Adam Trey Shirley, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Art and Design, Associate Dean of the Honors College

Welcome

Dear Tenure and Promotion Committee,

I am submitting this portfolio in support of my application for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. It provides evidence that I have met all criteria provided in the faculty handbook as well as the expansion criteria for the Department of Art + Design in terms of both my performance and fit with the mission of ACU.

My pathway toward tenure and promotion has not been straight, or even clear at times; unfortunately, institutional timing for a tenure-track position in Art + Design did not align with my arrival at ACU. It was only in the spring of 2022 that I was placed on a tenure track after having served and taught at ACU for nine years (See 2022-23 Hire Letter). Prior to working at ACU, I held a tenure track position for two years in the Art Department at Wayland Baptist University.

During my time at Wayland Baptist, I both launched the graphic design program and was instrumental in the development of their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This involved many hours of data collection and review, curriculum development, academic council meetings, and program oversight.

In 2013, my family relocated to Abilene in order to be nearer to our parents and I was hired at ACU as an Instructor in the Department of General Education. My Interdisciplinary background, as I hold both a Master of Divinity and PhD in Fine Art, positioned me well to teach in the university’s Core Curriculum. I also began teaching design foundations and Art History survey courses as an adjunct with the Department of Art + Design.

In 2016, I was invited into a split appointment between the Departments of Art + Design and General Education as an Instructor. In addition, I was appointed the Director of Cornerstone at this time, a role I served in until the end of fall 2022. I also acted as the Assistant Chair for the Department of Art + Design (2019-2022), was promoted to the rank of Associate College Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences (2020), and served as the Interim Chair of Art + Design in the Fall of 2021. I have now been named the Associate Dean of the Honors College beginning in Spring 2023. Meanwhile, I continue to contribute to my discipline as a scholar through both my research in religious institutional branding and my creative work as a graphic designer.

This portfolio will make it clear that I am an ideal candidate (a “good fit”) for tenure and the rank of Associate Professor by highlighting my contributions in all four categories of the university’s criteria for tenure and promotion. Below, I briefly outline the ways I have met this criteria. In the menu above, I expand on each section providing greater evidence, endorsements, and reflection upon these requirements.

Thank you for your time reviewing this document.

Sincerely,

Adam Trey Shirley, PhD

Teaching Effectiveness



As a teaching university, education is at the heart of everything we do. Therefore, throughout my twelve years of teaching this is the area in which I have worked hardest and improved the most. During this time, I have grown as both a classroom teacher and as a course designer. In this section, you will find my personal reflections on teaching and my teaching philosophy. In addition, I have provided ample evidence in the form of faculty and student endorsements, sample student work, and course evaluations to support my fulfillment of the standards for this criteria. A few highlights from this section, include:

Cornerstone Curriculum Development: Trained and mentored faculty; directed and produced Spotlight presentations; annually evaluated and redesigned assignments and assessments; wrote weekly quizzes; designed and managed the master Cornerstone canvas Blueprint; collected, prepared and disseminated teaching materials; and edited, designed, and authored multiple sections of the ACU Cornerstone Textbook for seven years
Teaching Grants: Received four different teaching grants for enhancing student learning experiences in the classroom
Team Teaching Experiences: Participated in seventeen positive team teaching experiences with twelve different ACU faculty members
Program Development: Launched and supervised the Graphic Design degree and participated in the development of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Wayland Baptist University; developed the Art History minor and participated in the development of the Art Therapy degree at Abilene Christian University; developed the Honors Track Designation system that allows students to get specialized training in the areas of Design Thinking and Innovation, Social and Environmental Justice, Global Service and Leadership, and Research and Scholarship.
Evaluations and Endorsements: Exemplary dean, chair, peer, and student teaching evaluations and endorsements

Scholarship & Creativity



As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Design, I primarily teach art history, design, and art foundation courses. These courses include students from all three programs in our department—Fine Art, Graphic Design, and Interior Design. Thus, it is valuable that I bring experience to the classroom from all three disciplines. In my scholarship portfolio, you will find evidence that displays my contributions in each of these disciplines as both an academic and a creative professional. Highlights include:

