JOB: OCAD University

OCAD University (OCAD U) acknowledges the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudensaunee, the Anishinabek and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we stand and create.

In recognition of the U.N. Declaration of the International Decade for Peoples of African Descent, OCAD University invites applicants to three (3) tenure-track positions within all disciplines of the Faculty of Design as well as design-related Graduate Studies to address our 144 years of Black underrepresentation. This opportunity is open only to qualified individuals who self-identify as Black peoples of African Descent (including Africans and African heritage people from the Caribbean, North America and Latin America). This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

OCAD University (OCAD U), Canada’s university of the imagination, provides a vibrant and stimulating environment for its faculty and students. It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community as the University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation with the implementation of its academic plan that articulates a commitment to decolonization, diversity, and equity.

The Faculty of Design is the largest of OCAD U’s three faculties. Under an ethos of Respectful Design, it boasts six undergraduate programs: Advertising, Environmental Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, and Material Art & Design (i.e. textiles and jewelry making). The design-related Graduate Programs include Inclusive Design, Design for Health, Strategic Foresight and Innovation, Interdisciplinary Art, Media, and Design; and Digital Futures.

The Faculty of Design seeks qualified Black candidates who can demonstrate how their lived experiences inform a deep commitment through their work to intersectional Black communities and whose theoretical, technical, and making/design expertise fulfills one or more of the current areas of need within the Faculty:

• Black speculative futures in dialogue with emerging technologies and the inclusive interaction design of digital products and/or objects, services, systems, or spaces;
• Multisensory storytelling that uses strategic and participatory design methodologies to co-create, with communities, innovative representations of Black lives; and/or
• Black Hip Hop or other Black cultural aesthetics and critical making in contemporary design for business and social justice.

The three (3) opportunities are to commence August 1, 2020 and are subject to budgetary approval.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will:

• teach across multiple year levels at the undergraduate and/or graduate level;
• liaise with Black faculty as well as other faculty across programs;
• assume a key role in the ongoing development and decolonization of the undergraduate/graduate program curriculum, policies and promotion through participation in Faculty and Program meetings and initiatives;
• maintain an active research program, professional practice and/or scholarship within relevant discipline(s) with demonstrable service to Black communities;
• provide service to the faculty and University-wide governance system, as well as participate in building the University community and promoting the quality of student life and University culture;
• commit to outreach with local Black communities and the mentorship of Black students and youth.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will have:

• a terminal degree in relevant discipline(s) or equivalencies in Black knowledge systems; exceptions may be considered on the basis of outstanding career achievement;
• demonstrated ability or potential to teach at the post-secondary level and show an aptitude for innovative curriculum development and delivery; previous experience teaching in interdisciplinary  programs and experience teaching and supervising graduate students will be considered assets;
• a proven record of research and/or professional practice relevant to qualifications, work experience, discipline, and lived experiences that inform a deep commitment to intersectional Black communities;
• experience in proactively advancing decolonization, diversity, equity and sustainability in curriculum, teaching, scholarship, and creative/professional activities;
• demonstrated understanding of the ways in which diversity, equity, Indigenous knowledge, Black knowledge, and sustainability are fundamental to the quality of student experience, to innovative scholarship, and to design praxis;
• a proven record of promoting a respectful and inclusive work and learning environment for students, staff, faculty, and wider communities.

REMUNERATION

Salary and rank will be commensurate with experience and qualifications with access to full benefits, and pension contribution after one year of service.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Applications should include:

• a letter of intent stating the candidate’s interests in (a) the areas of teaching related to OCAD U’s design programs, (b) research/professional practice related to the listed areas of need 1, 2, and 3 above and (c) service to Faculty- and University-wide governance;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a statement of teaching philosophy that responds to the profile of the position;
• a statement of approach to decolonizing design praxis for Black communities;
• evidence of teaching effectiveness (such as sample assignments, student feedback, course evaluations, etc.);
• a digital portfolio of recent work/publications; and
• the names and contact information of three referees.

Interested applicants are invited to submit their application in confidence, addressed to Chair, Black Cluster Hire Tenure-Track Search Committee, Faculty of Design online by clicking the “Apply Now” button below.

The review of applications will begin on Monday, January 13, 2020 and will continue until the position is filled.

As an institution committed to art, design, digital media and related scholarship, OCAD University (OCAD U) recognizes the profound and essential value that diversity brings to the creation, reception and circulation of creative practices and discourse.  OCAD U understands that valuing diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge are essential to, and enrich the institution’s core mission and vision as an art and design university with a local and global scope.

As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

We encourage members of equity-seeking groups to self-identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.

In order to alleviate the under-representation of Black racialized tenure-track faculty, this position is open only to qualified Black peoples of African descent (including Africans and African heritage people from the Caribbean, North America and Latin America) who self-identify as such in the application process. This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

OCAD U is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact Human Resources for more information or refer to OCAD U’s Policy of Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.