Visiting Assistant Professor in Communication Design

Classification Title:

VIS AST PROF

Classification Minimum Requirements

Candidates for this rank shall hold the highest degree appropriate to their field or possess equivalent qualifications based on professional experience. A candidate shall be expected to demonstrate successful experience pertinent to the position they are being recommended and have demonstrated qualities relevant to the goals of the academic unit in which they will be employed.

Job Description:

The School of Art + Art History in the College of the Arts at the University of Florida invites applications for a three-semester (Spring 2027, Fall 2027, Spring 2028) appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication Design. This position will contribute to a vibrant program with a forward-looking curriculum at a top public research university focused on cultivating research and the student experience.

This position will teach undergraduate courses in the BFA and minor in Graphic Design, as well as our signature campus-wide UF Quest course on how design works as a tool for shaping, understanding, and communicating who we are in everyday life. Design studio courses focus on contemporary design practice and typically include design research, applying design principles to co-create solutions that meet users' needs, and interaction design.

The Quest course is taught as a hybrid course, with students attending in-person sessions with a graduate student once per week to supplement asynchronous online content. As the lead instructor, this position’s role will be to manage the course, organize and deliver the asynchronous content, supervise and mentor graduate assistants, and design lesson plans for the in-person sessions.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists, designers, and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a changemaker. We seek a colleague who will position students as catalysts for justice on local and global levels.

This position is covered by the United Faculty of Florida Contract.  You can view this employment union contract here <https://admin.hr.ufl.edu/compliance/employee-relations-and-ethics/union-negotiations/united-faculty-of-florida-contract/>.

**Responsibilities:**

* Teach a 3-2 or 2-3 load in the Fall and Spring semesters

+ We anticipate that 1–2 courses each year will be sections of UF Quest 1: Design + Identity in Everyday Life.
+ We anticipate that the other courses will be upper-level courses in the BFA in the Graphic Design major or minor.

* Actively participate in our learning community, including finding innovative ways to connect design to critical discourse in other disciplines.
* Participate in shared governance through service to the design program, School, College, and University.

**SCHOOL OF ART + ART HISTORY:** Organized within the College of the Arts, the School of Art + Art History nurtures a culture of critical inquiry in our scholarly and creative work. Our educational mission is to empower each student with knowledge, skills, and insight to engage thoughtfully with our changing world. The SA+AH believes that art, design, and scholarship are critical to our local, university, regional, national, and international communities. We pursue positive transformation and impact through socially engaged, local and global education, research, and creative works. Our community asks challenging questions, takes risks, and strives for excellence through an interdisciplinary, inclusive, and often collaborative practice. School of Art + Art History faculty publish, curate, and exhibit widely and internationally. They bring their scholarship and production into their teaching, offering innovative, engaged learning experiences to their students. We foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community through mutual respect and acceptance, assuming the best in others to enable a culture where everyone can flourish. Degree programs include the BA, BFA, MA, MFA, and PhD. Areas of study include art education, art history, design, museum studies, and studio art. The school has 400 undergraduate students enrolled in our majors and 190 graduate students in our residential programs and online art education MA. Also a part of the School of Art + Art History are the 4Most Gallery and the University Galleries—University Gallery, the Gary R. Libby Gallery, and Grinter Gallery — which provide exhibition space for contemporary art, including student work. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The art education program is accredited by NCATE. For more information, visit [www.arts.ufl.edu/art](http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art).

**THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS:** The College of the Arts is an engine of transformation that generates paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond, while nurturing adaptability, innovation, and excellence. We foster an environment where novel creative practice, leading research, and experiential learning thrive. Our students, faculty, and staff interrogate and respond to the ever-changing relationship between technology and the human spirit. We prepare future leaders in artistic professions and creative industries, while developing student capacity for interdisciplinary scholarship that serves and engages local and global communities.The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,600 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 150 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music, and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, and the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. In addition, the college comprises the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami.

**The University of Florida:** The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world. Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. UF is a graduate research institution with more than 50,000 students and membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Gainesville, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s most livable cities, is located midway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the University and the community comprise the educational, medical and cultural center of North Central Florida.

*In addition to salary, the University of Florida (UF) offers low cost* [*State Health*](https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/health/health_insurance_plans "https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/health/health_insurance_plans") *plans, a number of Dental plans to fit you and your family’s needs, and Vision. Domestic partner coverage through GatorCare is also available. Optional plans such as life, disability, legal and accident insurance are also available.*

*UF provides a variety of leave programs including vacation, sick leave, 11 paid holidays, personal leave days, and family medical leave. Nine-month faculty employees accrue approximately 13 sick days annually, and 4 personal leave days, typically used during the holiday closing period (accruals based on full-time employment). UF also gives you flexibility to handle life’s challenges with paid family leave: eight full weeks over a 24-month period.*

*Build a retirement roadmap with competitive pension plans, investment accounts and a host of voluntary add-ons, such as 457 deferred compensation and 403(b) plans.*

*UF Employees are also eligible for the* [*GatorPerks discount program*](https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/gatorperks/ "https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/gatorperks/")*, which can provide savings at various business and retailers!*

*Explore UF’s plethora of benefit options here:* [*FACULTY Benefits*](https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/my-benefits/explore/eligibility/faculty/non-clinical/)

Expected Salary:

$70,000 annually with a comprehensive and highly competitive leave and benefits package

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate must meet all of the following:

* Terminal degree (e.g., MFA, MDes, PhD) in Communication Design or closely related field.
* Experience as instructor of record in higher education beyond graduate student assistantship.
* Knowledge of contemporary design issues, conceptual approaches to design, design thinking, and design research.
* Evidence of skill in designing and facilitating academic work that advances curiosity, respect, open intellectual discourse, and the welcome incorporation and well-being of all in an environment of complex differences.

Preferred

The successful candidate will meet some of the following:

* Evidence of success as an undergraduate instructor, preferably in a BFA or other bachelor’s program that prepares students for professional practice
* Experience teaching and/or professionally creating interaction design
* Experience with community-based projects that connect academic research with public interest, for example, co-design and/or participatory design projects.
* Evidence of a commitment to innovative and cross-disciplinary curricula.
* An active engagement with design research, creative work, or professional practice

Special Instructions to Applicants:

**Application Deadline:** Review of