Chair, Department of Theatre

Assistant Professor of Theatre – Lighting Design (9-month, Tenure-Track)

Qualified candidates are required to have completed a terminal degree in theatre (doctorate or MFA). Evidence of successful college/university teaching and professional lighting design is preferred. The theatre and dance department prioritizes faculty-mentored development of design and technical skills and desires to recruit faculty who are invested in, and demonstrate a history of, mentoring students from diverse backgrounds. Salary is dependent upon academic qualifications, professional experience, and previous academic teaching experiences.

The successful candidate will teach studio and academic courses; create and execute lighting designs for the department’s main stage productions which may consist of youth, opera, classical, dance, and musical theatre; supervise and mentor student designers; collaborate with guest designers; manage and maintain the theatre lighting and sound inventories; and proactively provide recommendations for the newest lighting technology to enhance productions. In addition, the candidate will coordinate the sound production area and schedule guest designers and engineers.

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2023, and applications will be accepted until January 12, 2024. To apply, please submit one PDF file comprised of a letter of interest, a complete curriculum vitae, a teaching philosophy statement, links to professional work, examples of teaching, an application for a faculty position, and a faculty applicant Christian mission statement. Teaching examples could include course syllabi and/or evidence of student designs. The successful candidate must pass a background check and applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, as Samford will not sponsor any employment visas for this position.

Additionally, please have three letters of recommendation submitted directly from the recommender to: [email protected] with the subject line denoting: “LAST NAME, FIRST NAME – Lighting Search” as PDF documents.

“Application for Faculty Position” can be found at: (https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/Human_Resources/application-for-faculty-employment.pdf) “ Faculty Applicant Christian Mission Statement” can be found at: (https://www.samford.edu/departments/files/academic-affairs/Faculty-Applicant-Christian-MissionStatement.docx).

Please submit all materials in PDF format (except recommendation letters that are sent separately by recommenders as indicated above) to:

[email protected]

Subject: Lighting Search

For questions about the position contact: Mary Taylor Gurney, Lighting Search Committee Chair [email protected] 205-910-6740

About Samford University and Birmingham, Alabama Samford University (www.samford.edu) is a leading nationally ranked Christian University. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It is the largest privately supported and fully accredited institution for higher learning in Alabama. Located in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Homewood, with 425 full-time faculty and more than 5,700 students representing 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 22 countries. The University is dedicated to the promotion of rigorous academic inquiry in a Christian setting. The University seeks and prefers employee applicants of the Christian faith and offers competitive salaries with a generous benefits package. Samford University and the School of the Arts embrace diversity in their faculty, students, and staff and encourage applications from those who would add to the diversity of our academic community.

Except as specifically exempted by federal law requirements, Samford University does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, disability, or age in the administration or application of its educational programs and policies, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarship, and loan programs. Consistent with its Christian mission and organizations, Samford is exempt from the religious provisions of Title VII pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sections 2000e-1(a) and 2000e2(e).