Employment: Qatar Vacancies
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of the Arts in Qatar
Positions: Art History Teaching & Research Faculty
*Two positions will be filled from this announcement*
Program: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Position Numbers: F15740 & F15250
Location: Doha, Qatar
Position Begins: August 2010
Review of Applications Begins: October 15, 2009 and continues until position is filled.
VCUQatar (www.qatar.vcu.edu) is an undergraduate and graduate degree granting campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the leading art and design program among all U.S. public universities. Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUQatar is affiliated with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (www.qf.org.qa). Celebrating ten years of operation in 2008, VCUQatar offers BFA degrees in Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Painting and Printmaking, and an MFA degree in Design Studies. The majority of students are from the Gulf region with approximately 30% international. The School is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. VCUQatar has substantial involvement with the emerging design industries in Qatar and is a significant catalyst for that growth.
VCUQatar benefits from a funding situation that allows it to be driven by innovative programmatic needs rather than typical fiscal constraints. Externally funded student and faculty research opportunities are expanding with the rapid development of Qatar, now among the wealthiest countries in the world based upon per capita GDP. (www.qnrf.org) The VCUQatar Center for Research in Design has a contract to design the Qatar military uniforms; is involved in the World Design Report with Icograda; has research funding to develop portable, sustainable architecture for labor housing; and is expanding its collaboration with faculty and external partners. The school is the center for design education in the country by emphasizing design entrepreneurship and design awareness through lectures, exhibitions, and conferences, such as the international conference “Tasmeem Doha”.
VCUQatar’s full-time faculty and administrative staff of 120 (60% female), instruct a coed student body of 215. The school maintains an enviable student/faculty ratio of 10:1. Housed in a 96,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, the school has 123,000 square foot addition that will open in Fall 2010. VCUQatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2,500 acre campus community. VCUQatar has since been joined by Carnegie-Mellon University (Business and Computer Science), Cornell University’s Weill School of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Northwestern University (Journalism and Communication), and Texas A & M University (Engineering). Education City is able to continue increasing its international presence as Qatar remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region.
Qatar is a liberal, hospitable and progressive country in the Arabian Gulf. English is the standard second language and the population of Qatar is approximately 1.65 million and growing – 350,000 Qatari, 15,000 US citizens, the remainder expatriates. Doha with a population of 980,000 has all the conveniences found in a contemporary city, and also maintains a traditional Arab flavor, evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. The new Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008. The US Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.
Position Description
These positions will be responsible for teaching Art History at the undergraduate level within a multi-disciplinary Liberal Arts & Sciences Program (LAS). In addition to electives for design majors, LAS offers a minor in art history that consists of 18 credits in art history. Students are required to study in four additional period courses that include one course each from the following categories: (1) classical, (2) medieval, (3) Renaissance, (4) Baroque/18th century, (5) 19th and 20th century and (6) non-Western. Candidates with an interest in and knowledge of Islamic art are strongly encouraged to apply; however, the successful candidate must be prepared to teach in a variety of the aforementioned areas. Many art history faculty courses include both regular and honors sections.
Class sizes are small (typically 10-15:1 ratio) and art history faculty work very closely with students. As teaching faculty, successful candidates are required to maintain office hours to meet with students, serve as academic advisers to students, contribute to the function and educational objectives of the program, provide service to the university, the community in Qatar and the profession, and perform all other duties as assigned. Faculty members teach 15 credit loads per year, typically on a 2/3 or 3/2 split across fall and spring semesters. Candidates are required to engage in the development and delivery of significant research, seek publication, and present at international conferences. Art history faculty members are also encouraged to liaise with museums within the Gulf area and facilitate exhibitions.
Successful candidates will join a team of 16 highly collaborative and dynamic faculty members in the LAS Program. Courses offered within this program are congruent with those offered on the Richmond, Virginia campus of Virginia Commonwealth University with the added benefit of a multicultural sensitivity consistent with living and teaching in Doha, Qatar. Our students come from many countries and cultures, as do the faculty and employees members of Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar, so it is imperative successful candidates are able to interact and thrive in such an environment. The successful candidate will be committed to engaging collaboratively with colleagues in this multicultural learning environment.
Qualifications
Successful candidates must possess verbal and written fluency in English as all courses are taught in English. Candidates must have a doctoral degree in Art History or related field. Minimum of three (3) years experience teaching at the post secondary level in English-language University settings strongly desired. Candidates must have strong collaborative skills and communication skills and demonstrate an enthusiasm toward teaching and interacting within in a multicultural environment.
Benefits
• Competitive international salary
• Tax protection for U.S. Taxpayers
• 30% Off-shore supplement to base salary
• Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium and employer cost shared options available)
• Fully furnished villa or apartment including utility allowance and wireless internet
• Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include a spouse and dependents relocated to Qatar)
• Monthly transportation allowance
• Educational reimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in an accredited K-12 program
• International Professional Development and Research Opportunities
Application Process:Qualified applicants who have a record of achievement appropriate to VCUQatar should submit a letter of interest with a curriculum vitae, teaching philosophy, unofficial transcripts, and the names of five references including email and telephone contact information to Ryan Ellington (rfellington@vcu.edu), Human Resources Administrator. Only Electronic submissions will be accepted.
Virginia Commonwealth University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
For more information on VCUQatar and this unique international opportunity, please visit www.vcu.edu/arts/employment/qatar
