Department Chair, Visual & Performing Arts

Apply now Job No: 25289
Department: Visual & Performing Arts
Work Type: Staff - Full Time
Location: Main Campus (Houghton, MI)
Full Time / Part Time: Full Time
Categories: Arts, Academic Administrator, Performing Arts
Applications Close: 09 Feb 2026 Eastern Standard Time

Ensured Consideration Date: 09 Feb 2026

Applications only accepted from current Michigan Tech employees.

Michigan Technological University is an R1 technological research university founded in 1885 in Houghton. Our rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Research focus areas include defense, health, energy, automotive, environment, and aerospace.

The area’s waters, forests, and snowfall support year-round recreation, including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, and paddling. The University is an integral part of the region, supported by a friendly and welcoming community that takes pride in being a true college town. We embrace our size, climate, sense of adventure, and originality.

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Michigan Technological University seeks an experienced scholar and leader with a commitment to interdisciplinarity to serve as department chair. The Chair will lead our collaborative, multidisciplinary department in implementing a shared vision for excellence in scholarship, creative work, and teaching. The Chair will be responsible for developing and supporting new departmental initiatives as well as ongoing efforts to foster innovative interdisciplinary research and advance undergraduate program success.

The Chair will also facilitate the involvement of Visual and Performing Arts and the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in the new Michigan Tech Forward 2.0. The department chair serves as the chief administrative officer for the department and is responsible for administration, budgeting, hiring, and fundraising in support of department goals. The Chair reports directly to the Dean of College of Sciences and Arts and works with department chairs, faculty, and staff to provide an environment for the promotion of excellence in teaching, research, and professional service.

The department chair is to provide leadership to the faculty and staff in developing a vision for the future of the department, establishing a plan to realize that vision, and working with the faculty and staff in executing the plan. The department chair will supervise the operation of the department through transparent creation, communication, and execution of the following areas, with additional duties as needed:

• Participation in College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) Council and full engagement with college-led efforts and initiatives.
• Regular communication with the CSA Dean about ongoing departmental affairs and strategic planning.
• Promotion of a culture of safety in the department, collaborating with Environmental Health and Safety, Research Integrity and other groups where beneficial or needed.
• Organization and overall supervision of department faculty and staff.
• Creation, execution and transparent reporting of the department budget.
• Supervision of the hiring, position creation and reclassification processes for faculty and staff.
• Creation, communication, and execution of a transparent evaluation system for annual evaluation of faculty and staff performance including recommendations for promotion and tenure and salary adjustments for merit.
• Provision of and communication of a transparent system for the professional development of faculty and staff.
• Creation of peer review lists for tenure and promotion reviews conducted by the Tenure, Promotion, and Reappointment Committee (TPR) and in accordance with university guidelines.
• Assignment of faculty responsibilities regarding administration, service, and teaching.
• Assignment of departmentally sponsored and maintained spaces.
• App…