Department Head of Architecture

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POSITION SPECIFICS

The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State seeks a responsive, visionary, and thoughtful leader to serve as Head of the Department of Architecture.

The Department of Architecture is grounded in a longstanding culture of interdisciplinary collaboration. Throughout its history, the department has developed strong connections with units across the University, creating opportunities for integrated teaching, research, and design exploration. This collaborative ecosystem brings together diverse expertise in every dimension of the built environment. The next Department Head will value and strengthen these relationships while advancing architecture's distinctive disciplinary voice and ambitions.

The Department Head will lead the department through significant changes in higher education, the architectural profession, and at Penn State. Working collaboratively with faculty and administrators across the School and College, the Department Head will identify new opportunities and strategic directions in response to complex institutional, financial, academic, and societal challenges. The successful candidate will demonstrate effective communication, sound judgment, fiscal responsibility, and the ability to make timely, decisive decisions. They will embrace change as an opportunity for innovation while upholding the academic excellence, integrity, and values of the Department, the School, the College, and the University.

The next Department Head will work to implement the Department's [redacted] strategic plans and support strategic goals and initiatives across the School, College, and University. Candidates must possess an established record of teaching, scholarship, and service, as well as an active research agenda and/or creative practice that contributes to the field of architecture and advances the department's scholarly and creative impact.

The Department

The Department of Architecture provides a nationally and internationally recognized education responsive to the social, environmental, technological, and cultural challenges of the twenty-first century. Through excellence in teaching, research, outreach, advising, and service, the Department prepares students to contribute meaningfully to society and the built environment.

Administratively housed within the Stuckeman School in Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture, the Department includes approximately 32 full- and part-time faculty members, 316 undergraduate students, and 62 graduate students. It offers professional B.Arch. and M.Arch degrees, as well as research-based M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Since its inception, the department has expanded its degree programs and strengthened faculty research. Its research, creative practice, and scholarship continue to flourish through national and international exhibitions, symposia, design-build projects, publications, sponsored research, and other recognized contributions to the field.

More information is available on the Department of Architecture website: https://arts.psu.edu/academics/department-of-architecture/

In support of this mission, the Department Head will support the following core areas:

• Educate undergraduate and graduate students in architecture and prepare them for lives of creative engagement and professional excellence in practice, research, and inquiry;
• Foster exemplary work in architectural design, theory, critical analysis, and research within a studio-centered environment;
• Support and embrace diversity in all its forms across the student body, faculty, staff, and curriculum;
• Provide an educational environment that connects architecture with the design disciplines, the arts and sciences, and engineering, while engaging students and faculty in urgent contemporary social, cultural, and environmental issues;
• Integrate professional and environmental ethics, critical thinking, research inquiry, creative practice, life-long learning, and service to society throughout the curriculum;
• Cultivate a teaching and learning environment that values collaboration and teamwork alongside individual research and creative activity; and
• Expand outreach to local, national, and international communities in support of Penn State's land-grant mission.

Responsibilities of the Department Head

• Lead the day-to-day administration of the department;
• Recruit faculty to contribute to the department's initiatives through tenure and non-tenure track roles;
• Manage the promotion and tenure review processes;
• Conduct annual assessments of all faculty and 5-year post-tenure reviews;
• Maintain program accreditation and support and develop curricular initiatives;
• Support and develop graduate education;
• Support and promote faculty development, research, creative work and scholarship within an R-1 university setting, including the pursuit of external funding to sustain and strengthen these activities;
• Demonstrate responsible and sustainable fiscal management of the departmental budget; work collaboratively with the financial staff and officers in the School and College;
• Serve as a member of the School leadership team;
• Serve as a member of the College academic leadership team;
• Engage with the College's Office of Advancement to develop opportunities for alumni relationships and philanthropic support;
• Maintain a research agenda or creative practice;
• Uphold and lead by example the Penn State values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence, and Community. Assure faculty within the Department of Architecture are upholding the Penn State values.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal Degree: A terminal degree in architecture, such as a professional Master of Architecture (M. Arch), a Ph.D. in Architecture, or Doctoral of Design (D. Des) in Architecture;

• Rank Eligibility: A distinguished record of scholarship, peer-reviewed publications, or creative design practice that meets the criteria for a tenured appointment at the rank of Full Professor at Penn State;

• Administrative Experience: Experience in departmental or college-level leadership, such as serving as a Program Director, Department Chair/Head, or Associate Dean, or having equivalent administrative experiences; demonstrated oversight of strategic planning, budget planning and management, and personnel management; demonstrated familiarity with the promotion and tenure process;

• Teaching Excellence: A proven track record of architectural education at the undergraduate and graduate levels;
• Research Excellence: A proven track record of scholarly and/or creative achievement, and/or a record of pursuing and securing external support appropriate to the candidate's field of expertise;

• Accreditation Oversight: Proven capacity to manage professional NAAB accreditation processes and coordinate multi-tier degree paths;

• Leadership and Mentorship: Demonstrated ability to lead collegially, inclusively, respectfully, responsibly, and responsively, with a record of mentoring and supporting the success of a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff;

• Inclusive Excellence: Demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging for all through leadership, teaching, research, and community engagement.

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional Licensure: Professional architecture licensure in the United States;

• Research Leadership: Demonstrated international recognition and leadership in interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary research, including but not limited to a record of securing significant external funding and advancing research impact;

• Curricular Innovation: Experience with emerging technologies, AI literacy, experiential and proactive learning, and evolving modes of design and professional practice;

• Professional Engagement: A strong record of engagement with the architectural profession, industry, professional organizations, community partners, and/or public agencies;

• Fundraising and External Relations: Demonstrated experience cultivating relationships with alumni, donors, foundations, industry, and other external partners to advance academic, research, and departmental priorities;

• Global Engagement: Experience developing international academic, research, and professional partnerships that enhance the global visibility and impact of architectural education and scholarship.

Terms of Appointment
This is a 42-week appointment reporting directly to the School Director. The successful candidate must meet all employment background checks and be able to work in the United States by the time of hire.

Application

To apply, upload a cover letter addressing how your experiences and leadership practice have prepared you for the department head's responsibilities and qualifications listed above, and how you envision you will contribute to the mission of the department and the Stuckeman School. In addition, address how the Penn State values relate to your leadership experience. Include a full curriculum vitae, selected samples of scholarly and/or creative work, and the names and contact information of three references.

For questions, contact the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Robin Thomas, For full consideration, submissions must be received by November 9, 2026. The review of applications will continue until the position is filled.