Career Center

A Progressive and Dynamic Department of Music, An Urban University, An Arts-Rich Community

Established in 1877, the Department of Music has an historic reputation for excellence, anchored by the nationally acclaimed Augsburg Choir. Augsburg's main campus is located near downtown Minneapolis, with ready access to the enormous range of cultural and artistic events and institutions for which the Twin Cities is known. The Twin Cities is a major metropolitan center featuring two world-class orchestras (the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra), leading semi-professional choirs and orchestras, and an expansive number of excellent church and community musicians and ensembles. The MacPhail Center for Music, several blocks from campus in the revived and thriving warehouse district that includes the nationally known Guthrie Theater, serves the largest number of intergenerational students of any community music school in the country. St. Paul is home to the American Composers Forum, the leading national professional organization for composers and new music, as well as the classical music presenting Schubert Club.

The area is rich in diversity and the music of diverse peoples and is recognized as one of the leading philanthropic communities in the country. Jazz and popular music abound in clubs and concert venues, notably the nationally known Dakota Club and First Avenue, founded by Prince. Chamber groups and new music are vital aspects of the music scene, notably through the cutting-edge Walker Art Center. The Cedar Performing Arts Center, only two blocks from campus, is in the heart of the Twin Cities' Somali community and presents internationally known musicians from diverse ethnic traditions. In addition to the Guthrie Theater, the "cities" are home to a large number of semi-professional and local community theater troupes. The downtown theater district in Minneapolis regularly features touring shows, as does the spectacular Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul. Guest artists of the renowned Schubert Club, the acclaimed Minnesota Opera, the two professional orchestras, and Vocalessence provide convenient and affordable access to critically regarded international performers, composers, and conductors. The Department of Music's Alumni and Community Advisory Council includes top artistic and administrative leadership from major music organizations, music and non-music alumni who have been active in the music program as students, and representatives of the business and legal communities who have a particular interest in music. The department is a frequent beneficiary of lectures, collaborations, and short-term residencies due to the large number of widely known local, national, and international musicians to whom it has access.

THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC AT AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY

The University is demonstrably committed to supporting a 21st century Department of Music that combines music reflective of a pluralistic society, an ethnically diverse student enrollment, superior performance standards and studies, and the civic engagement and leadership values of Augsburg University. Augsburg's Department of Music is primarily undergraduate, with majors and concentrations including: music therapy (BS); music, human development, and learning (BMus); performance (BA), and music, media, and management (BA). There is also a liberal arts music degree (BA). Minors include liberal arts music, creativity, and music production.

Recently re-accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the department offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science degrees. The hybrid master's degree in music therapy was recently ranked the top program in the country. There are currently about 145 undergraduate majors and 50 master of music therapy students. The master's degree in education offers opportunity for graduate coursework in music, human development, and learning. Many of Augsburg's students in majors other than music were active high school music participants and seek participation in music as university students. Approximately 150 students from other majors participate in music classes, lessons, and ensembles each year.

The department is housed in Anderson Music Hall (1978), which includes large and small rehearsal spaces, classrooms, a keyboard lab, a recently rebuilt and state-of-the-art recording studio, practice rooms and studios, a 225-seat recital hall, and faculty and staff offices. Hoversten Chapel, physically adjacent to Anderson Music Hall, serves as a performing space for major concerts and houses a 44-rank, 29-stop, mechanical action pipe organ built in1989 by the Dobson Company. The department owns a well-maintained piano inventory as well wind, string, and percussion instruments.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT DISTINCTIVES

Since 2015, the department has undergone transformational change led by six new tenure-track faculty, three tenured faculty, two full-time contract faculty, the department chair, and a strong contingent of adjunct faculty. Approximately three million dollars in newly donated funds have supported scholarships. The department's music-restricted endowed and demand funds currently stand at about $4 million.

Distinctive aspects of the department include a fully renovated, state-of-art recording studio, an internationally recognized music therapy program taught by three full-time faculty members, and newly, progressively designed programs in creativity (composition/improvisation), music production, and music performance. The department recently initiated a university-community Global Harmony Chorus in collaboration with authentic musicians across the globe and orchestra/jazz exchanges with Latin American universities. The traditional two-semester music history sequence has been reconceptualized as global perspectives on music in social, cultural, and global context, and a new capstone course in creative career development has been proposed. The traditional "music education" program has been redesigned as Music, Human Development, and Learning, representing its two-track options in licensure for P-12 teaching as well as intergenerational community teaching and learning. In 2020, the department produced faculty member Reinaldo Moya's immersive-experience opera, Tienda, focusing on immigrant issues in the Twin Cities in the 1930s, a work commissioned by the Schubert Club during his tenure as composer-in-residence for that organization.

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION: The University seeks a creative and visionary leader who will advance music's curricular alignment with university-wide priorities of social justice, urban education, diversity, and inclusion. Advocating and advancing a curricular model that honors Augsburg's legacy of engaging music majors and students from across campus, the successful candidate will proactively engage with the wider music community in collaborations and partnerships, and will participate enthusiastically in the department's goals of recruiting and nurturing diverse student participation throughout the department.

