Classification:  Academic Year Faculty
Priority Screening Date:  January 6, 2025
Recruitment Status:  Open Until Filled
Anticipated Start Date:  Fall 2025 

California State University, Monterey Bay is a mid-sized university in California’s Central Coast that grants undergraduate and graduate degrees. Powered by an inspiring Founding Vision Statement, CSUMB is part of the nation’s largest four-year public university system, California State University, which educates nearly 460,000 students every year. 

With a vibrant, diverse student body of over 7,000 students, CSU Monterey Bay is both a Minority Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution. Our staff and faculty transform students’ lives with a focus on student success and engagement through experiential learning, service learning, and a strong emphasis on multicultural and global perspectives. CSUMB’s sustainability goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030. 

The university’s Strategic Plan prioritizes inclusive excellence through recruiting and investing in developing a diverse body of faculty, staff and administrators. Many appreciate living and working close to the shores of beautiful Monterey Bay, with easy access to recreational areas from Big Sur to Santa Cruz. Nearby opportunities for collaborative research include working in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Silicon Valley, and with colleagues at local research universities, including UC Santa Cruz and Stanford University.

As one of the 23 campuses in the CSU system, CSUMB offers excellent benefits, including access to below-market-rate rental housing on East Campus, and competitive salaries for faculty and staff. With proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose, opportunities for faculty, staff and students are as endless as the shores of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

The Communication Design program (CD) in the School of Computing and Design at California State University, Monterey Bay, is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position in Communication Design at the rank of Assistant Professor. Candidates with expertise in the areas of game and interaction design will be considered. The Communication Design program offers a Bachelor of Science degree and has a heavy focus on screen-based design. Therefore, we seek candidates with advanced technical and digital multimedia skills, supported by a formal degree in game design, interaction design, or a related discipline.

Unlike most design programs typically housed in Fine Arts departments, our Communication Design program, since its inception, is part of the School of Computing & Design within the College of Science. We offer two Concentrations: Game Design and Visual Design. In addition to a strong foundation in design and communication theories, all of our CD students take web programming and UI/UX courses. They graduate with portfolios that demonstrate strong technical, creative, and collaborative skills that prepare them to contribute to the evolving and technologically demanding communication design professions.

We are seeking candidates who are passionate about addressing the challenges and exploring the opportunities facing higher education to join our team which is working on attracting underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation students into the design-related computing fields and supporting them through post-graduation success. Along with their commitment to teaching in the CD program, an ideal candidate will be interested in all aspects of an end-to-end CD pathway to support a diverse student body. This begins with students’ initial interest in design and digital visual communication technologies, and moves through college readiness; teaching high-quality game design courses; co-curricular academic, professional, and personal growth support; internships; and finishing with graduation and careers. The selected faculty will join a cross-disciplinary team, building strength via strong regional collaborations with partner organizations from education, industry, and government.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Teach undergraduate courses in game design, development, interaction design, 3D modeling, and related areas within the Communication Design Program.
• Develop curricula that reflect the latest trends in game design, covering topics like narrative design, game mechanics, interactive media, and virtual reality.
• Lead the design, development, and delivery of courses in game design, interaction design, and 3D modeling.
• Collaborate on the creation and delivery of other communication design courses.
• Initiate and manage research projects, including grant-funded opportunities, to provide students with hands-on, cutting-edge, real-world problem-solving experiences.
• Contribute to the development of outcomes-based curricula and capstone projects, exploring innovative teaching methods and supporting the school's program development efforts.
• Engage in advising, student recruitment, mentoring part-time faculty, and participating in school/university committees and community services.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Earned terminal degree (Ph.D. or MFA) in Game Design, Interaction Design, or a closely related field by time of appointment.
• Proficiency in game design, 3D modeling, user interface (UI) design, and user experience (UX) design.
• Expertise in industry-standard software such as Unity, Maya, and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Portfolio demonstrating creative work in game design or related fields.
• Commitment to inclusive, student-centered teaching and fostering a diverse, multicultural environment.
• Proven dedication to teaching excellence and improving learning outcomes.
• Willingness to stay current with and explore emerging technologies.
• Ability to work with the existing faculty/staff team to contribute to the overall quality of the program.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Professional industry experience outside of academia in a design-related field.
• Strong knowledge of/background in challenges teaching screen-based design in higher education, with a particular interest in developing solutions to address these challenges for low-income, underrepresented and first-generation student populations.
• Experience in developing scholarly activities outside the classroom to create an excellent learning environment for CD students.
• Experience in acquiring grants, contracts, and sponsorships.
• A record of successfully teaching, advising, recruiting, empowering, and nurturing the educational goals of a diverse student population.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check (including a criminal records check).

The person holding this position will have a duty to report to the Campus Title IX Officer information pertaining to discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and retaliation and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order EO 1095, EO 1096, and EO 1097 as a condition of employment. 

The incumbent is required to maintain confidentiality as outlined in the Department of Education’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy and California’s Educational Code Chapter 13 regarding sensitive student issues.

Working in the State of California is a condition of employment.

COMPENSATION:  

Anticipated Hiring Salary Range:  $7,466 to $7,690* mo ($89,598 to $92,285 annual) 

CSU Salary Schedule
*CSUMB provides pay scales representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for this position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, and CSU systemwide pay for comparable jobs.

BENEFITS:

CSUMB offers a premium benefit package that includes outstanding health, dental & vision plans; a fee waiver education program; and membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).  For more information, visit: Employee Benefits Summary.  Additionally, the University Corporation at CSU Monterey Bay provides access to affordable campus housing based on availability, visit:  Schoonover Employee Housing for more information.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

For full consideration, applicants must complete the required online application and submit required documents by the priority screening date found at csumb.edu/jobs. Application submissions received after the application screening date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University. Materials submitted become the property of CSUMB and will not be returned.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose by contacting Human Resources at (831) 582-3389 or humanresources@csumb.edu.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

CSUMB hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States and is an E-Verify employer. In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, California Education Code section 67380, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), the Cal State University, Monterey Bay Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at: https://csumb.edu/clery

The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff remain our highest priority. While on campus, students, faculty, staff, and the community will be expected to follow all campus safety mandates.  

CSUMB is a smoke and tobacco-free campus. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

CSUMB is an Equal Opportunity employer seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. We value and celebrate diversity in all its forms and strive to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. We consider qualified applicants for employment for their anticipated contributions and without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status, or disability.