Chair of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design

The Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Judson University seeks a new Chair to lead its B.A.A.S. and accredited M.Arch. programs starting in Summer of 2026. Position may be available as early as January 2026 if the applicant if available sooner. The University leadership, Architecture faculty and supporters of the program are working on a renewed vision for the program, and the new Chair will have the opportunity to contribute to this process. The renewed vision will incorporate current distinctives of the program such as a recognized excellence in architecture education, expanding recently developed programmatic initiatives, cultivating a strong faculty, and supporting an exceptional student population. A strong Christian faith is an essential requirement. The new Chair is expected to have demonstrated credentials in an academic and/or professional environment appropriate to appointment at the rank of associate or full professor. The Chair will be supported by an Assistant Chair and an administrative assistant. The salary for this opportunity is very competitive and will be commensurate with experience.

Judson’s programs in architecture draw from, and contribute to, the University’s tradition of Christian education within a liberal arts framework. Faculty and staff are expected to evince their faith within classrooms and studios and in all interpersonal relationships across the campus. Distinctive characteristics of the program include embracing a full and diverse gamut of architectural precedent, a four-week study abroad experience in the third year of the B.A.A.S., and a one-year preceptorship built into the M.Arch. curriculum.

Founded in 1997, the Department of Architecture achieved initial accreditation in 2004 and was re-accredited by the NAAB in 2021. Housed in a LEED Gold-certified building with the Department of Art and Design and adjacent to the University library, the architecture curricula are taught in dedicated classrooms and studio space, with a fabrications laboratory and woodshop in the building. Judson University is situated in Elgin, with easy access by train or highway to Chicago, just 40 miles to the east. Learn more about the Architecture Program here: https://www.judsonu.edu/academics/architecture-department/

The new Chair must have demonstrated leadership experience to include leading faculty or other teams, successfully executing a vision driven strategy with evident results, communicating with exceptional and proactive communication skills, and coalescing appropriate constituents around a shared vision. The new Chair is expected to work collaboratively with Departmental faculty and staff and to participate in and model values of shared governance while shaping and encouraging a vision that will launch the programs through the next twenty years. The Chair will recognize the opportunities of the programs, the faculty, and location, while addressing demographic changes and challenges to higher education generally.

The new chair will:

• Possess a strong Christian faith
• Support the University’s Mission Statement and Educational Goals
• (see: https://www.judsonu.edu/about/mission-and-faith-statement/ and https://www.judsonu.edu/about/educational-statement-community-standards/ )
• Set Departmental goals that are aligned with the University mission and result from faculty collaboration
• Recruit, mentor and maintain adjunct faculty
• Articulate clear pedagogical objectives for themselves and the Department as a whole
• Coordinate with campus-wide offices to magnify efforts for student recruitment and retention
• Inspire and maintain a collegial atmosphere
• Provide leadership for resource development (fundraising, grants or sponsorships) for the program above and beyond the annual operating budget
• Create and sustain relationships between the programs and architecture firms (both local and across the country)
• Advocate for programs to University administration
• Oversee the Department budget
• Work with the Department’s Advisory Board to advance the programs
• Enhance relations among program alumni
• Facilitate the matriculation of transfer students
• Coordinate the annual James Didier Christ in Architecture lecture series and annual symposia
• Fulfill responsibilities of advising (normally for transfer students) and regular committee assignments (at least one policy committee)
• Teach in their area of disciplinary expertise (e.g., building science, history/theory, design)
• Perform all other institutional duties as assigned by Associate Provost and Provost

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Educational credentialing of an earned Ph.D. or equivalent; M.Arch qualifications will be considered
• Professional licensure or substantial body of research and understanding of licensure requirements and professional architecture culture
• Experience in higher education (or a professional architecture setting) that fulfills requirements of hiring at the level of associate or full professor
• Understanding of, and ideally experience with, the NAAB accreditation process
• Skills as a facilitator of student learning who understands contemporary issues in science of learning
• Strengths in administration, including nurturing a collaborative environment with faculty that includes recruitment, mentoring, and retention
• Capacity for developing new programs, especially certificates and at the graduate level

Rank and salary based on qualifications, education, and work experience. The new Chair is expected to have demonstrated credentials in an academic and/or professional environment appropriate to appointment at the rank of associate or full professor. The salary for this opportunity is very competitive and will be commensurate with experience.

Please send questions about the position, nominations and applications to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Lanette Poteete-Young (lpoteete-young@judsonu.edu ), copying the Human Resources Director, Christina Cariello (cwatson@judsonu.edu).

Complete applications will include, as a single PDF:

• Letter of intent that outlines qualifications and capacity to meet the “Requirements and Responsibilities” listed above
• Statement on the influence of the Christian faith commitment in leadership style
• Judson Faculty Application, including answers to the three General/Faith Questions
• Curriculum vitae
• A small sample of creative or scholarly work (the committee will request more expansive portfolios from candidates who advance in the search process)
• Unofficial transcripts of both undergraduate and graduate work (official transcripts will be required upon hiring)

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the successful candidate is appointed.