"Associate Director, Fairfield University MFA Program in Creative Writing"

Job Details

Fairfield University is a co-educational, comprehensive Jesuit university with a 200-acre campus located along the scenic shoreline community of Fairfield, CT. The University is comprised of approximately 3,500 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students pursuing degrees within 5 schools: The College of Arts and Sciences, The Charles F. Dolan School of Business, The School of Engineering, The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and School of Education and Human Development. As an expression of our Jesuit, Catholic mission and identity, Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values.

Job Description:

The Fairfield University Low-Residency MFA Program seeks an established writer and teacher of creative writing to serve as a full-time Associate Director. The Associate Director will collaborate with the Director to support the administrative and advisory capacities of the MFA through the coordination, design, and organization of residencies, providing regular and engaged advisement to MFA and Certificate students, and collaborating on the development of teaching and learning resources for MFA faculty. The program meets twice annually for 9-day residencies and operates on remote mentorships during the fall and spring semesters. Attendance at both residencies, in their entirety, is required as well as the ability to travel to campus for on-campus meetings.

Candidates will have credentials to teach in the program and should be a published writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or dramatic writing. The Associate Director will contribute to the MFA program’s aim to support, sustain, and extend the Jesuit ideal of developing the writer as a whole person within a community committed to justice, honest expression, and beauty.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• MFA in Creative Writing
• Strong record of publication in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or dramatic writing.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the teaching of creative writing at the graduate level.
• Evidence of strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience administering an MFA program
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate with others is essential.
• A strong aptitude in student-centered learning in a variety of settings is important.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Review of applications will begin on Nov. 1 and continue until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be reviewed by the search committee. For full consideration, please click “Apply Now” and submit the following materials through the online application portal.

• Cover letter addressing your work, your teaching, and your administrative experience
• Curriculum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation and additional materials be requested at a later date.

For questions, please contact the search committee chair and MFA Director, Prof. Carol Ann Davis, at cdavis13@fairfield.edu. This position is subject to budgetary approval.

Category: Academic - Admin

Performs such other duties, responsibilities, and activities as required by supervisor and as departmental/University needs indicate.