RECTOR SEARCH BERGEN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The Bergen School of Architecture (BAS) is happy to announce that we are in search of a new rector for a full-time 4-year fixed term position commencing on August 1st 2021.

BAS is one of three schools in Norway to offer a Master in Architecture program. It carries a private school status and operates as a foundation, funded mainly through government funding supplemented by student tuition. The school is situated within a cluster of industrial buildings along the Sandviken waterfront that have been converted to accommodate a learning environment. The school was founded in 1986 and has established an international profile. Yearly, it has a high number of first year applicants from which it selects a total of 30 new students.

The teaching staff consists of fixed term positions of professor/associate professor status in tandem with a large network of architects, landscape architects, artists, engineers and academics from practice and academic institutions carrying out short-term course-based teaching. A large portion of the teaching staff live and work throughout Norway and Europe.

BAS is founded on an Open Form methodology and approach to architecture. Open Form pursues an open, inviting and inclusive architecture that affords all individuals the possibility to participate in the formation of their situation. There is an integrated approach towards sustainability where landscape, climate and the architect’s role in the building of community are in constant negotiation within the study. The notion of personal accountability and a critical stance towards the role of the architect holds an important place in the school pedagogy.

The new rector should be a creative and innovative architect or person with an architecturally relevant background that includes a professional foundation in practice and/or academia together with complementary knowledge of artistic and theoretical subjects. The applicant should have documented leadership and teaching experience within architecture and/or urbanism. They should be open minded, actively maintain a national and international professional perspective and contact network and possess the ability to manoeuver and connect various professional cultures.

As the head of the school, the rector is responsible for the continued development of BAS, both in terms of the pedagogy and as a place of work and study. In the coming period the rector will be required to continue the process of renewing the school’s government accreditation and strengthening its financial support. The rector is responsible for the management of finances and human resources while reporting to the board. The rector should expect involvement in academic and/or teaching activities yet this will typically form only a small portion of the overall position.

The position is a full-time (100%) 4-year fixed term with the possibility of extension for a second 4-year fixed term. The board will formally hire the new rector. Salary is to be negotiated. Starting date for the position is August 1^st 2021.

The new rector must reside in Bergen for the entire duration of the position. We are primarily searching for a Norwegian or Scandinavian speaking candidate yet a well-qualified English-speaking candidate can be considered.  In such a case, the candidate must be willing to complete an intensive course in Norwegian upon employment and must be able to use Norwegian as a working language within the first two years of the position.

For this initial round the applicants must submit the following:

• Letter of intent (max 1 A4 page)
• Self-presentation (max 1 A4 page)
• CV (max 5 A4 pages)

The deadline for submitting applications is October 1^st 2020. Applications indicating “new dean position” are to be sent by email or post to the Bergen School of Architecture and addressed to the head of the board Bjart Nygaard.

Post: BAS, postbox 39, 5841 Bergen

E-mail: adm@bas.org

During this initial stage of the selection process candidates can request confidentiality.

An internal committee will evaluate all submitted applications and establish a short list of candidates. Shortlisted candidates without recognized professor/associate professor competence will have the opportunity to receive formal evaluation from an external committee. Following this phase (December 2020 or January 2021) the qualified candidates will be required to submit additional application material including a selection of relevant work/projects and undergo an interview process.

For a more expansive application text, refer to the long-form application file at www.bas.org

For further information on the history of BAS , its professional anchoring, focus areas and more refer to the strategic plan for the period 2015-2025 on www.bas.org

http://bas.org/novus/upload/tab1/article/small%20Strategiplan%20ferdig%20norsk.pdf

For further questions please contact the rector committee by the members www.bas.org or the committee’s secretary Ingunn Tepstad at ingunn@bas.org.