Job Information
Pennsylvania State University Assistant Teaching Professor of Digital Arts and Media Design (3D Animation) in University Park, Pennsylvania
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process (https://pennstateoffice365.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/KnowledgeBaseArticlesSharing/EfiwgKReZ4VAjprFZPKWUm0Bq_sU3KzTmERfpryq0esPKQ) . Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. (https://pennstateoffice365.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/KnowledgeBaseArticlesSharing/Eeys15Xva4hFokHVtbP1eGIB5i1WFLc-J3k9KHgrFYZ7mg) Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants (https://hr.psu.edu/sites/hr/files/Application_Process_for_External_Applications_Non-Penn_State_Employees_.pdf) .
JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
The School of Visual Arts in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University (University Park campus) invites candidates to apply for an Assistant Teaching Professor of Digital Arts and Media Design position focusing on 3D Animation with an anticipated start date of Fall 2024.
This is a full-time, 36-week, nine-month, non-tenure track appointment with the possibility of renewal.
We are seeking qualified candidates whose creative practice and teaching interests are focused on 3D animation. The ideal candidate for this position is a 3D Animator or 3D Artist (generalist) with considerable experience in 3D animation who stays abreast of 3D professional practices, industry standard software, and emerging technologies and production pipelines. The successful candidate will teach courses in 3D modeling and animation as well as additional courses that may include 3D immersive media, 3D interactive game development, emerging 3D practices and technologies, special topics and/or other related digital arts and design studio courses in the program.
We are particularly interested in qualified candidates with excellent people skills and a dedication to teamwork who can contribute, through their teaching and creative activity, to all levels of the Digital Arts and Media Design curriculum and majors.
The College of Arts and Architecture and the School of Visual Arts are working to establish a culture of anti-racism and anti-oppression that embraces each person's identity, fosters a culture of inclusion, and promotes equity through curricula, values, standards, ideals, policies, and practices. The ideal candidate will provide evidence of their experience with, and interest in, contributing to these goals.
Responsibilities:
Teach 3D animation courses covering modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering, and compositing.
Teach production skills necessary to create, texture, rig, animate, light, and render 3D assets for animated films, digital games, and immersive media.
Teach additional digital art courses related to areas of expertise.
Teach three courses per semester (Fall and Spring).
Be well-versed in teaching the elements of animation and effective visual storytelling.
Join with digital art faculty to cultivate a lively animation studio culture and help set production standards that enhance student creative outcomes.
Work with digital art faculty on curriculum updates including developing new courses and revising existing coursework.
Participate in the guidance and assessment of students, portfolio development, independent studies, internships, and capstone thesis projects.
Encourage our students in developing creative works as part of a socially and culturally engaged research university.
Participate in service to the unit, college, university, and professional organizations.
Requirements:
MFA or terminal degree in Digital Arts, Animation, or a related discipline (e.g., Motion Design, Game Design, Illustration, New Media)
Evidence of equitable considerations, awareness, and practice regarding curricula development, inclusive practices in educating diverse student bodies or working with a diverse faculty and staff, along with evidence of working collectively to cultivate a culture that encourages success and enables all members of a college community to thrive.
Preferred qualifications:
College-level teaching experience (one semester, minimum, including teaching assistantships) or equivalent
Professional industry experience in animation or gaming
Experience in more than one of the following is highly desired but not required: Autodesk Maya and Blender; modeling, animation, visual effects, and compositing tools like ZBrush, Mudbox, Cinema 4d, Redshift, After Effects, Substance 3D Painter, 3ds Max, Houdini, Nuke; immersive media and/or haptic experiences in Unity, Unreal, and Godot game engines, programming/scripting languages for 3D electronic game development (C++, C# Java/Processing, and JavaScript); and, story and character development, storyboarding, animatics.
SoVA places a high priority on diversity, equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusive pedagogies that foster academic excellence. Candidates whose background, creative activities, expertise, and/or experiences contribute to such priority are highly encouraged to apply.
Submit:
Cover letter stating your interest and qualifications for the position (address in your cover letter how equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging relate to your academic, research, creative activity, and/or service experience)
Curriculum Vitae
Artist Statement (or Statement of practice and creative activity)
Teaching Philosophy
Diversity Statement (an expanded version from cover letter, with applied examples)
Creative portfolio and/or demo reel
Student work portfolio (in 3D modeling and animation, if available)
Examples of syllabi and assignments
Name and contact information for three professional references
All documents above must be submitted in pdf file format, with external links included as needed/relevant. NOTE: Only five files (5 mb per document) can be uploaded. Please combine smaller files to accommodate this restriction.
Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received and accepted until the position is filled.
