Assistant Professor Of Digital Cinema (Tenure Track)
Southern Oregon University
POSITION SUMMARY:
Date application must be received for priority consideration by: November 1, 2024
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: September 16, 2025
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Faculty
Division/Department: School of Arts & Communication/Communication, Media & Cinema
Compensation Range: $65,508 – $69,520 (Assistant Prof YIR 1-4) commensurate with experience in a comparable faculty appointment and according to the SOU faculty collective bargaining agreement
Faculty Classification of Instruction Programs (CIP) Code anticipated: 50.06, Film/Video and Photographic Arts
FLSA Status: Exempt
Appointment Basis: 9 month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration: Renewable
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Work Location Type: On-Campus
Worker Status: Must be able to legally work in the United States without visa sponsorship
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:
- Finalist Candidates for faculty positions shall provide copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the search committee at the time they are notified that they are a finalist.
- Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) letter providing some detail of the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position; (2) current resume/CV; (3) at least three professional references; (4) Online portfolio. If you are unable to attach the supplemental materials to the online application please contact Human Resources for assistance.
- For inquiries and additional information, please contact: Human Resource Services via email at hrs@sou.edu or by phone at (541)552-8553.
- To view SOU’s very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions, please visit https://inside.sou.edu/assets/hrs/Benefits/Benefit_Flyer/2024_Prospective_Candidate_Benefit_Overview_012024.pdf
- Our benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and our Total Compensation Calculator, https://inside.sou.edu/hrs/comp-calc.html, demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The School for Arts & Communication at SOU seeks a new production generalist to join our nationally-ranked film program as a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Digital Cinema. Recently named a Top 30 Film School in the U.S. & Canada by MovieMaker Magazine, the Digital Cinema program is housed in the department of Communication, Media & Cinema and offers popular BS, BA, and BFA degrees in film production, including a new dual-degree program in producing and film business offered between Digital Cinema and SOU’s School of Business.
The ideal candidate will teach undergraduate courses in short film production, production management, assistant directing, and the business of film while also overseeing BFA Capstone thesis projects and our program’s centerpiece, the Crew Experience, an innovative 12-credit immersion in which students produce a significant film project, on location, and under the supervision of faculty and industry mentors. Candidates with experience in production management for the stage may also have opportunities to work with the Theatre department. A candidate qualified to develop and teach a new Women in Film Production course is highly desirable.
As a program, the Digital Cinema faculty have pledged a commitment in our curricular development and pedagogy to EDIT Media’s best practices for inclusive teaching in media production, and we encourage candidates to demonstrate their commitment to these practices in their cover letter. Experience recruiting, advising, and mentoring historically excluded student populations (including but not limited to BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, first-generation college students, and low-income students) is especially valued. SOU is also a Green Film School Alliance member committed to teaching sustainable production practices.
The School of Arts & Communication values interdisciplinary collaboration, and faculty are encouraged to work across programs to expand student learning opportunities. The Digital Cinema program works closely with other majors such as Theatre, Emerging Media & Design, and Music Industry & Production, among others.
Tenure-track faculty must have an active creative or scholarly agenda that may include screenwriting, production activity, or peer-reviewed academic research. Tenure-track faculty also have service responsibilities within the department, school, and institution, including committee service, student advising, and new student recruitment. Our faculty often collaborates with external partners such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Oregon Media Production Association, Film Southern Oregon, the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television, and regional film festivals.
The appointment will begin September 16, 2025. On SOU’s quarter system, tenure-track faculty typically teach nine courses per year, with three courses each term. We offer excellent comprehensive health and retirement benefits. Review of applicants will commence immediately, with a priority deadline of November 1, 2024, but the search will remain open until filled.
Digital Cinema at SOU currently serves approximately 70 majors across its degree programs, providing students with a highly experiential education in visual storytelling, creative problem-solving, and professional collaboration. While rooted in the film school tradition, Digital Cinema embraces entrepreneurship and innovation to prepare students for dynamic careers in an expanding video arts and entertainment landscape. Recent graduates from our program have been accepted into some of the nation’s top graduate schools for film, including USC, Chapman University, Loyola Marymount, and Syracuse. In addition to our major programs, we offer certificates in Directing for the Screen, Producing & Production Management, Screenwriting & Story Development, Documentary Production, Cinematography & Production Technology, Media Post Production, and Sound Design.
