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Posted: 06-Mar-23
Location: Syracuse, New York
Salary: 75,000 +
Employment Type:
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Required Education:
Internal Number: 159667
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Interdisciplinary Design and Planning with a Design Studio Focus
The Department of Landscape Architecture (DLA) at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) is seeking candidates for an academic year, tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor rank, starting in August of 2023.
SUNY ESF is the premier environmental college in New York State and one of only a small number of doctoral degree-granting institutions in the 64-campus SUNY system. Landscape architecture faculty and students at ESF work in collaboration with disciplinary experts in environmental resources engineering, environmental biology, sustainable construction management, environmental justice, and many other specialized environmental fields. ESF is both a small, close-knit community of approximately 120 faculty members and 2200 students and also the vital partner of a major comprehensive institution, Syracuse University (SU), our nearest neighbor on University Hill along with SUNY Upstate Medical University.
We encourage applications from landscape architecture scholars who embrace the opportunities afforded by ESF for inter- and transdisciplinary teaching, research, and creative practice. At ESF, faculty are not expected to succeed in isolation, but instead join a structured network of faculty partners who support one another. Through our connections across the college, at SU, SUNY Upstate, and beyond, we help new faculty launch successful, collaborative academic careers. Existing research networks of DLA faculty include the recently developed Urban Sustainability cluster, Center for Cultural Landscape Preservation, Center for Biosphere Reserve Studies, and Center for Community Design Research. The position outlined below builds upon, and expands, existing strengths and emerging areas of the discipline, balancing breadth and depth in the expertise of our faculty.
In a new era of growth and design leadership, the DLA is boldly reimagining our approach to landscape architecture education, research, and community service. With the support of a college administration that recognizes the value of our discipline, we have new state-of-the-art facilities following the $45 million renovation of our historic home, Marshall Hall (completion date in mid-2023). We are eager to welcome a new colleague who will be an active participant in shaping the next era in the department's history.
The DLA has the following programs: Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Master of Science in Landscape Architecture. Through the ESF Graduate Program in Environmental Science, we also work with Master of Science and Ph.D. students with interests in community planning and related topics.
All our new faculty positions have an interdisciplinary emphasis, even if the position descriptions are necessarily written to be more specific. For example, we recognize the areas of social/cultural studies and humanities as not separate from, but part of, critical discourses of ecology and information/representation technologies. Social/cultural studies may be embodied in separate faculty positions (a focus on community engagement, social justice, cultural practices, and so forth) or embedded within approaches in ecology/data, modeling, and so on. While the advertised positions are presented as being distinct from one another, we welcome hybrid applications.
Interdisciplinary design and planning with a design studio focus
The design studio is the heart of our BLA and MLA curricula, and most department faculty teach design studios. In a college of environmental science, the design studio is a unique pedagogical vehicle that is adaptable, flexible, and a model for innovation, one that serves as an incubator for transformative ideas that address pressing societal needs. We are looking for someone who understands the studio environment as a place of mentoring that supports the diversity of students engaged in the learning process. This means engaging in a contemporary approach to teaching design that allows for a diversity of paths and paces for learning, questioning outdated paradigms that insist all student work meet predetermined visual, technical, and conceptual standards. The person hired for this position would delve into the transdisciplinary nature of landscape architecture by raising questions that prompt investigation of the complicated intersections of our discipline.
This position is open-ended in terms of specific subject area specializations. We welcome applications from candidates who are strong design instructors and who also have an area of expertise in one or more of the following: landscape history; cultural landscape conservation and preservation; ecological restoration or ecology/plants; spatial equity, cultural inclusivity, and environmental justice; urban planning and design; sustainable energy; or other emerging issues in planning and design.
Responsibilities: Successful candidates will have the potential to develop, or show evidence of, a robust research/scholarship/creative practices program, excellence in teaching, and service to the college and discipline. New faculty members will play prominent roles in the delivery of our core curricula and must demonstrate a strong interest in teaching undergraduate and graduate students. We employ team-taught studios with an emphasis on learning in a supportive environment. The ability to establish collaborative and collegial working relationships is required, as is an ability and interest in teaching and/or supporting design studios. We are particularly interested in candidates with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Required Qualifications:
- A terminal degree in Landscape Architecture or a related discipline by the date of appointment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- A strong record of productivity in research, scholarship, and/or creative work and previous teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Grounding in one or more disciplines, interdisciplinary research experience, and/or international teaching or practical experience.
