The University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning is seeking candidates to fill the position of Chair of the School of Architecture at the rank of tenured associate professor or professor. It is required for the successful candidate to have demonstrated credentials to ensure the granting of tenure.

Four core beliefs underpin the Utah School of Architecture:

Architects must take Responsibility for their work as a form of political discourse.

Architects must be focused on social, economic, and environmental Resiliency.

Architects must Respect and Respond to the communities in which they work.

Architects must be committed to Design excellence and ecology.

The School offers an accredited Master of Architecture degree as well as both a Bachelor and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies and graduate certificates in Community-Engaged Practices, Historic Preservation and Urban Design. The School also houses our Multidisciplinary Design program, which offers a Bachelor of Science in Design. After a full accreditation visit in 2016, the School is in the midst of a progressive transformation of its curriculum. Through the lens of the beliefs articulated above, our curriculum responds to the challenges and responsibilities of this rapidly changing 21st century. We are known as champions of place-based engagement (including Design-Build Utah @ Bluff and Design-Build Utah @ Salt Lake), social justice, and environmental stewardship. We have taken on the role of convener of critical conversations, hosting multiple national conferences almost every year, fostering community dialogues, publishing the critical journal Dialectic, and serving as a test bed for ideas on the university campus. We are risk takers and innovators, and we do so driven by our ethic of care, which underlies all we do in our teaching, scholarship and service.

The University of Utah, a Research I University and the flagship institution of higher education in the state, ranks among the world’s top 100 universities and among the top 25 public universities in the U.S. The university is located in Salt Lake City, one of the nation’s most livable environs. Its quality of life is enhanced by amazingly accessible beautiful scenery, multiple outdoor recreational opportunities, convenient mass transit, and an impressively cosmopolitan culture. The College of Architecture and Planning seeks to be the spark for transforming the designed world to promote the health and well-being of society and environment through collaborative innovation. The college aspires to become a nationally recognized incubator of pioneering processes of discovery, engagement, teaching and application in the fields of architecture, design, and planning. Two recent examples that help us address local manifestations of grand challenges include a newly opened Digital Fabrication Lab and a first-in-nation shared downtown studio/lab with AIA Utah and ASLA Utah. Our efforts have led to our leadership status as both the number one architecture program for research in the PAC-12 and recognition for our Utah Anti-Racism Agenda. The School is an intimate and supportive place for faculty, staff, and students alike.

The Chair is the leader and administrator for the School of Architecture, charged with working with faculty and staff to set a visionary direction for the School in alignment with the vision of the College and is responsible for student and faculty recruitment/hiring, curriculum development, budget oversight, and departmental governance. The Chair reports directly to and serves at the pleasure of the college Dean. The successful candidate will:

• articulate a compelling call to action for the transformation of the profession of architecture to proactively address the grand challenges of the 21st century;
• possess a strong record of scholarship relevant to the issues above and the ability to mentor the faculty to excel at innovative research and practice;
• demonstrate empathy for the breadth of architectural inquiry and for the other disciplines in the College;
• continue our strong relationship with the local professional community;
• exhibit leadership in design’s ability for transformative positive social change; and
• exhibit the ability to lead through exemplary collaborative and open processes and within shared governance.

Minimum qualifications include an accredited Master of Architecture degree, existing tenure in an accredited architecture program, professional practice experience and a strong record of scholarship including publication. A record of facilitating a diverse community of scholars is especially important. Previous administrative experience, architectural registration, and participation in architecture organizations at the national level are all highly desirable characteristics.  A Ph.D. is not required but highly preferred.

Qualified applicants must submit: 1) a curriculum vitae, 2) a letter of intent that includes statements of: pedagogical objectives for professional education; personal scholarship objectives; and how they are related, 3) a 1-page statement about their demonstrated approach to diversity and inclusion, 4) a selected portfolio (8MB max) demonstrating their strengths for this position, and 5) a list of five references (with phone, mail and email addresses) to http://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/108914 . Note that references will not be contacted prior to receiving the candidate’s consent to contact them.

Review of applications begins December 1, 2020 and will continue until a candidate is appointed. The appointment is targeted to start July 1, 2021. Please address questions for this position to Erin Carraher, SoA Co-Chair Search Committee, (p) 410.562.5311, (e) carraher@arch.utah.edu .