The hub of all media education on campus is the Digital Media Center (DMC), with a 1000 sq. ft. production studio equipped with HD multi-cam broadcast capabilities, a large green screen, lighting grid and control room, and support facilities for makeup and wardrobe. The DMC equipment room offers students free access to lighting and audio gear and 4K cinema cameras. The DMC is an Avid Learning Affiliate. Students have access to a 20-workstation digital editing lab at the DMC, equipped with DaVinci Resolve and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, and all students have cloud access to screenwriting and production management tools. Faculty also have access to these resources to support their creative work. Students have opportunities to share their work with the public via Rogue Valley Community Television (RVTV), housed in the DMC, via an ongoing partnership with Southern Oregon PBS (SOPBS), and via the SOU Student Film Festival, which takes place every Spring.
Southern Oregon University is a public liberal arts institution of approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students based in Ashland, Oregon. The surrounding area is known for its cultural offerings, such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Ashland Independent Film Festival, and the Britt Music Festival, and has been recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as a “best place to live and work as a moviemaker” for ten consecutive years (2014-2023). The Rogue Valley is also renowned for outdoor activities such as hiking, snowboarding, and fishing. Direct flights to Los Angeles and other large cities in the Western U.S. can be booked through Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport.
Minimum Qualifications
- MFA or terminal degree in filmmaking or production from an accredited institution
- At least one year of college-level teaching experience (including adjuncting)
- Scholarship/creative activity and teaching interests in narrative film production, producing, or production management.
- Comfort teaching a variety of film-related courses at all levels.
- Evidence of teaching and production practices that advance equitable, accessible, inclusive, and just film sets
Preferred Qualifications
- Three or more years of college-level teaching experience.
- Professional production credits and/or professional union or guild memberships (IATSE, DGA, PGA, etc.)
- Experience in supervisory roles in film or media production.
- Experience with online teaching or using learning-management systems.
- Able to contribute interdisciplinary instruction in adjacent academic programs such as Theatre, Media Innovation (Journalism, PR, Advertising), Emerging Media & Design, or others.
- Evidence of sensitivity to and an understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, LGBTQ, and ethnic backgrounds of staff and students;
- Preference will be given to candidates with experience teaching and supervising students from diverse backgrounds.
Essential Functions
Duties – The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive
(100%) The primary responsibilities of all faculty members are: teaching, professional development, and service.
- Teaching encompasses normal instructional activities beyond the teaching of assigned courses such as academic advising, working with students outside of class, posting and maintaining appropriate office hours, course and curriculum planning, etc.
- Professional Development includes maintaining currency in the discipline taught.
- Service includes program and institutional administrative, committee, and student support and retention activities
- In addition, professorial faculty members are expected to participate in scholarly and/or creative activities, including formal research (whether in scholarship of discovery, scholarship of synthesis, scholarship of application, or scholarship of teaching), and in service to the university and beyond the campus, such as in professional organizations or other professionally related public service
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Demonstrated excellence in written, verbal, and technical communication skills and with a high degree of personal integrity and standards
- Ability to facilitate an innovative, transformative curriculum and pedagogy to enable students to be prepared for the future
- Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing
- Demonstrated experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations
- Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist
- Demonstrated ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, sometimes under pressure and a fast-paced environment
- Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations
- Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems
- Ability to independently analyze software functionality and design and document efficient/effective work processes
- Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with community leaders, business leaders, and donors to advance the mission and vision of the institution.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information.
- Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy
- Ability to take initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
- Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail
- Proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, internet/online systems (e.g., calendaring and email), social media platforms, Learning Management Systems, etc.
- Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere internally and externally, and to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds
Physical Demand
- Regular teaching activities, including standing, sitting, lecturing, and using a computer.
Special Conditions
- Workload expectations are outlined in the Association for Professors, Southern Oregon University (APSOU) Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 19.
- Teaching assignments may include First Year Experience, online and/or hybrid courses, Medford and Ashland campus classes, and day, evening, and weekend courses.
- Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
- Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
- Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
- Under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), this position classification is defined as exempt and is not subject to overtime regulations.
- The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
- Conditions of Employment: Workload expectations are outlined in the APSOU CBA, Article 19. Teaching assignments may include First Year Seminar, online and/or hybrid courses, Medford and Ashland campus classes, and day, evening, and weekend courses.
- Compensation: Any formally approved and authorized salary change shall automatically amend this contract.