Faculty-Graphic Design

St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, invites applications for a full-time faculty position in graphic design at the University's Mount Mercy campus, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Faculty rank (e.g., instructor, assistant professor, etc.) will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. Faculty status (i.e., tenure track or term appointment) is negotiable but may be contingent on the candidate's credentials and experience.

The anticipated rank of the appointment is at the assistant professor level (although candidates with more extensive experience may be appointed at a higher rank). Start date is August 17, 2026. The successful candidate will possess some combination of the following with respect to credentials and experience:

* Have an MFA in graphic design or closely related field.

* Applicants with demonstrated university-level teaching experience will receive special consideration.

* Knowledgeable in branding, publication design, illustration, typography, motion graphics, and interaction design.

* Possess expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) and UX/UI platforms (Figma).

The individual hired for this position will be expected to enthusiastically embrace the following responsibilities and objectives:

* Teach courses in branding, publication design, illustration, typography, motion graphics, and interaction design.

* Responsibilities include teaching four (4) courses per semester, holding office hours, advising, and attending department meetings.

* Assist in overseeing student-led projects (e.g., campus online newspaper and printed creative arts journal).

* Embrace both the challenges and rewards of working to build a vibrant and sustainable learner-centered model for Catholic higher education across the campuses of Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose University.

* Be committed to supported and guided, evidence-based innovation in pursuit of creating impactful learning experiences for students.

* Contribute to the learning and professional outcomes of students across the university generally as well as in the graphic design program.

* Engage in ongoing professional development appropriate to the faculty member's discipline and academic responsibilities.

* Offer high quality learning experiences for students in a range of modalities (e.g., face-to-face, hybrid, and online) or demonstrate a demonstrable willingness to learn how to do so.

In August 2024, St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University signed an agreement to fully combine the two universities. The university recently received approval from its accrediting body in 2025 and anticipates regulatory approval in the coming months. Mount Mercy employees became St. Ambrose employees in the summer of 2025, and the two campuses anticipate fully merging operations for the fall 2026 semester.

The strategic combination of Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose University represents the proactive and innovative combination of two healthy Catholic universities. The combined university will reduce costs by significantly reducing the duplication of administrative roles across the two universities and combining and streamlining a host of back-office operations. The combined university has also reimagined general education and academic programs with a focus on learner-centeredness, sustainability, strong student outcomes, and engaging and innovative learning experiences.

St. Ambrose University was founded as a diocesan college in Davenport, Iowa in 1882. The Mount Mercy campus of St. Ambrose University was founded in 1928 by the Sisters of Mercy. St. Ambrose has a strong financial profile with an endowment of $247.5 million, of which nearly 80% is unrestricted. Collectively, St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy enroll over 3500 undergraduate and graduate students.

The combined university offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and boasts a portfolio of a dozen graduate programs in a variety of fields, including multiple graduate degrees in healthcare, business, social work, education, and counseling. You can learn more about the strategic combination between St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy at…