School Director - School of Theatre and Dance

Working Title: School Director - School of Theatre and Dance

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Instructional / Teaching Faculty

Position Status: Full-Time

 

College/Division: College of Visual and Performing Arts

Department: 100019 - School Theatre and Dance

 

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

 

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

 

Beginning Review Date: 

 

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The university is committed to expanding diversity, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting superlative teaching and scholarship. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

 

General Information:

James Madison University (JMU) is seeking applicants for the Director of the School of Theatre and Dance. This position is a 12-month tenured appointment within the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor to begin July 1, 2025.

The School of Theatre and Dance is a dynamic, student-centered, and production-oriented academic department offering a Bachelor of Arts degree with Majors in Dance, Theatre, and Musical Theatre. Our curriculum seeks to inspire and integrate rigorous critical thinking and free-flowing creative practice. Our school supports 250 majors, 100+ minors, 6 staff and administrative faculty, and 19 tenured or tenure-track faculty with national and international artistic and scholarship portfolios.

An ideal candidate would demonstrate the ability to lead a busy production schedule, improve operations and workflow, share a commitment to equity and culturally-responsive pedagogy, design new and innovative arts curriculum, initiate processes for shared faculty governance and decision-making, and provide both mentorship and accountability to our students, faculty, and staff in pursuit of the highest standards for educational, professional, and creative practice.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary administrative officer for the School of Theatre and Dance
• Increase student recruitment activities for the School of Theatre and Dance, and recruit, support, coach, and evaluate highly qualified faculty and staff
• Guide the implementation of culturally-responsive, consent-based pedagogy, scholarship, and creative practice
• Supervise academic and production budgets, budget strategies, and organizational planning
• Analyze production resources and implement new standards for production capacity
• Implement systems for measuring and distributing faculty and staff service and teaching responsibilities in alignment with JMU’s elevation to R2 status
• Lead School of Theatre and Dance faculty and staff in strategic planning processes, and the ongoing implementation of that strategic plan
• Lead School of Theatre and Dance faculty and staff in fundraising, grantwriting, and donor cultivation activities
• Lead and facilitate the development of dynamic, forward-thinking curriculum
• Increase creative and professional opportunities for students through partnerships with external artists and arts organizations