Jobs at Laguna College of Art and Design

Laguna College of Art and Design (www.lcad.edu) seeks a vice president of academic affairs

who is passionate about the critical role of artists and designers who are actively engaging with

planetary health in its array of global social, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts and

challenges. For more than 60 years, Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) has been a

proving ground for some of the most gifted students and talented faculty in developing unique

creative voices through the provision of a world-class education. The college prepares

individuals for careers as creative artists and designers in a culturally and ethnically diverse

world by offering a curriculum that emphasizes acquiring technical skills and critical thinking

based on observation, representation, and concept development, while embracing challenges of

new, innovative technologies. Today, 760 students are enrolled in LCAD’s programs of study,

which offer BFA and MFA degrees to artists, animators, game designers, graphic designers,

and illustrators through a robust curriculum and a vibrant creative community. The college is

dually accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by the National

Association of Schools of Art and Design and is a member of the Association of Independent

Colleges of Art and Design.

As LCAD’s chief academic officer reporting to the president, the vice president will be a highly

experienced college-level educator and academic administrator who possesses an innovative

energy to help lead LCAD into the future. The vice president will provide vision for academic

affairs, ably steering the growth and development of all programs and forward-thinking

interdisciplinary, group, and project-based art and design curricula in concert with academic

leadership and a faculty composed of accomplished educators and creative industry

professionals. Through oversight and support of assessment, evaluation, and program review

as carried out by department chairs, the VPAA will guide the college’s overall academic

program quality and will play a primary role in leading LCAD’s institutional accreditation process.

The vice president will also support faculty recruitment, professional development, and retention

along with shared governance guided by mission-based priorities, goals, and strategy. This

leader will bring a sophisticated understanding of emerging and future trends in art and design

and the capacity to respond to changes in industry and technology through inventive and

effective adaptation in teaching and learning.

The successful candidate will be a leader with a record of success in academic administration; a

proven ability to serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to institutional leadership and

senior colleagues; a profound commitment to excellence in art education; a deep dedication to

equity, access, affordability, inclusivity, and belonging; and a thorough understanding of the

challenges and opportunities facing higher education. This able administrator may have served

as a department chair and/or in a decanal position with career accomplishments sufficient for

tenure-track rank equivalency in art, design, or an associated discipline. We seek an educator

with current knowledge of higher education trends, including those specific to art and design.

The VPAA will be proactive and encouraging of new pedagogical ideas and approaches to

provide a groundbreaking curriculum and value-added educational experience that meets

contemporary and future needs. The vice president will embrace shared governance and

servant leadership and must understand and know how to facilitate the creative process.

Preference will be given to regionally or nationally recognized artists or designers. A terminal

degree or its equivalent in academic credentials and experience is required.

A complete position specification is available here: www.shellihermansearch.com/LCAD-VPAA

A review of applications will commence immediately, continuing until the position is filled.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their credentials as soon as possible; applicant

materials should be received by March 15, 2023. Please send a CV with a letter of interest, via

email, in strict confidence to LCAD’s search consultants:

Shelli Herman and Associates, Inc.

Attention: Shelli Herman

LCAD-VPAA@shellihermansearch.com