Employment: Qatar Vacancies
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of the Arts in Qatar
Position: Graphic Design (Photography) Teaching & Research Faculty
Department: Graphic Design
Position Number: F17330
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
The successful candidate will be a conceptual photographer interested in an interdisciplinary approach to teaching photography in a design-focused undergraduate program. The candidate must have experience with photography in the context of Fashion Design and Graphic Design. In Fashion Design, fashion photography and visual process documentation as well as documentary photography and photography to capture the narrative in a Graphic Design context. The candidate must have expertise teaching photography/image-making in a digital environment, in-depth knowledge of all pertinent equipment and software, and be conversant in design principles and vocabulary. The candidate will team teach courses with graphic design and fashion design faculty in a collaborative environment.
The candidate will join a team of 9 highly collaborative and dynamic faculty members in the Department of Graphic Design. The design curriculum is based on the well-respected VCU course of study including a global sensibility. Additionally VCUQatar prides itself on being responsive to the educational, business, cultural and communication needs of Qatar, the Gulf region, and the Middle East. The students are diverse and are admitted to the university on a competitive basis and into the design majors by portfolio and interview. The facilities are state of the art and class sizes are small (typically 12:1 ratio). Faculty teach 15 semester credit loads per year, engage in the development and delivery of significant research, contribute to the function and educational objectives of the department, serve as academic advisers and provide service to the university, the community in Qatar and the profession, and perform all other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will have an MFA or terminal degree in design, photography or related field with a minimum of two years teaching experience in a University setting required. Photography and Graphic Design professional experience required with demonstrable technical and digital expertise.
The top candidate will possess strong collaboration and communication skills and will interact closely with an interdisciplinary teaching and research faculty community. Candidates must show interest in collaborative teaching and learning experiences.
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, 20 examples of personal work and 20 examples of student work, 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
