THE OPPORTUNITY
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of director for career development. The nationally recognized Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development (JMCCD) empowers and educates MICA students and alumni to achieve purposeful, sustainable careers as creative entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and educators through a collaborative, innovative, experiential, and research-based approach.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION
Reporting to the associate dean for student integrated learning, the director provides leadership and strategic vision for JMCCD and establishes the overall vision for professional development at MICA. In addition to providing direct service to students and alumni, the director manages a highly collaborative team of six staff members and serves as the primary advocate for the center’s priorities with constituents. The director collaborates with the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship director to ensure synergy between professional practice curriculum and meaningful co-curricular engagements. In addition, the director partners broadly with senior staff and academic leadership, faculty members, alumni, parents, employers, and other constituencies regarding the importance of professional development experiences for artists, designers, and educators. The director creatively navigates the diverse and complex professional development needs of 23 distinct majors, programs, and concentrations.
Position Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, development, and implementation of professional development programs for MICA undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni.
- Explore information delivery models to identify those strategies that best leverage staff resources and capacities while meeting the needs of students.
- Set direction for department programming and initiatives, including large-scale educational and special events that enhance MICA students’ success in integrating their art and design learning into a broad array of career fields and related professions.
- Serve as a thought and execution leader in delivering on the college’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2027, advocating for and advancing professional practices preparation.
- Lead initiatives to strengthen professional development across the campus, partnering with academic leadership to envision new professional development curricula.
- Orchestrate networking and career exploration opportunities by building critical relationships with alumni, faculty, parents, and local community representatives.
- Engage employers nationally and internationally in art and design industries to hire from and collaborate with MICA for internships, jobs, and opportunities such as sponsored projects and giving.
- Educate MICA audiences on national and local trends related to careers, professional development, and entrepreneurship and the implications for graduates of a premier art and design institution.
- Conduct assessments, present findings, and share data with key stakeholders, including the board of trustees, vice presidents, parents, alumni, and national AICAD partner institutions.
- In coordination with the associate dean for student integrated learning, conduct the First Destination Survey and related alumni employment instruments.
- Represent the career development center and the professional development needs of students by speaking at events throughout the year and attending career-related/networking events in the Baltimore region and, when applicable, across the nation.
- Co-supervise peer career advisors and undergraduate/graduate student leaders in providing information on career and professional development topics to their peers.
- Oversee resource management, budget planning, grant reporting, and donor management while collaborating with key stakeholders in advancement and strategic initiatives.
- Manage the development and maintenance of a comprehensive website, including internal guides, training videos, relevant articles, and information on important dates.
- Partner with student affairs, office of culture and identity, academic affairs, graduate studies, academic advising, campus library, alumni and parent relations, advancement office, admissions, and other campus partners to capitalize on synergies/resources and convey a consistent message on careers and professional development.
- Collaborate, where appropriate, with campus partners to design and deliver programming to increase student engagement, retention, and success.
- Oversee MICA’s internship for credit program, following all federal labor standards guidelines and MICA, state, and federal policies.
- Design and lead workshops on a variety of career and professional development topics, including presentations at campus events such as MICA Weekend for Parents and Alumni, open house, and orientation.
- Counsel undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni during individual appointments.
HISTORY OF THE POSITION
In 1991, the MICA placement office was renamed the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development thanks to a generous gift from the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, which created an endowment for the center. At that time, the JMCCD offered career counseling and self-assessment, a database of over 1,130 job possibilities and 800 internship opportunities, a resource library, graduate school counseling, workshops for fine artists, an “extern” program that introduced students to a work environment for 1- to 5-day experiences, and the annual alumni career day where alumni shared their experiences with students. Since then, the staff infrastructure and programming have expanded significantly to include a robust employer relations network, internship opportunities, and major career events.
In 2022, as part of the college’s strategic planning for 2022-2027, MICA began undertaking a holistic approach to unite academic affairs and student affairs in envisioning the future of career development at MICA. The goal is to establish a next-generation level of career preparation and support for students and alumni.
The current director has decided to pursue other opportunities at this time, and a national search for a replacement has commenced.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE
Central to this position is the responsibility to further the development of the following.
- Build and support a dynamic professional staff with a strong sense of team that emphasizes collaboration, consistency, and equity; staff should feel encouraged, challenged, supported, and confident about how they contribute to the vision and support MICA student success priorities.
- Seamlessly weave career and professional development competencies throughout the lifecycle of a creative supporting undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni.
- Create a dynamic partnership with the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship that intentionally bridges professional development, career preparation, and creative entrepreneurship into the student experience.
- Work closely with academic leadership, program directors, and faculty to systemically integrate career development and experiential learning into the curriculum.
