Faculty Director, Imagining America https://psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Academic/job/Faculty-Director--Imagining-America_REQ_0000083409
The Penn State Imagining America Search Committee invites applications for a full-time Faculty Director position for Imagining America (IA), a national organization hosted at Penn State whose mission is to bring together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.
The Faculty Director is an academic administrative role who would be tenure eligible in one of the three colleges: Arts & Architecture, Liberal Arts, and Health & Human Development, preferably with a research profile that aligns with the mission and values of IA. The Faculty Director will lead a team of 2-4 professionals with administrative and programmatic duties, and will work closely with the Imagining America National Advisory Board to collaboratively advance and embody IA’s mission, values, and goals, advocating for and strengthening arts, humanities, and design methodologies within and beyond the cultural disciplines.
The Faculty Director reports to the Penn State Provost’s Office and has a secondary reporting relationship to IA's National Advisory Board (NAB). The Faculty Director also has a dotted line to the Dean of the College in which they are appointed. The Faculty Director has responsibility for leadership in four distinct, but interrelated, areas: National Advocacy and Thought Leadership; Organizational Leadership; Engaged Scholarship and Creative Practice; Institutional and External Engagement.
This position is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2027. Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience. This is an in-person position. Regular on-campus presence is an essential function of this position.
Application
Applicants must submit 1) a cover letter; 2) a curriculum vitae, including the names and contact information of at least 3 to 5 references; and 3) a statement of leadership/ vision for Imagining America at Penn State and the value of community-engaged interdisciplinary research/ creative endeavors. System limitations allow for a total of 5 documents (5MB per document) as part of their application. Please combine materials to meet the 5-document limit.
Review of applications will begin November 16, 2026, and will continue until the position has been filled.
Please direct questions about the search process via email to the search committee co-chairs, Nicole R. Stokes, Professor of Sociology at Penn State Abington nks5344@psu.edu and Sylvia Spears, Vice Chair, National Advisory Board, Imagining America sylvia.spears@collegeunbound.edu
About University Park Campus
Penn State - University Park is the largest campus in the Penn State portfolio, home to approximately 45,000 undergraduate students and 8,000 graduate students. In addition to the University Park campus, Penn State Commonwealth Campuses are a network of 19 Commonwealth Campuses—located in urban, suburban, and rural regions—thus extending the University’s reach throughout Pennsylvania. These campuses function as place-based hubs for community partnerships, student experiential learning, and cultural programming tailored to local needs. Penn State’s organizational model is unique and emphasizes that we are one university, geographically dispersed. Our Commonwealth Campuses provide diverse learning environments, often with smaller classes and specialized programs, embedded in communities, allowing students the flexibility to either start at a local campus and transition to University Park or remain at their Commonwealth Campus for degree completion.
About Imagining America
The Imagining America consortium (IA), founded in 1999, brings together scholars, artists, designers, students, and cultural organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge making, and civic action on pressing public issues.
IA approaches its 25th anniversary as a solid, vibrant, and growing national consortium of over 70 higher education institutional members and longstanding cultural partners. Imagining America’s National Gathering is a well attended convening, serving a diverse range of students, faculty, administrators, and community based cultural leaders from across the country committed to the power of art, design, and public humanities in transformative social change. Live webinars throughout the academic year engage hundreds of diverse constituents on issues emergent from Imagining America’s consortium. Research initiatives, publications, and network collaboratives bring new knowledge on pressing public issues, and resources and tools to serve and engage membership. Undergraduate JGS and PAGEgraduate student fellows create communities to support the next generation of public artists, designers, and scholars.
About the Next Chapter for IA
Penn State was selected as the new campus host of Imagining America, a national consortium that connects scholars, artists and designers to promote public scholarship, humanities and the arts in higher education. Imagining America at Penn State will advance IA’s ongoing efforts to build connected, informed and equitable communities, while expanding understanding of how art, design and the humanities impact health and wellbeing.
As part of a planned hosting transition, the organization will move its headquarters from the University of California, Davis, to the Penn State University Park campus in July 2027, for a renewable five-year period. Penn State is the fourth institution to serve as a host campus since 1999.Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, College of the Liberal Arts and the College of Health and Human Development will lead the partnership with Imagining America. Students, faculty, staff and community partners across Penn State’s campuses will work together to reinforce Penn State’s national leadership in arts- and humanities-informed approaches to social well-being. The work will build upon existing humanities-infused scholarship across Penn State as outlined in the respective school-level strategic plans below.
College of Health & Human Development Strategic Plan:https://hhd.psu.edu/strategic-plan
College of Arts & Architecture Strategic Plan: https://arts.psu.edu/about/aa-strategic-plan-2030
College of Liberal Arts Strategic Plan:https://la.psu.edu/about/strategic-plan/
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Due to the financial and fiduciary responsibilities of this position, successful completion of a credit history check will be required in addition to standard background checks.
BENEFITS
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.
For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)
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.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity 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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