• About
• Admission
• Academic Programs
• News
• Events
• Support Cornish

• Employment Opportunities
• Benefits
• Hire Cornish Students
• Workstudy Opportunities

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Parents
• Alumni
• Faculty & Staff
• Friends

Design Department Chair

Department: Design
Reports To: Provost
Supervises: Department Coordinator, Computer Support Coordinator, Departmental faculty
Pay Grade: G, Exempt; Full-time
Work Schedule: 12 month administrative position

Purpose: The chair is the administrative, academic and artistic leader of his/her department, and works collaboratively with other chairs as an academic leadership team on behalf of Cornish College of the Arts and its academic mission.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Departmental: Provide academic leadership in the oversight and direction of ongoing operations of the Design Department, which includes:
   • Articulation of college and departmental mission and policy to the faculty, staff and students within the department
   • Facilitation of departmental meetings
   • Maintenance of departmental records
   • Assignment of faculty teaching loads within the department
   • Supervision and evaluation of all departmental faculty and staff personnel in accordance with college policy
   • Preparation of recommendations to the provost on matters of staff and faculty retention, hiring, corrective action and termination in accordance with collective bargaining agreements of the college Assignment of departmental faculty to campus-wide committees
   • Oversight of all departmental committee work
   • Administration of departmental grants
   • Facilitation of curriculum development, reevaluation, and revision, student advisement processes, and all other educational activities of the department, including student internships
   • Resolution, when possible, of student academic grievances and student requests for academic exceptions
   • Collaboration with the provost and other appropriate Cornish personnel on student disciplinary procedures, issues of sexual harassment, academic probation, suspension and/or expulsion, and all other relevant aspects of student life
   • Oversight of all exhibitions area and collaboration with the Operations Committee of the college to implement exhibitions policies
   • Responsible direction and supervision of Design Department senior shows
   • Collaboration with the Information Technology Department in assessing and addressing the technology needs of the Design Department
   • Collaboration in projects related to art with the Alumni Association
   • Responsible supervision of all aspects of the physical plant in relation to Design Department functions, including the monitoring of safety issues, the appropriate labeling and use of dangerous materials, and oversight of ventilation requirements
2. FISCAL AND OPERATIONAL:
   • Preparation and appropriate administration of departmental budgets according to college policy and procedures
   • Evaluation and recommendations regarding academic planning initiatives in term of educational and financial viability
   • Preparation and submission of staff and faculty payroll information
   • Oversight of all departmental facilities and equipment to ensure safe and generative educational environments for all Cornish students.
3. COLLEGE WIDE:
   • Collaboration with department faculty, other department chairs and the provost on long-range college and departmental planning
   • Collaboration as necessary and as requested by the provost with all administrative units of the college, including Finance, Operations, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Enrollment Services, Registration, Summer Programs, Advancement, Alumni Relations and Publications
   • Serve as liaison with other academic and administrative departments and the greater academic and professional community
   • Support of departmental and college-wide performances and exhibits
   • Attendance at official college functions including graduation, all-school meetings, and others as requested by the president or provost
   • Performance of other duties as assigned by the provost

   Chairs serve on the following campus-wide committees:

   • Chairs Council
   • Curriculum Committee
   • Academic Standards Committee
   • Search committees as assigned by the Provost

   Representatives of the Chairs Council serve on the following committees:

   • Staff Council
   • President's Council
   • Board of Trustees (1 chair representative)
   • Safety Committee
   • Academic Operations Committee
   • Other Committees as assigned by the Provost
4. Teaching: The chair is required to teach one course, or its equivalent, once each academic year. This teaching responsibility is at no additional salary and negotiations as to equivalency must be negotiated with the provost. (Directing a play, choreographing a dance, or mounting an exhibit are examples of possible equivalencies.) A chair wishing to teach more than one course and/or wishing to make additional artistic and/or academic contributions is required to seek prior approval by the provost, who will determine adequate compensation compatible with the chair's academic rank.

Qualifications:

• The chair must have a record of distinguished academic and professional achievement
• Terminal degree or relevant professional equivalent
• Recognized standing within the profession
• A minimum of three years academic administrative experience
• 5 years teaching experience in higher education preferred
• Proven effective organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to work compatibly with students, faculty, staff and colleagues
• Collaborative management style

Contract & Evaluation:

• Initially, Department Chairs receive a three-year contract.
• Performance evaluations occur annually.

Rank: The President makes the final decision on the ranking of each Chair on the recommendation of the Provost. Chairs typically are ranked at either the Associate or Full Professor level.

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, life, long term disability and accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Retirement benefits in accordance with standards and policies of the college
• Thirty-seven days of annual leave (to be used as vacation or sick leave)
• Two floating holidays
• Eleven paid holidays
• One semester of leave without pay may be approved upon completion of seven years of service as Chair of the department. The request for the leave needs to be presented to the Provost one year in advance for consideration. Leave approval is contingent upon a review of the academic impact to the department. The college continues to pay medical and dental benefits during the leave. Leaves of more than one semester require approval by both Provost and President.

Application Procedures: Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2007, with an anticipated start date in July 2008.

For consideration, please submit a cover letter, CV and application to:

hr@cornish.edu

-or-

Office of the Provost
Cornish College of the Arts
1000 Lenora Street
Seattle, WA 98121

Employment Application

Download the form in your preferred format and provide all pertinent information.

• Application as MS Word
• Application as PDF
  (Download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Submit cover letter, resume and completed Cornish Employment Application Form to:

Mailing Address:

Cornish College of the Arts
Office of Human Resources
1000 Lenora Street
Seattle WA 98121

Phone: 206.726.5082

Fax: 206.726.5051

Email applications in MS Word format to: hr@cornish.edu

The Office of Human Resources is located on the 7th floor of the Main Campus Center.