- Initiate and support institutional goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and globalization by actively leading departmental conversations for staff, promoting training and development, and cultivating an equity-minded departmental culture.
- Assist in building immersive student career support that considers specific academic/professional development needs.
- Continue to expand efforts across campus to allow for more orchestrated support to meet students in each phase of the career development process.
- Build dynamic partnerships across the college and the Baltimore community to enhance the student and alumni experience.
- Expand the employer networks to include partners for sponsored projects and post-graduate fellowships.
- Assist students in developing career success skills that will carry them beyond their time at MICA.
- Assess outcomes of students based on job placement and student satisfaction, and subsequently present a compelling narrative of success outcomes utilizing data and career frameworks.
- Utilize and maximize technology to enhance operational efficiency and support student engagement.
- Contribute to and support the transition of the reimagination and redesign of the college’s education and operation based on the themes, goals, and initiatives of MICA’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
At an appropriate interval after joining MICA, the items listed below will initially define success for the new director for career development.
- The staff feels connected to an integral and dynamic vision for career development at MICA. They work cohesively as a team, morale is high and rising, staff vacancies are filled as quickly as possible, the director is available and willing to listen to staff, and professional development opportunities are supported and encouraged.
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and globalization are foundational concepts throughout the center in hiring and other internal practices and outreach to the MICA campus and beyond to ensure that underrepresented communities present at MICA feel valued, heard, and supported.
- Relationships with faculty and academic leadership have been cultivated and solidified, and there is an established collaborative network between JMCCD and the programs at MICA.
- JMCCD is seen as an “expert” regarding career-related programs and services offered to students; the staff is seen as valuable and resourceful.
- The strategic plan is clear and transparent and includes straightforward objectives and measurable outcomes that are assessed effectively and efficiently; adjustments are regularly made based on these assessments, and robust feedback is solicited and utilized to affect the process going forward.
- The director and staff maintain high visibility on campus, attend campus events and activities when possible, are known and recognized by faculty, staff, and students, and retain a positive reputation.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Minimum qualifications include a master’s degree in a related field (e.g., student affairs, arts administration, art education, art or design) and progressive professional experience in career services, teaching, advising, student affairs, or arts administration enterprises. The successful candidate will have a comprehensive knowledge of the professional environment, competencies for fine and commercial artists/designers and related fields, and an understanding of the issues surrounding integrating academic and career preparation. Further, candidates must have demonstrated experience with the supervision of professional and support staff as well as the management of fiscal budget development and oversight, including strategic planning, assessment, and program development; strong relationship development skills; and an ability to build strategic partnerships with internal and external constituencies. The next director will have exceptional speaking and writing skills, the ability to communicate with various constituents, and an active commitment to equity in all forms, including creating and maintaining positive working relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Other desired characteristics, skills, actions, and/or abilities noted from the stakeholder discussions include the following:
- Demonstrated administrative and managerial experience at progressive levels, with the ability to plan strategically, globally, and operationally.
- A visionary leader with sound leadership and organizational development abilities that inspire and develop staff, providing professional and personal development opportunities and promoting unity and teamwork throughout the department.
- In-depth knowledge of the current creative landscape.
- A strategic risk-taker who promotes creativity in every area of the position, as well as an innovator with a futuristic orientation and a willingness to try new opportunities, remain informed on new trends, technology, and best practices, and lead effective change processes (with demonstrated successes in implementing these processes).
- An educator with a student-centered focus prioritizing developing and delivering career-related skills that lead to success in a rapidly evolving employment landscape.
- A progressive vision of career services—one that anticipates trends and evolving needs of students, academic partners, and employers and identifies strategic priorities to address them.
- Demonstrated skills as an advocate and champion for diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility, and social justice, and a willingness to stand up for these values.
- Demonstrated collaboration skills with internal departments and external colleagues, with the ability to understand the importance of interconnectedness and partnerships.
- The ability to bridge the gap between academics and student affairs around career-related initiatives.
- Comprehensive understanding of the career-related needs of students from myriad ethnic and multicultural backgrounds.
- Proactive outreach to the student body, not waiting for students to initiate contact.
- A highly visible individual willing to get out of the office, attend student events, serve on campus committees, and proactively interact with the campus community.
- Political savviness and the ability to obtain consensus even under challenging situations.
- Relatability and approachability at all times, focusing on collegiality and bridge-building.
- A dynamic and transparent communicator with excellent public relations skills, the ability to tell the “story” of career services, and the capability to reach all levels of the institution and external stakeholders, including effectively speaking to students, parents, faculty/academics, employers, and other members of the campus community.
- Ability to listen carefully, ask knowledgeable questions, learn the culture of MICA and the department, accept input from staff, and then make well-informed decisions that are best for the students at MICA.