Leadership:

• Serve as an articulate spokesperson in and beyond the university for the vision, mission, and values of the Department of Music and the University.
• Collaborate with Institutional Advancement in seeking donor support for the department's goals and programs.
• Create structured opportunities for faculty discussion and strategic effort to continue curricular progress, relevance, and leadership for 21st century students.
• Establish departmental task forces/working groups, as necessary, to advance opportunities and enhance visibility, applications, and enrollments.
• Collaborate in providing support for creative international endeavors.
• Create opportunities through residencies and internships for students to interact with leading musicians locally, regionally, and nationally Chair the department's Music Alumni and Community Advisory Committee and promote the engagement of its members in the work of the department.
• Model and facilitate a positive and collaborative culture among faculty, staff, and students, as well as with upper administration and other departments.
• Provide structured opportunities for student engagement and feedback regarding their experiences in the department.

Administration:

• Fulfill responsibilities of department chairs (as articulated in the Augsburg Faculty Handbook), assuring adherence to university policies, calendars, timelines, etc.
• Serve on school or university level committees and task forces - while supporting and encouraging department faculty to do the same in ways that align with their interests and strengths.
• Work productively and effectively with offices such as academic affairs, admissions, and financial aid.
• Supervise and work collaboratively with staff.
• Convene regular faculty and staff meetings.
• Align department planning and policies with university priorities and policies.
• Model standards for communications, professionalism, courtesy, and transparency in all departmental activities and operations.
• Mentor department faculty; encourage faculty participation in national and international opportunities for professional visibility and development.

Management:

• Oversee daily operations of the department.
• Oversee department budgets, manage expenditure approvals, and assure a balanced departmental budget.
• Assure goal-oriented and productive department meetings.
• Oversee the department's strategic planning efforts, support faculty involvement/investment/participation in the department, and assess/evaluate department programs and activities.
• Complete departmental reports, to include faculty annual reports, annual departmental report, and annual program/department assessment.
• Oversee annual and third-year reviews; advise faculty seeking tenure and promotion.
• Appoint faculty search committees.
• Collaborate with staff on keeping departmental policy documents up to date.
• Oversee NASM accreditation; attend annual NASM meeting.

Teaching:

• As an accomplished and committed teacher, the Sateren Professor will teach one course per semester, or equivalent, in the area of specialization. The department is particularly interested in, but not limited to, candidates with expertise in diverse musics/ethnomusicology.

Requirements:

The successful candidate will be an accomplished leader with a demonstrated and recognized record of success and achievement in music, creative activity/research, teaching, and collaboration with community and academic institutions. They will have demonstrated strengths in articulating and developing evolving models of music career and liberal arts music education in the twenty-first century. A terminal degree and/or equivalent professional experience are strongly preferred, including qualification for appointment at the level of tenured full professor, though appointment at the rank of associate professor is an option.

Additional Information:

Among the distinctive features of the university are its deep dedication to civic and community engagement, robust undergraduate research programs, and a strong belief in the integration of liberal arts and professional studies across all programs. The University's commitments to our urban context and the world beyond it are enhanced through the work of four signature centers: the Christensen Center for Vocation, the Center for Global Education and Experience, the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, and the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work. All faculty members are encouraged to develop significant, experiential learning opportunities in collaboration with one or more of these centers through curricular and co-curricular programming in our main campus in Minneapolis, as well as our satellite site in Rochester, MN, and academic centers in Central America and Southern Africa. Faculty members also design and offer Study-Away programs across all fifty states.

As part of Augsburg University's commitment to intentional diversity, 50% of our current student body identifies as Black, Indigenous and persons of color. The emerging interdisciplinary Department of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies builds on this foundation to further diversify our academic curriculum and co-curricular programs. We do this work out of historical and contemporary obligations rooted in our ethical and intellectual commitments to prepare our diverse student body for a cosmopolitan world.

Augsburg is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class. Successful candidates will have demonstrated abilities working in an academic community committed to intentional diversity. Candidates are thus encouraged to highlight skills and experiences that demonstrate these competencies.

Application Instructions:

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include a brief summary of the candidate's credentials and the nominee's contact information and be sent to the attention of Annie Heiderscheit, Director of Music Therapy and Associate Professor at heidersc@augsburg.edu. Inquiries and questions may also be directed to Professor Heiderscheit at 612-741-1182.

To apply for the position, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/hr and upload a cover letter and CV. As part of the online application process, you will be required to provide the names of three to five current professional references. Those who advance in the search will be notified before any references are contacted.

The search committee's review of applications will begin July 1, 2022, with priority consideration given to applications received by this date. The position will remain open until filled. Further information is available at www.augsburg.edu/hr/ and https://www.augsburg.edu/music/. Please do not send supplementary materials unless invited to do so.