The Leland B. Sateren Professorship was established in 2022 by Augsburg alumnus and Regent John N. Schwartz '67. Sateren, a renowned composer and conductor, served as chair of the Augsburg Department of Music from 1950 to 1973, and as director of the Augsburg Choir from 1950 until his retirement in 1979. As a student, Schwartz studied Business Administration, while also participating in the breadth of experiences the music program had to offer. Singing in the choir under the direction of Sateren shaped Schwartz’s liberal arts education and life-long passion for music, especially choral music. His gift honors the legacy of Leland Sateren while positioning Augsburg's music program for a transformational future.

Augsburg University, centrally located in Minneapolis MN, offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and eleven graduate degree programs to approximately 3,500 students of diverse backgrounds. With a student/faculty ratio of 12:1, the university focuses on close personal interaction among students and faculty as well as experiential education on campus and in the community. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by the university’s urban and global settings.

We seek a transformational leader and accomplished teacher-scholar who is professionally and personally committed to core values of creativity, diversity, and integration (CMS Task Force Report on the Undergraduate Music Major, 2016), and who will lead us boldly and collaboratively. The successful candidate will bring experience in addressing the creative tension that a leader in Music today must hold. The successful candidate will be expected to lead our world-class music program in a collaborative and transformational process that positions us for a bold future. Candidates who fully embrace Augsburg’s mission, values and aspirational outcomes are expected. Candidates who have demonstrated success as music program leaders in advancing inclusion, access, equity, and belonging in music programs are preferred. Candidates with prior line authority, experience in budgeting, strategic decision-making and the ability to advocate effectively for the department and its work among diverse constituents are preferred.

The inaugural Sateren Professor will serve as a visionary leader of Augsburg’s music programs, and further strengthen a music department at an institution seeking to be a “new kind of student-centered, urban university.” The Sateren Professor is a two-thirds time administrative leadership position with the expectation for teaching one course each semester. This 10-month position offers a competitive salary commensurate with credentials and experience. A dedicated discretionary fund will support expenses associated with developing, innovating, and representing Augsburg’s music programs.

A Progressive and Dynamic Department of Music, An Urban University, An Arts-Rich Community

Established in 1877, the Department of Music has an historic reputation for excellence, anchored by the nationally acclaimed Augsburg Choir. Augsburg’s main campus is located near downtown Minneapolis, with ready access to the enormous range of cultural and artistic events and institutions for which the Twin Cities is known. The Twin Cities is a major metropolitan center featuring two world-class orchestras (the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra), leading semi-professional choirs and orchestras, and an expansive number of excellent church and community musicians and ensembles. The MacPhail Center for Music, several blocks from campus in the revived and thriving warehouse district that includes the nationally known Guthrie Theater, serves the largest number of intergenerational students of any community music school in the country. St. Paul is home to the American Composers Forum, the leading national professional organization for composers and new music, as well as the classical music presenting Schubert Club.

The area is rich in diversity and the music of diverse peoples and is recognized as one of the leading philanthropic communities in the country. Jazz and popular music abound in clubs and concert venues, notably the nationally known Dakota Club and First Avenue.Chamber groups and new music are vital aspects of the music scene, notably through the cutting-edge Walker Art Center. The Cedar Performing Arts Center, only two blocks from campus, is in the heart of the Twin Cities’ Somali community and presents internationally known musicians from diverse ethnic traditions. In addition to the Guthrie Theater, the “cities” are home to a large number of semi-professional and local community theater troupes. The downtown theater district in Minneapolis regularly features touring shows, as does the spectacular Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul. Guest artists of the renowned Schubert Club, the acclaimed Minnesota Opera, the two professional orchestras, and Vocalessence provide convenient and affordable access to critically regarded international performers, composers, and conductors. The Department of Music’s Alumni and Community Advisory Council includes top artistic and administrative leadership from major music organizations, music and non-music alumni who have been active in the music program as students, and representatives of the business and legal communities who have a particular interest in music. The department is a frequent beneficiary of lectures, collaborations, and short-term residencies due to the large number of widely known local, national, and international musicians to whom it has access.

The Department of Music at Augsburg University

The University is demonstrably committed to supporting a 21st century Department of Music that combines music reflective of a pluralistic society, an ethnically diverse student enrollment, superior performance standards and studies, and the civic engagement and leadership values of Augsburg University. Augsburg's Department of Music is primarily undergraduate, with majors and concentrations including: music therapy (BS); music, human development, and learning (BMus); performance (BA), and music, media, and management (BA). There is also a liberal arts music degree (BA). Minors include liberal arts music, creativity, and music production.

Recently re-accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the department offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science degrees. The hybrid master’s degree in music therapy was recently ranked the top program in the country. There are currently about 145 undergraduate majors and 50 master of music therapy students. The master’s degree in education offers opportunity for graduate coursework in music, human development, and learning. Many of Augsburg's students in majors other than music were active high school music participants and seek participation in music as university students. Approximately 150 students from other majors participate in music classes, lessons, and ensembles each year.

The department is housed in Anderson Music Hall (1978), which includes large and small rehearsal spaces, classrooms, a keyboard lab, a recently rebuilt and state-of-the-art recording studio, practice rooms and studios, a 225-seat recital hall, and faculty and staff offices. Hoversten Chapel, physically adjacent to Anderson Music Hall, serves as a performing space for major concerts and houses a 44-rank, 29-stop, mechanical action pipe organ built in1989 by the Dobson Company. The department owns a well-maintained piano inventory as well wind, string, and percussion instruments.

Augsburg University Music Department Distinctions

Since 2015, the department has undergone transformational change led by six new tenure-track faculty, three tenured faculty, two full-time contract faculty, the department chair, and a strong contingent of adjunct faculty. Approximately three million dollars in newly donated funds have supported scholarships. The department’s music-restricted endowed and demand funds currently stand at about $4 million.

