Assistant Director of Academic and Faculty Affairs - VCUarts Qatar

Assistant Director of Academic and Faculty Affairs
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of the Arts in Qatar

The Opportunity:
VCUarts Qatar has introduced a newly established role, an Assistant Director of Academic and Faculty Affairs, designed to support the office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The primary responsibility of the Assistant Director of Academic and Faculty Affairs is to lead and oversee the strategic planning, development, and implementation of policies and initiatives that promote academic integrity and improve the faculty experience within the institution. This role includes fostering faculty development, ensuring adherence to academic standards, and creating an environment that encourages excellence in both academic and faculty matters. Moreover, the Assistant Director acts as a vital liaison between faculty members, directors, administration, and external stakeholders, ensuring that institutional goals are aligned with faculty needs and academic priorities to foster innovation, collaboration, and growth. The Assistant Director will thrive in a collaborative, team-oriented environment within a tight-knit academic community, working alongside experienced and dedicated educators, with opportunities for both regional and international engagement.

Major Responsibilities:
The Assistant Director for Academic and Faculty Affairs facilitates the role of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in managing academic and faculty affairs, and as such provides leadership and guidance on the following:

• Responsible for day-to-day operations for academic and faculty affairs
• Planning, development, and evaluation of academic programs and support units
• Collaboration with senior leadership, program chairs/directors, and faculty, staff, and administrators to ensure departmental objectives are met
• Management of curricular program development, implementation, and approval processes, inspiring positive change and excellence with leadership, faculty, staff, and administrators
• Oversight of academic assessment and effectiveness to support VCU’s commitment to academic excellence
• Leadership in faculty affairs embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles
• Provision of support for faculty affairs including recruitment, promotion, professional development, grievance, mentorship, and awards
• Support key university committees related to academic planning, policy, curriculum, etc.
• Support developing and maintaining partnership relationships with VCU system, VCU School of the Arts, Qatar Foundation Partner Universities, and external organizations e.g. SCHEV, SACSCOC, NASAD, CIDA, MoEHE, etc.
• Provision of assistance with academic input regarding recruitment, admission, enrollment, retention, and success

There are generous benefits associated with this faculty appointment:

- Competitive international salary
- Tax protection for U.S. Taxpayers
- 30% Off-shore supplement
- Medical Insurance (100% employer funded premium and employer cost shared options available)
- Fully furnished villa or apartment including wireless internet
- Annual travel allowance to home of record (to include a spouse and dependents relocated to Qatar)
- Monthly transportation allowance
- Educational reimbursement for up to 4 dependent children enrolled in an accredited K-12 program
- International Professional Development Opportunities

VCUarts Qatar:
VCUarts Qatar is the international branch campus of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts (VCUarts). Located in Richmond, Virginia, VCUarts (www.arts.vcu.edu) is a top-ranked public art school in the U.S. VCUarts Qatar was established in 1998 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation and offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design, interior design, kinetic imaging, and painting & printmaking; a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history; and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design. Located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, VCUarts Qatar is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The current student body represents a diverse range of nationalities with students coming from 34 countries.

VCUarts Qatar is dedicated to global outreach and education and provides students with an environment for cross-cultural exchange that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation. Examples of this mission are the two significant international conferences hosted by VCUarts Qatar-the biennial design conference, Tasmeem and the biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art. VCUarts Qatar attracts globally recognized designers, artists and scholars while fostering partnerships within the region, and beyond, that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of Qatar. Having established itself as a center of excellence for education and research, VCUarts Qatar has substantial involvement with the influential art and design world of the Middle East and is a catalyst for the growth and development of these fields in the region. VCUarts Qatar has over 120 full-time faculty and staff and a student body of over 300 students. VCUarts Qatar was the first campus established in Education City, a unique 2500-acre multiversity campus. VCUarts Qatar was joined by Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Carnegie-Mellon University, Texas A&M University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Northwestern University, and HEC Paris.

Qatar, with English as the standard second language, is a progressive country in the Arabian Gulf and remains one of the healthiest economies in the Gulf region. Doha offers all the conveniences found in a contemporary and cosmopolitan city, while honoring a rich tradition that is evident in the old markets and the city’s Islamic Arab architecture. Al-Wakrah Stadium, a venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, designed by the defunct deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid was inaugurated in 2021. The National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened in March 2019 while the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M.Pei opened in November 2008 and the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf) opened in 2010. The U.S. Embassy considers Qatar among the safest countries in the world for Americans.

VCUarts:
Ranked by US News & World Report as a top five arts and design school, VCUarts (arts.vcu.edu) includes over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students with nationally recognized programs in design, visual and performing arts. Students are taught by over 175 full-time teaching and research faculty members and the school is supported by over 70 staff members that assist in daily processes. The school includes two campuses; one in Richmond and one in Doha, Qatar. The Richmond campus is located on the university’s 75-acre Monroe Park campus situated in the city’s historic Fan District. Ultimately, the work of the School of the Arts extends globally with partnerships throughout the world and across fields as diverse as the humanities, health care and business.

Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing accessible and equitable living, learning and working environments free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or disability.