Academic Engagement Manager

Company: Auburn University

Job Location: Auburn University, 36849-5207

Category: Academic Advising

Type: Full-Time

Requisition Number: S4637P

Home Org Name: JCSM Operations Budget

Division Name: Administrative Effectiveness

Job Class Code: AB29

Appointment Status: Full-time

Limited Term: No

Job Summary

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University is excited to begin the search for an Academic Engagement Manager! The Academic Engagement Manager advances a range of teaching, learning, and research activities that connect the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art across campus and facilitates cross-disciplinary learning and engagement opportunities with faculty, students, and staff. Assists with designing, developing, expanding, facilitating, and evaluating all university engagements, including course engagement for classes teaching with objects. Leads student-centered programming, including the museum's Student Advisory Board and Student Guide corps. Working collaboratively with colleagues in the Education, Engagement, and Learning unit, the manager establishes and nurtures current and new connections between the museum and faculty, students, and staff with other academic institutions.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums and a member of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, The Jule stewards a renowned art collection of more than 3000 objects on behalf of Auburn University. Advancing research, outreach and instruction through its collections and programs in active and welcoming learning environments, the museum engages through exhibitions and hosting artists and scholars from across the nation to provide positive impacts for students and faculty. Serving beyond the gallery walls, it also serves the state of Alabama through traveling art programming. The Jule will turn 25 in 2028! With that upcoming milestone, the museum is focused on raising funds to endow positions and programs, establish scholarships, acquire and conserve art, and provide adequate teaching space, all to further center its role within the intellectual life of Auburn University.

Essential Functions

• Facilitates teaching, learning, and research activities related to the art collection and exhibitions at the museum for Auburn faculty, students, and staff, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary collaborations. Develops academic engagement opportunities for the museum Study Room as well as virtual and in-person opportunities for course engagement with the current exhibitions on view; and contributes to new online and digital resources published by the museum that align with the mission of the university.
• Conceptualizes, develops, and implements new teaching and learning opportunities at the museum for college and university partners at other academic institutions such as Tuskegee University and Auburn University at Montgomery, utilizing the museum's permanent collection and temporary exhibitions as a resource to support learning objectives. Develops both in-person and online and digital tools that connect the museum and our collection to college-level academic institutions outside of Auburn University in support of their teaching and learning goals.
• Manages the museum Student Guide and Student Advisory Board programs, supervising undergraduate students in their work and volunteer efforts, organizing and leading training and discussion sessions, facilitating meetings and group discussions, and developing strategies for evaluation and assessment of tour engagements and other initiatives. Working in collaboration with unit colleagues, the manager recruits, trains, mentors, and supervises students throughout their time with the museum.
• Serves as an active member of the Education, Engagement and Learning unit, collaborating with colleagues in forming and successfully working to shape museum-generated projects. Participates in museum trainings and other professional development opportunities to maintain an awareness of current practices.
• Works collaboratively with colleagues in other museum units, including Communications and External Relations to write, edit, and review public-facing material for campus engagement.
• Contributes to development and fundraising initiatives-including identifying grant opportunities, drafting proposals and other funding requests, and managing and reporting for grants-centered on innovative academic engagement and campus partnerships.
• Participates in ongoing efforts to develop museum plans, to include excellence in strategic, collections, interpretive, and engagement aspects.
• Represents the museum when needed (regionally, statewide, and nationally) and makes appropriate contributions to professional communities and wider publics, including local, regional and/or statewide community organizations; museum and University committees; and national and international scholarly and professional organizations.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Why Work at Auburn?

• Life-Changing Impact: Our work changes lives through research, instruction, and outreach, making a lasting impact on our students, our communities, and the world.
• Culture of Excellence: We are committed to leveraging our strengths, resources, collaboration, and innovation as a top employer in higher education.
• We're Here for You: Auburn offers generous benefits, educational opportunities, and a culture of support and work/life balance.
• Sweet Home Alabama: The Auburn/Opelika area offers southern charm, vibrant downtown scenes, top-ranked schools, and easy access to Atlanta, Birmingham, and the Gulf of Mexico beaches.
• A Place for Everyone: Auburn is committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, and students are welcomed, valued, respected, and engaged.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Master's degree

Experience: 2 years of experience in teaching or developing and implementing academic programs, engagement, and experiences for audiences.

Minimum Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of building interdisciplinary collaborations across an academic institution at the college or university level.
• Ability to build new initiatives that support faculty with their course objectifies.
• Ability to build new relationships between academic units and arts, humanities, or other cultural organizations.
• Demonstrated skill in speaking and written communications for a wide range of stakeholders and colleagues from different cultural and social backgrounds, varying ages, language skills, and physical abilities that utilize high-level emotional intelligence.
• Knowledge and ability in implementing programming for many different student populations.
• Demonstrated commitment to values of diversity, inclusion, and all others embodied in the mission of the museum and Auburn University.
• Strong problem-solving, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills; ability to work well and collaborate effectively with and/or supervise a wide range of audiences including staff, volunteers, community members, artists, funders, sponsors, students, and other constituencies.
• Excellent team and collaborative leadership skills, especially liaising with colleagues; comfortable working in a fast-paced environment leading large/ small and groups; and energized about the opportunity to provide direction and mentorship through inspiration, consistency, and example.
• Strong ability to mentor and support undergraduate student workers.
• With attention to detail, demonstrated calm and flexible experience to independently or collaboratively plan, organize, and implement work to meet deadlines, unexpected business needs, and/or multiple changing priorities; keep up with high work volume often under pressure; multitask.
• Excellent planning, organizational, financial, and administrative skills with attention to detail while incorporating the broader goals of the organization.
• Ability to strategize, set and meet goals, and be proactive.
• Embrace the use and implementation of field trends and best practices for stakeholder experience related to visual arts and its multi-disciplinary intersections, with a demonstrated commitment to excellence, innovation, and progressivism.
• Knowledge in designing and conducting assessments and evaluations, including keeping statistics, and gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
• Working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data and/or program assessment.
• Ability to contribute to development and fund-raising initiatives, including active participation in grant writing, management, and reporting.

Desired Qualifications

• Degree in Arts, Humanities, Cultural Studies, or related degree.
• Experience in designing and implementing teaching and learning experiences for college and university- level courses including the design, development, and implementation of new programs that meet the academic needs of undergraduate students.

Salary Range: $43,290 - $69,270

Job Category: Academic Advising/Support

City position is located in: Auburn

State position is located: Alabama

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