Distinctive aspects of the department include a fully renovated, state-of-art recording studio, an internationally recognized music therapy program taught by three full-time faculty members, and newly, progressively designed programs in creativity (composition/improvisation), and music production. , and music performance. The department recently initiated a university-community Global Harmony Chorus in collaboration with authentic musicians across the globe and orchestra/jazz exchanges with Latin American universities. The traditional two-semester music history sequence has been reconceptualized as global perspectives on music in social, cultural, and global context, and a new capstone course in creative career development has been proposed. The traditional “music education” program has been redesigned as Music, Human Development, and Learning, representing its two-track options in licensure for P-12 teaching as well as intergenerational community teaching and learning. In 2020, the department produced faculty member Reinaldo Moya’s immersive-experience opera, Tienda, focusing on immigrant issues in the Twin Cities in the 1930s, a work commissioned by the Schubert Club during his tenure as composer-in-residence for that organization.

Responsibilities of the Sateren Professor and Chair of Music:

The University seeks a creative and visionary leader who will advance music's curricular alignment with university-wide priorities of social justice, urban education, diversity, and inclusion. The successful candidate will be a strategic partner for other stakeholders within the University in advancing our Augsburg mission. Advocating and advancing a curricular model that honors Augsburg's legacy of engaging music majors and students from across campus, the successful candidate will proactively engage with the wider music community in collaborations and partnerships, and will participate enthusiastically in the department's goals of recruiting and nurturing diverse student participation throughout the department. The responsibilities of the Sateren Chair in the Augsburg Music Department will be in accordance with the Augsburg University Faculty Handbook.

Leadership

• Serve as an articulate spokesperson in and beyond the university for the vision, mission, and values of the Department of Music and the University
• Collaborate with Institutional Advancement in seeking donor support for the department’s goals and programs
• Create structured opportunities for faculty discussion and strategic effort to continue curricular progress, relevance, and leadership for 21st century students
• Establish departmental task forces/working groups, as necessary, to advance opportunities and enhance visibility, applications, and enrollments
• Collaborate in providing support for creative international endeavors
• Create opportunities through residencies and internships for students to interact with leading musicians locally, regionally, and nationally Chair the department’s Music Alumni and Community Advisory Committee and promote the engagement of its members in the work of the department
• Model and facilitate a positive and collaborative culture among faculty, staff, and students, as well as with upper administration and other departments
• Provide structured opportunities for student engagement and feedback regarding their experiences in the department

Administration

• Fulfill responsibilities of department chairs (as articulated in the Augsburg Faculty Handbook), assuring adherence to university policies, calendars, timelines, etc.
• Serve on school or university level committees and task forces - while supporting and encouraging department faculty to do the same in ways that align with their interests and strengths
• Work productively and effectively with offices such as academic affairs, admissions, and financial aid
• Supervise and work collaboratively with staff
• Convene regular faculty and staff meetings
• Align department planning and policies with university priorities and policies
• Model standards for communications, professionalism, courtesy, and transparency in all departmental activities and operations
• Mentor department faculty; encourage faculty participation in national and international opportunities for professional visibility and development

Management

• Oversee daily operations of the department
• Oversee department budgets, manage expenditure approvals, and assure a balanced departmental budget
• Assure goal-oriented and productive department meetings
• Oversee the department’s strategic planning efforts, support faculty involvement/investment/participation in the department, and assess/evaluate department programs and activities
• Complete departmental reports, to include faculty annual reports, annual departmental report, and annual program/department assessment
• Oversee annual and third-year reviews; advise faculty seeking tenure and promotion
• Appoint faculty search committees
• Collaborate with staff on keeping departmental policy documents up to date
• Oversee NASM accreditation; attend annual NASM meeting

Teaching

• As an accomplished and committed teacher, the Sateren Professor will teach one course per semester, or equivalent, in the area of specialization. The department is particularly interested in, but not limited to, candidates with expertise in diverse musics/ethnomusicology.

Application Instructions:

Nominations, including self-nominations, should include a brief summary of the candidate's credentials and the nominee's contact information and be sent to the attention of Annie Heiderscheit, Director of Music Therapy and Associate Professor at heidersc@augsburg.edu. Inquiries and questions may also be directed to Professor Heiderscheit at 612-741-1182.

To apply for the position, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/hr and upload a cover letter and CV. As part of the online application process, you will be required to provide the names of three to five current professional references. Those who advance in the search will be notified before any references are contacted.

This position is open until filled. The search committee’s review of applications will begin February 1July 1, 2022, with priority consideration given to applications received by this date. The position will remain open until filled. Further information is available at www.augsburg.edu/hr/ and https://www.augsburg.edu/music/. Please do not send supplementary materials unless invited to do so.

Requirements:

The successful candidate will be an accomplished Music teacher-scholar with a demonstrated and recognized record of success and achievement as a collaborative and strategic leader. Higher education leadership experience in honoring both the nuances of tradition and the possibilities of the present and future within a Music program at a mission-based institution is preferred. They will have demonstrated strengths in articulating and developing evolving models of music career and liberal arts music education in the twenty-first century. Candidates must have credentials sufficient for appointment with indefinite tenure at Augsburg University and candidates previously granted indefinite tenure at a comparative institution are strongly preferred. Disciplinary expertise is open though candidates who complement current faculty strengths and expertise in music are preferred.

Augsburg University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees regardless of their race, creed, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, military service, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete our application process, please contact the Human Resources department by phone at 612.330.1058 or email at hr@augsburg.edu. Human Resources is located at 19 Memorial Hall.

Augsburg University is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, familial status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status or public assistance status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at phone number: 612-330-1058 or email: hr@augsburg.edu.