- The ability to plan, organize, and implement projects with complex logistics involving multiple tasks and priorities.
- A strategic administrator who can develop short- and long-term views around MICA’s student needs, formulate strategic assessment and operational plans, and effectively communicate those views and plans to the community.
- An understanding of on-campus student employment, trends in the student employment field, and the specific needs of a campus that employs many students.
- Energy, enthusiasm for the role, passion for the work, and a positive attitude, even in adversity.
- A comprehensive commitment to providing high-end service at all times and in all situations, making timely responsiveness a priority.
- Adaptability in all situations and the ability to adeptly and quickly move from one “lane” to another as circumstances dictate.
- Problem-solving skills, with the ability to determine needs, quickly and appropriately address issues, and provide a vision for the future.
OVERVIEW OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT
The Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development empowers and educates MICA students and alumni to create purposeful sustainable careers as entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and educators through a collaborative, innovative, experiential, and research-based approach.
Career Development
- Career counseling
- Internships
- Campus events
- Employer relations
- MICA Network Career Development Resource Library
- 14,000+ Employers
- 2,500+ Student users
- 7,000+ Alumni users
- 2,400 Employment opportunities
- Grant and start-up information
- Fellowships
Learn more about Career Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RQRrqjVVnQ.
DIVISIONAL LEADERSHIP
Michael Z. Patterson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Michael Patterson has served as the vice president for student affairs and dean of students since December 2014. In this role, Patterson provides leadership for all aspects of the division of student affairs, including but not limited to the center for student engagement, the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development, the center for identity and inclusion, residence life and off-campus housing, the student counseling center, the student health center, and the fitness center. Patterson is also the college’s lead retention officer and deputy Title IX coordinator.
Patterson started at MICA in 2001 and served in multiple roles at the college before being appointed vice president, including director of student activities, director of residence life, and associate dean for student life and judicial affairs. Patterson worked at multiple institutions before coming to MICA, and his professional experience has focused on smaller, interdisciplinary campuses that allow for thoughtful, engaged communities. During his tenure as vice president, the division of student affairs has consistently strengthened its role in the education of MICA’s students.
Patterson has an undergraduate degree in elementary education from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a master of education from the University of Delaware. He has received certifications from a wide array of professional experiences.
Megan Miller, Associate Dean for Student Integrated Learning
Megan Miller has served as the associate dean for student integrated learning since 2017. In this role, Miller oversees the assessment and strategic planning for the division of student affairs, the functional areas of career development, creative entrepreneurship and the center for student engagement. She works directly with faculty to develop innovative curricular approaches that blend co-curricular and experiential learning into the classroom experience. Miller has over 18 years of student affairs experience, including serving as the director of career development and the director of student activities at MICA. She also now serves as adjunct faculty with MICA’s graduate programs. Miller is a member of several national organizations, including NASPA, ACPA, NACE, GCEC, and SAEE, and is an active member of the AICAD consortium of art and design schools worldwide.
Miller received her master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University, her post-baccalaureate degree in photography from Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy, and her bachelor’s degree in studio art from Florida State University.
INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW
Institutional background/history
Acknowledged nationally as a premier leader in art and design education, MICA is deliberately cultivating a new generation of artists – one that is capable of seamlessly integrating innovation, entrepreneurship, and creative citizenship with contemporary approaches to art, design, and media.
MICA is redefining the role of artists and designers as creative, solutions-oriented makers and thinkers who will drive future social, cultural, and economic advancement.
As the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design, MICA is located in Baltimore and is deeply connected to the community. It is a leading contributor to the creative economy regionally, and a top producer of nationally and internationally recognized professional artists and designers.
Mission, Vision, and Tenets
Mission
“Empower students to forge creative, purposeful lives and careers in a diverse and changing world. Thrive with Baltimore. Make the world we imagine.”
Vision
A just, sustainable, and joyful world activated and enriched by artists, designers, and educators who are valued for their leadership and imagination.
Tenets
- Assert the centrality of artists, designers, and educators in society
- Shape culture
- Flourish through collaboration
- Embrace differences and champion equity
- Invent through thoughtful disruption
- Strive for excellence and rigor
- Act with intent and critical appraisal
- Model a community of care
- Take pride in our resilience
- Exemplify passion and conviction
- Have fun
INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Samuel Hoi, president
Samuel Hoi is an experienced and innovative higher education leader and an advocate for art and design education, committed to the belief that creative professionals are the drivers of social, economic, and cultural advancement.
Hoi was named a 2017-2018 Art of Change Fellow by the Ford Foundation, supporting visionary artists and cultural leaders.
