Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Location: Portland Campus

ABOUT WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY:

Willamette University, founded in 1842, is a nationally-renowned private university enrolling 2800 students across five colleges. Our historic campus, adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol, hosts a distinguished undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon. Our downtown Portland campus is home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). We offer a wide range of professional graduate programs, including Oregon's top-ranked MBA program, the Northwest's oldest law school, as well as MA/MFA programs at PNCA and master's degrees in data science and computer science.

Willamette University provides a high-value and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our Benefits Summary includes options for health, dental, life insurance, retirement, substantial paid time off, tuition and more. If you need assistance applying for a job or have any questions on recruitment at Willamette, please contact our HR Department, hr@willamette.edu or call us at 503-370-6210.

The Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University (PNCA) is seeking a highly energetic, inclusive, and committed educator and professional to teach courses and contribute to the ongoing growth of the BFA program in Graphic Design.

Special skills in one or more of the following areas is desired:

Interaction Design and UX/UI, with experience teaching and designing for new technology;
3D and Motion Graphics, with experience creating and teaching 3D rendering techniques and motion within the context of graphic or communication design;
Graphic Design and Art Direction, with the potential to help shape core courses such as typography and brand development.

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is the oldest art & design college in Oregon. It began as the Portland Art Museum school in 1909 and operated independently until its merger with Willamette University in 2021. PNCA is now the second largest college within the University. Willamette University provides rigorous education in the liberal arts, arts & design, law, and management through its undergraduate and graduate programs and lifelong learning programs. Teaching and learning-strengthened by scholarship, creative practice, and service-flourish in vibrant campus communities with hubs in Salem and Portland. A Willamette education prepares graduates to transform knowledge into action and lead lives of achievement, contribution and meaning. Pacific Northwest College of Art prepares students for resilient, complex creative careers through interdisciplinary learning, rigorous professional mentorship and applied skills vital for artists, designers and culture workers:

Creative Discipline Fluency
Communication & Storytelling
Creative Analysis
Information + Media Literacy
Quantitative Reasoning
Social + Civic + Community Practice
Creative Entrepreneurship + Career Resilience

Position Summary

This position will report to the undergraduate Graphic Design Department Chair. Design at PNCA emphasizes process, problem-solving, and is driven by meaningful concepts. Our students learn to answer the question "why" with every decision they make, and consider what they want the person experiencing their design to do. We want to inspire action, to make people understand each other better; to make people connect, empathize, think, and feel. We encourage designers to find the right form for their message, pollinate their work with connections from other creative disciplines and technologies, then apply these skills to a broad range of projects from print to web, interactions, and experiences, preparing designers for versatility in a field that's rapidly evolving. We work to break down the walls between school and working life, to forge a fluid path to influence the profession as a whole. Our students find jobs with large agencies and small studios, working on a range of projects from product design at big studios and innovative in-house departments, to independent publishing, to video and experience design, to design for social change in politics and beyond.

In this role, there will be opportunities to collaborate around curriculum as we grow, contributing to plans for potential new design specializations within the major and collaborating with foundation (first-year) programs at PNCA, depending on area of specialization:

INTERACTION / INTERACTIVE SPECIALTY: We are inviting applications for a full-time faculty member who will help us grow our course offerings in interaction design. Successful candidates should possess strong visual design skills and demonstrate a strong creative practice and background working in the industry. For interactive design candidates, experience in one or more of the following applied areas is desired: UX/UI, interactive product design, app/mobile design, game design, information design, and/or AR/VR/mixed realities.

-OR- 3D AND MOTION GRAPHICS: We are inviting applications for a full-time faculty member whose design skills extend to 3D and motion work contributing to brand campaigns, product design, games, or animation. Successful candidates should be able to teach classes that build technical skills in programs like Blender, Cinema 4D, and more, as well as strong core design skills and thoughtful concept generation.

-OR- FOUNDATION/GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALTY: We are inviting applications for a full-time faculty member in Graphic Design, who will help us deepen our strong design curriculum and strengthen connections to our Foundation program, strengthening the Graphic Design pathway for majors and minors. Successful candidates should be able to teach classes that build core design skills and thoughtful concept generation, showing possibilities and potential in the field through strong professional practice.

The primary professional responsibilities of full-time instructional faculty members are teaching; research, scholarship and/or creative activity (professional practice); as well as service to the College and larger University, profession and to the community. These responsibilities generally include developing and enhancing curriculum, advising students, participation in campus and University-wide committees, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, building external partnerships and industry relationships, and maintaining a vibrant creative practice in the region and beyond.

Overview of Duties

Teach five courses a year (3/2), including core department offerings as well as newly developed courses in area of expertise.
Help maintain instructional standards and outcomes across curriculum and syllabi.
Foster a pedagogical approach to Design that draws from professional experience and is informed by critical perspectives, interdisciplinary approaches, and innovative practices.
Build and develop curriculum, in collaboration with the Department Chair and aligned with departmental and University-wide priorities.
Mentor undergraduate students; provide academic and career advising.
Potential to support the development of new design-centered majors and minors.
Collaborate with the Department Chair of Graphic Design, faculty leadership, accessible and peers in development of department policies, curriculum content, and evaluation methods.
Participate in faculty governance, academic committees, and campus life.
Keep up to date with professional and industry best practices.
Foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse learning environment that works toward justice.

Minimum Qualifications

Evidence of successful teaching and mentorship experience relevant to the position.
Demonstrated experience in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, teaching environment.
Demonstrated track record of scholarship or industry experience that evidences leading-edge, applied work in areas of design expertise.
Demonstrated ways in which teaching / mentoring and professional creative practices intersect; how you bring your own practice into the learning environment.
Evidence of successful design for accessibility.

Preferred Qualifications

An earned MA/MFA or terminal degree in Design or closely-related field from an accredited institution is desirable but not required; equivalent significant professional experience is highly valued.
Examples of student work that show portfolio-ready explorations of applied interaction design solutions with a high level of graphic design.
Examples of student work that show applied 3D and motion graphics within larger graphic systems like brand identities and campaigns.
Examples of innovative student work in type design, brand identity, or design systems.
Evidence of innovative ways of applying field research that include consideration for diverse user groups.

The successful candidate will be committed to the academic success of all of our students and to an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences. To this end, the successful candidate will work effectively, respectfully, and collaboratively in all settings. In addition, the successful candidate will be ready to join faculty, staff, students, and administrators in our University's shared commitment to the principles of engagement, service, and the public good.

Salary: Faculty are paid on a step system. The 2024-25 salary for a Step 1 Assistant Professor is $61,200. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Planned Start Date: August, 2025

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application materials in the "My Experience" section labeled Resume:

Cover letter highlighting interest in the position and in PNCA's Graphic Design program, noting relevant teaching and mentoring experience.
Professional resume/CV.
Link to your full portfolio clearly indicated in your CV or Cover Letter.
A short document highlighting: Links to up to five specific pieces of relevant, recent creative work. Each piece should clearly state title or client info, objective of project, brief description including techniques used and roles of team on project, and date created or launched, along with a link to the project in your portfolio or on a stand-alone site. Be sure to include any passwords if needed to view the work. AND a selection of student work (and/or mentored projects) with project details and course information. These can be listed as links or included in the document.
Statement of inclusive teaching philosophy/pedagogy
Three professional references and their contact information.

Position will remain open until filled.

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Assistant Professor of Graphic Design