About SoVA:
The School of Visual Arts (SoVA) at Penn State offer undergraduate degrees in Art Education (B.S.), Digital Arts (B.A., B.Des., B.F.A.), Studio Art (BA, BFA) and Photography (B.A., B.Des., B.F.A.) at our residential campus, and a fully online degree in Digital Multimedia Design (B.Des.) and Digital Arts certificate at World Campus. At the graduate level, we offer an M.F.A. in Art (Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, Digital Arts and New Media, Photography, and Sculpture), and dual M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Art Education with African American and Diaspora Studies, or Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
SoVA’s mission aim:
To contribute to the expansion of knowledge and scholarship in the visual arts, design, arts pedagogy, and related fields of study and practice.
To facilitate the highest level of creative and intellection pursuit for students through teaching and learning experiences and opportunities.
To provide expertise to the service and benefit of communities across campus, the commonwealth, the nation, and beyond.
SoVA will be a safe space for creatively engaged minds and bodies. This community will operate in a cohesive and supportive manner to engender transformative experiences.
Vision Statement 2022-25:
SoVA’s curricula and programming will reflect 21st century learning and creativity.
SoVA will lead and serve as reference point to other Big Ten Art and Design schools and offer the best fully online programs in the arts through World Campus.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, sustainability, integrative, innovation, and belonging will constitute core values for SoVA that are applied to all our activities and interests.
SoVA will provide a lasting impact in the world through the arts, focused on fairness, innovation, community-building and access, instead of solely focusing on individual accomplishments and merits.
SoVA places a high priority on diversity, equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusive pedagogies that fosters academic excellence. Candidates whose background, research and creative activities, expertise, and/or experiences contribute to such priority are highly encouraged to apply.
For more information, please visit https://arts.psu.edu/academics/school-of-visual-arts/
About the College of Arts and Architecture:
The College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, located on the University Park campus in beautiful central Pennsylvania, is the hub for arts and design education, outreach, and engagement, where new ways of thinking are encouraged and interdisciplinary collaboration is the norm. With academic programs spanning music, theatre, visual arts, graphic design, digital design, art history, architecture, and landscape architecture, we are a complete arts and design community committed to artistic and scholarly creativity, research, and the preparation of creators and educators whose innovation and industriousness make a positive impact around the world.
We offer a broad array of undergraduate (https://arts.psu.edu/degree/undergraduate/) and graduate (https://arts.psu.edu/degree/graduate/) programs, as well as numerous ensembles and clubs open to all students regardless of major. The Center for the Performing Arts (https://arts.psu.edu/outreach/center-for-the-performing-arts/) , Palmer Museum of Art (https://arts.psu.edu/outreach/palmer-museum-of-art/) , Penn State Centre Stage (https://arts.psu.edu/outreach/penn-state-centre-stage/) , and Penn’s Woods Music Festival (https://arts.psu.edu/outreach/penns-woods-music-festival/) – also part of the college – are key organizations in the area’s thriving cultural landscape, offering performances, exhibitions, and educational outreach programs that are enjoyed by thousands each year. In addition, the college’s research centers and institutes help to foster a vibrant culture of inquiry that promotes excellence within the arts and design disciplines, while at the same time leveraging the potential of a comprehensive research university.
College of Arts and Architecture faculty are dedicated to providing high-quality professional instruction to graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the college. They also are responsible for providing undergraduate literature, history, and studio courses in the arts for all students at Penn State.
The college is housed in sixteen buildings in the “Arts District” on the University Park campus. Learn more about our extensive facilities (https://arts.psu.edu/facilities) .
Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture proudly serves as one of the major cultural centers between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
About Penn State University:
The Pennsylvania State University is a multi-campus, land-grant, public research university that educates students from around the world and supports individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service.
Our instructional mission includes undergraduate (https://admissions.psu.edu/) , graduate (https://gradschool.psu.edu/prospective-students/) , professional, continuing, and extension (https://extension.psu.edu/) education offered through both resident instruction and distance learning. Our educational programs are enriched by the talent, knowledge, diversity, creativity, and teaching and research acumen of our faculty, students, and staff.
Our discovery-oriented, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research and scholarship promote human and economic development, global understanding, and advancement in professional practice through the expansion of knowledge and its applications in the natural and applied sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, technology, arts and humanities, and myriad professions.As Pennsylvania’s land-grant university, we provide unparalleled access to education and public service to support the citizens of the Commonwealth and beyond. We engage in collaborative activities with private sector, educational, and governmental partners worldwide to generate, integrate, apply, and disseminate knowledge that is valuable to society.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS:
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here (https://police.psu.edu/annual-security-reports) .
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
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Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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