Job Description

Smithsonian Associates and the George Mason University Department of History and Art History invite applications for the Assistant Director of the Smithsonian-Mason M.A. Program in the History of the Decorative Arts. The position is located in the offices of the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities:
The Assistant Director functions as the primary support person for the program, it’s Director, students, faculty and alumni; and partners with the Director to build relationships within and outside the academic partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and George Mason University. The Assistant Director is self-motivated, detail-oriented, and ready to take initiative as s/he anticipates and executes a broad range of leadership roles in the program.

Responsibilities encompass teaching in the program each semester as well as the daily management of an academic program, including strategic planning, curriculum development, student advisement, faculty hiring, evaluation and management, budget development and oversight, prospective student recruitment, and marketing. Additional administrative and programmatic responsibilities are dedicated to building and maintaining relationships integral to the success and future of the academic partnership between the Smithsonian and George Mason University. This is a 12-month, full-time, administrative faculty position.

The Smithsonian-Mason M.A. in the History of Decorative Arts is offered collaboratively by Smithsonian Associates and the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University. Its mission is to provide rigorous object-oriented academic study combined with professional training in American and European design history and decorative arts. Students have unparalleled access to Smithsonian collections; and alumni have a superb track record of employment at museums, historic houses, and related institutions.

The position is located in the offices of the Smithsonian Associates (www.SmithsonianAssociates.org/), the education outreach and membership unit of the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall. Each year, Smithsonian Associates plans and implements some 700 educational programs and activities, including courses, seminars, study tours, lectures and performances in the greater Washington, D.C., area and around the nation. One of five education and outreach units in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Education and Access, the Smithsonian Associates’ programs enliven Smithsonian exhibitions, collections and research.

Job Requirements

Qualifications:
Successful candidates will be able to effectively interface with all levels of Smithsonian and Mason senior management, administrators and staff; and work very closely with students, faculty, alumni, prospective students, as well as friends and supporters of the Smithsonian-Mason M.A. program.

  • Doctorate in art history or a related field (M.A. required; Ph.D. is strongly preferred);
  • University-level teaching experience;
  • University-level administration experience is preferred; and
  • Must be able to teach classes in design history, material culture, and the decorative arts of the United States and Western Europe (renaissance to contemporary).

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number FA84Az at http://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter and a curriculum vitae. Then send three letters of reference to Dr. Angela George, Search Committee Chair, Department of History and Art History, George Mason University, MSN 3G1, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030.

Review of applications begins November 3, 2015. Position will remain open until filled.

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