Published Scholarship: Publication in two of the top journals in my academic discipline (religious visual culture studies): the Journal of Media and Religion and Culture and Religion
Graphic Design: Designed and built the interface, navigation, assets, and graphics for over twenty different websites as a solo freelance designer (since 2013)
Interior Design/Architecture: Designed a medical office building, including architectural plans, technical drawings, and landscape architecture, and served as general contractor in the renovation and expansion of nine residential dwelling units
Scholarship Presentations: Presented at fifteen academic conferences
Editorial Service: Served as associate editor of the ACU Cornerstone Textbook and for the International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society

*A majority of this work was completed during my nine years as a non-tenure track faculty member, and thus was executed without any scholarship requirement from the university. My appointment letters during this time only identified Teaching and Service as employment expectations (click here to see a sample appointment letter).

Service



Because my appointment has been connected to my roles as Director of Cornerstone, Assistant Department Chair, Interim Chair, and Associate Dean of Honors, service has always been at the core of what I do at ACU. Additionally, I continue to work alongside my community through my involvement in my church and my city as a leader.

Associate Dean: As the Associate Dean, I am the chief academic officer for the Honors College, Oversee the Honors Living Learning Community in Wessel Hall, lead the Honors Student Council, and help execute all initiatives related to the Honors Strategic Plan.
Cornerstone Director: In this role, I oversaw or was involved in almost every aspect of the freshman seminar, from curriculum development to faculty training to event production.
Assistant and Interim Department Chair: As assistant chair, I oversaw our departmental outcomes, directed capital funds, organized chapel and departmental events, managed student and faculty concerns, and served as the departmental library liaison. In Fall 2021, I served as the Interim Chair for the department. *Because of my service in this role as Interim Chair, I was awarded the Colleague Service Award for the College of Arts and Sciences in the spring 2022.
Mission Implementation Team: In the summer of 2020, I was asked by the university president to serve on this team which oversaw the university’s academic response to the Covid-19 pandemic. *Our work led us to each receive the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Service along with the two other Covid-19 response teams in the spring of 2021.
University Committee Appointments: Because of my multiple appointments, I have served on nearly a dozen different university committees through the years. I was also on the faculty senate at Wayland Baptist University.
Community Involvement: In addition to my university service, I am on the board of the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, a post I have held since 2018. In 2023, I was elected to the office of secretary, and served on the executive board.
Church Leadership: I am an active leader in my church, Highland Church of Christ, where I am currently co-leading a small group and am a Huddle leader for the class of 2029.

Collegiality



Being part of this amazing community has been one of the great blessings of my life. Through my different roles at ACU, I am constantly collaborating with my colleagues around the university. Most notably, through my role as Director of Cornerstone and Associate Dean of Honors, I have been in regular contact with with a broad spectrum of members of the ACU community, including: faculty representing most departments on campus, course librarians, Admissions staff, Student Life, the office of Spiritual Formation, the First Year Program, the Writing Center, Alpha Scholars, SOAR, McNair Scholars, the Learning Studio, Facilities, Student Support Services, ACUPD, Development, Residence Life, the Adams Center, the Provost’s office, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. In my different roles, I have worked with members of each of these departments regularly, often on a weekly or even daily basis. Through countless interactions over the years, I have been richly blessed with many deeply meaningful and long-standing friendships.

Moreover, through my role as Assistant and Interim Chair, I have had the opportunity to connect more deeply with my colleagues within my department. These bonds have grown and strengthened through many opportunities to interact personally with each of my colleagues in helping them address their concerns for the university, hosting student events, leading chapel, and interacting outside of ACU.

Finally, through my multiple committee appointments and professional service as a designer, I have had the great pleasure of making many more connections that have led to a wide array of collaborations with a broad spectrum of faculty and staff throughout the university. While collegiality is difficult to quantify, in my portfolio you will see evidence of my contributions made toward building the ACU community and multiple endorsements from partners from inside and outside the university.

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