist talks, residencies, awards, etc. 
• Evidence of teaching and leading in a culturally-competent manner with a global perspective, preferably with experience working with diverse groups
• Two years of post graduate school college-level teaching experience, with evidence of teaching effectiveness 
• Experience working with and teaching film media and production, including the use of digital technology
• Experience in areas of film production such as screenwriting, producing, cinematography, sound design, and related practices
• Teaching philosophy that demonstrates a clear pedagogical vision and incorporates innovative strategies that engage changing artistic, economic, and technological landscapes
• Strong communication skills 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate level teaching experience
• Evidence of flexibility to work across disciplines and to collaborate and develop relationships with other programs

SALARY

The total salary, inclusive of line releases for the chair position and an annual teaching appointment, is $102,400. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Qualified applicants must complete the online application by uploading the following materials:

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of interest
• Teaching philosophy, highlighting areas of pedagogic concentration and cultural competency
• A biographical narrative describing your professional career trajectory
• A sample of writing, such as a screenplay, published articles, or other professional examples (optional)
• Link to a website with examples of professional work:
  • 3-5 work samples, of which at least one is a completed film, including, for example, sound works, project websites, documentation of installations or site-specific work, or other examples
• Contact information for three professional references

Samples of student work, course descriptions or and/or syllabi may be requested by the search committee at a later date.  

 APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications must be received by July 16, 2024 at 11:59 PST.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
As an educational and cultural institution, California College of the Arts has a responsibility to provide access and opportunities for all people, with special attention to supporting groups historically underrepresented in higher education.

We believe that a culturally diverse campus is integral to academic excellence, and our student, faculty, staff, and trustee bodies should reflect the diverse world in which we live, with attention to race, ethnicity, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and ability.

California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.