Director of Museum, Arkansas State University

Published: October 27, 2021    Jobs, Museum Director / President

Please visit Director of ASU Museum for complete job posting and application instructions.

The Arkansas State University Museum is Northeast Arkansas’s culture and history museum, servicing over 70,000 visitors annually. The museum holds thousands of artifacts and collections, displays some of the collections through permanent and rotating exhibits, hosts seasonal outreach events, and hosts regional school groups throughout the year.

Mission Statement: Arkansas State University Museum serves the academic mission of the University and provides quality programming that broadens the perceptions and aspirations of people in Northeast Arkansas and the Northern Mississippi River Delta region. Within this mission, the Museum endeavors to connect people with their history, foster education as a family value, promote diversity, engage minds in progressive thinking, and enhance the sense of community among all audiences.

Position Summary: Provide mission-focused vision and conceptual leadership to the Museum through professional knowledge of museums. Direct and administer the Museum (operations, collections, registration, exhibitions, and educational programs) in compliance with law and in accordance with national standards in the museum profession. Assure the safety and preservation of the collection for future generations and its accessibility for research and educational purposes. Responsible for the Museum’s compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA)

Oversee and assure completion and implementation of strategic planning, policy development, and activities prerequisite for re-accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums. Significant grant-writing required.

Develop and oversee strategies for increasing funding base and resources of the Museum. Oversee accounts and budget, supervise full-time staff, and oversee personnel matters in compliance with University procedure. Responsible for program contracts with peer museums. Participate in curatorial endeavors as chair and member of the Museum’s Curatorial Committee

Create new knowledge through hands-on participation in the development of informal learning opportunities, such as exhibits and programs. Represent the Museum to ASU Museum Advisory Council, University offices, faculty and staff, peer institutions, City officials, the community, tribal representatives of Native American nations, professional peers, media, etc. Models ideals of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion as consistent with University directives and valued within the museum field at large.

More Information: Arkansas State University is a comprehensive, state-supported, doctoral university with high research activity (R2). Jonesboro is a community of nearly 80,000 people located in Northeast Arkansas, amidst the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and Crowley’s Ridge ecoregions. We are an hour away from Memphis, Tennessee, and the Ozark Highlands. Jonesboro boasts a regional center for quality healthcare, a variety of dining and entertainment options, a low cost of living, and plenty of recreational opportunities.