Before arriving at MICA, Hoi was president of Otis College of Art and Design. Under Hoi’s leadership, enrollment at Otis increased as much as 34 percent, operating resources more than doubled, and the endowment more than tripled, partly attributable to a 200 percent increase in individual donors. Hoi shepherded new academic initiatives involving innovative partnerships and community engagement, such as the creative action: integrated learning curriculum that places art and design education in a real-life context. He also launched the annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region, which was recently expanded statewide in California. During Hoi’s tenure as president, Otis was the only art college in the inaugural group of 76 colleges and universities qualified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its new elective Community Engagement Classification.
Before joining Otis, Hoi was director of the Paris campus of Parsons School of Design and dean of the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. While at the Corcoran, he created the award-winning Visual Arts Community Outreach Program serving the inner-city youth of Washington, DC. He helped diversify offerings, growing continuing education registrations by 50 percent and related revenue by 100 percent. He also oversaw a 24 percent degree program enrollment growth and a physical expansion at the Corcoran.
Hoi is the immediate past chair of United States Artists (USA), serves on the board of directors of the James Irvine Foundation, and was recently a member of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs. He is a member of the National Advisory Board of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Survey Project (SNAAP) and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) board, which he chaired from 2004-2009. He has also served on the boards of many other organizations, including the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, the Arena Stage, Leadership Washington, and Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, Inc. Hoi has juried numerous exhibitions and served on panels for, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts, Ford Foundation, Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Surdna Foundation, Wallace Foundation, and California Community Foundation.
Hoi’s multifaceted background includes membership (retired status) in the New York Bar, a juris doctorate from Columbia Law School, a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, where he graduated summa cum laude, and an AAS degree in illustration from Parsons. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and holds honorary doctorate degrees from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and Otis College of Art and Design. In addition, he was decorated in 2006 by the French government as an Officer of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.
ACADEMICS
MICA is a nationally recognized leader in innovative art and design education.
“We have spent decades refining our programs and curriculum so that our students are well prepared for the growth opportunities that exist for artists and designers in today’s and tomorrow’s creative economy.”
Exhibitions play a significant role in the college’s academic and student life.
Students at MICA have many opportunities to show work, beginning in the first year. In addition, three major gallery spaces on campus mount curated exhibitions by outside artists and exhibitions of faculty and student work. With nearly 100 exhibitions each year, students cannot attend class without passing an exhibition.
Major gallery spaces include the Decker and Meyerhoff Galleries in the Fox Building and the Pinkard Gallery in the Bunting Center. Additional galleries in Bunting, Fox, Main, Meyerhoff House, Gateway, and Brown Center and numerous informal exhibition spaces across campus are devoted to student work. Students regularly create installations in campus public spaces.
- Fanny Fox Decker Gallery
- Fox 2 Gallery
- Fox 3 Gallery
- Leidy Atrium
- Leidy Gallery at Fred Lazarus IV Center
- Main O Gallery
- Meyerhoff Gallery
- Middendorf Gallery
- Pinkard Gallery
- Rosenberg Gallery
- Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery
- Student Space Galleries
THE STUDENT BODY
Total enrollment: 1,644
Undergraduate: 1,248
Graduate: 396
Retention rate: 88%
Male: 27%
Women: 73%
White: 36%
African American: 11%
Asian: 10%
Hispanic: 10%
Two or more races: 6%
Race unknown: 3%
Non-resident: 23%
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and globalization are touchstones at MICA. They guide values, principles, and strategies that infuse academic and institutional planning, practices, research, and outcomes. They are catalysts for creativity, excellence, and thoughtful engagement on campus and in larger spheres. MICA envisions a better world where art and design thinking, creations, and interventions bring voice and equitable opportunities to disadvantaged groups, advance environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and enhance individual lives.
BENEFITS OVERVIEW
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision care
Retirement plan
Life insurance
Short-term disability insurance
Long-term disability insurance
Employee assistance program
Pet-friendly campus for employees
See here for the 2023 MICA benefits guide.
Review of applications will begin April 5, 2023 and continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position please click on the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Anne-Marie Kenney at amk@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895.
The identified salary range is $100,000-$115,000.
Visit the Maryland Institute College of Art website at www.mica.edu.
MICA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the college to apply recruiting, hiring, promotion, compensation, and professional development and disciplinary practices without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender identity or expression, national origin, citizenship, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, disability, or any other legally protected status. Further, our college provides reasonable accommodation to persons with mental or physical disabilities.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and globalization are touchstones at MICA. They are guiding values, principles, and strategies that infuse our academic and institutional planning, practices, research, and outcomes. They are catalysts for creativity, excellence and thoughtful engagement on campus and in larger spheres. We at MICA envision a better world for everyone in which art and design thinking, creations and interventions bring voice and equitable opportunities to groups affected by disparities; advance environmental, economic and social sustainability; and enhance individual lives.