University of New Mexico

School of Architecture and Planning

Chair, Architecture Department

The University of New Mexico seeks to hire an exceptional candidate for the position of Chair of Architecture in the School of Architecture & Planning. The position will remain open until filled. The effective start date for this appointment, with the rank of Professor with tenure, is August 2021. The date of best consideration for applications is February 15, 2021; the position will remain open until filled.

The School of Architecture & Planning is home to the Architecture, Community and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture departments, and it is the only institution of higher education in the state of New Mexico offering professionally accredited degrees in architecture, planning, and landscape architecture. The three academic programs in the School promote interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The School also offers graduate certificates in Historic Preservation & Regionalism and Urban Design.

Boasting numerous national and international student and faculty awards, the Architecture Department offers the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Master of Architecture, and Master of Science in Architecture degree programs. Areas of focus are building and urban design, design of healthy communities, design in arid environments, and indigenous and regional design. The Architecture program currently has 19 full-time faculty members, 18 part-time faculty, over 300 undergraduate students and over 75 graduate students.

We are seeking an individual to provide dynamic and innovative leadership for sustaining excellence in teaching, research, and outreach activities in the Architecture Department; to advance the Architecture Department through its next levels of growth, development, and national ranking, including in the teaching and promotion of design excellence. We are seeking an individual who will encourage and support interdisciplinary and inter-departmental research and teaching, who will build on the program’s existing strengths and areas of focus, and who is actively engaged in the promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion and student success in higher education, as well as committed to working with broadly diverse communities.

The Chair reports to the Dean of the School. Responsibilities include:

1. Vision and coordination in planning, developing, and implementing an agenda of excellence for the school; 2. Leadership in recruiting and fostering academic growth in research and professional development, and in promoting the diversity of faculty, staff, and students; 3. Administration of the program’s faculty, staff, and students, as well as its curricula and various degree offerings, and its physical and financial resources; 4. Leadership in promoting visibility and marketing the program regionally, nationally, and internationally; 5. Working with the Dean’s office to foster the development of contracts, grants, donations, and other external support for the department; 6. Actively teaching in the Architecture Department; 7. Creating support structures for faculty at various ranks, particularly junior faculty; and 8. Collaborating and engaging with the School’s center directors as well as local and regional professional communities.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Terminal degree in Architecture, including a Master of Architecture degree or equivalent graduate professional degree in Architecture, or a doctorate/Ph.D in Architecture.
2. Full professor or associate professor with experience commensurate with that of a full professor.
3. Academic administrative experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Peer recognized achievements in academic and professional realms, including design excellence demonstrated with national and/or international recognition.
2. Demonstration of outstanding achievement in teaching in higher education as well as practice and/or research.
3. Specialization within the field of architecture or a related discipline, demonstrated with a Ph.D., research, and/or significant contributions to a field.
4. Knowledge of, and experience in, building professional support across disciplines and in diverse communities.
5. A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success, as well as working with broadly diverse communities

To submit an application, please visit the website: https://unmjobs.unm.edu/ and reference Requisition#: 14066. Applicants must submit the following through UNMJobs:

1. A one-page letter of interest including qualifications related to the position responsibilities as stated above.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Four letters of reference, including each reference name, title, mailing address, telephone number and email address.
4. A statement, no more than four pages total, addressing each of the following:
5. academic and research interests
6. leadership and management philosophy
7. pedagogical approach to undergraduate and graduate level education and research in

Architecture

1. applicant’s vision for the future of the Architecture Department
2. clearly articulated approach to design and contemporary issues in Architecture.

Applicants must also send: a digital portfolio of selected design and/or research projects. This must include significant excerpts of articles, books, and/or design work. Send portfolio in PDF format (20 pages maximum) to Search Committee Chair: Nora Wendl, Associate Professor, at nwendl@unm.edu

Additional information, including a hard copy of the portfolio, may be requested from candidates selected as semi-finalists. Inquiries may be directed to the Search Committee Chair. To learn more about the Search Committee members, please visit: https://saap.unm.edu/chair-search/index.html.

The University of New Mexico is a Carnegie-designated Research 1 university and is the nation’s only flagship state university that is also a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). UNM is one of only a dozen HSI’s in the U.S. that are also classified by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education as a R1: Doctoral Universities with very high research activity. UNM is also one among 119 colleges and universities recognized by Carnegie Foundation for 2020 Community Engagement Classification.

New Mexico has a rich and varied culture, and applicants from all underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. UNM’s confidentiality policy (Regents' Policy Manual - Section 6.7: Disclosure of Information About Candidates for Employment), which includes information about public disclosure of documents submitted by applicants, is located at https://policy.unm.edu/regents-policies/section-6/6-7.html. EEO/AA