The American Academy in Rome is the oldest overseas center for research and study in the arts and humanities. Each year, the Academy awards the Rome Prize to a select group of artists and scholars who are invited to live and work in a dynamic international community in the heart of Rome. To support the work of these Fellows, the Academy also hosts programming in Rome, New York, and around the United States.

AAR is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Application Deadline: 2 February 2026

The American Academy in Rome invites applications for the position of the Director of the American Academy in Rome Classical Summer School, beginning in the summer 2027, for a term of three years (2027–2029). The annual salary is $12,000 with a $1,500 stipend for meals outside of the Academy, transportation in Rome, and other incidental expenses. The Academy will also reimburse the CSS Director up to $2,000 annually for travel to Rome.

Organization

Since 1894 the American Academy in Rome has functioned as a residential center for research and creativity. Its purpose has always been to enable highly motivated scholars and artists to immerse themselves in the experience of Rome, ancient and modern, and to be inspired by daily exchange with the other members of this creative community. The Academy has made an outsized impact on the intellectual and cultural life of the United States, and its Fellows and Residents have been recognized with 647 Guggenheim Fellowships, 79 Pulitzer Prizes, 63 MacArthur Fellowships, 28 Grammy Awards, 25 National Medal of Arts, 21 National Book Awards, 9 Poet Laureate appointments, 7 National Humanities Medals, 5 Nobel Prizes, 5 Pritzker Prizes, and 2 Oscars. In addition to these honors, Fellows and Residents have been awarded memberships to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (223), the American Academy of Arts and Letters (188), and the Accademia de Lincei (10). Approximately 35 Fellows are selected as winners of the Rome Prize each year by rotating juries in the different fields.

The Classical Summer School was established in 1923 to benefit high school teachers of Greek and Latin, and graduate students in archeology and philology. Over the years, its participants have become more varied and now include college teachers and those working in related fields. It is of particular use to teachers and scholars with limited opportunities to visit Rome, as well as underrepresented groups in ancient studies. The Classical Summer School is designed to provide participants with a well-grounded understanding of the growth and development of the ancient city of Rome and central Italy, from the earliest times to late antiquity, through a careful study of material remains, art, and textual sources. Considerable time is also spent on issues of pedagogy and on integrating knowledge gained on site into the teaching of ancient languages, literature, and history. The Classical Summer School usually runs for 5 weeks beginning in mid-June.

Position Description

Major Responsibilities

The Classical Summer School Director provides the intellectual leadership for the intensive 5-week program, adjusting the program to reflect the changing state of the field of Roman studies and relevant emerging research. The CSS Director is responsible for delivering an intellectually coherent curriculum, feasible within the constraints of Rome in the summer, which pairs seminar-style teaching with on-site teaching and student presentations. The CSS Director will select participants (in consultation with the Mellon Professor in the Humanities); manage and stay within the budget; prepare the syllabus, lectures, talks, workshops, conversations, and site visits; and work closely with the Teaching Assistant (usually a PhD student from among the current Rome Prize Fellows) and the CSS Program Manager. Duties include:

• recruiting applicants and assessing applications;
• developing the curriculum and preparing pedagogical materials, including organizing lectures, conversations, discussions, workshops, and site visits (please note that the bulk of this work will take place before the start of the Summer School during the academic year);
• coordinating participant lodging with the assistance of the CSS Program Manager;
• providing guidance to the AAR on recruitment strategies;
• preparing a student survey at the close of each year’s Classical Summer School and reporting to the Academy on the Classical Summer School and participant experiences;
• engaging in constructive dialogue on eventual changes and improvements to the Classical Summer School;
• (optional but encouraged) attendance of the Classical Summer School in summer 2026 for one week (funded), shadowing the current CSS director.

The Academy will provide assistance on publicity, preparation of guidelines and informational and application materials for the Summer School; general administrative and accounting tasks; management of site permissions and visit reservations, accommodation, and local travel arrangements for the program.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field (Roman archaeology, classics, art history, Roman history, etc.);
• active academic research in subjects related to Rome, its history and archaeology, with an outstanding publication record, appropriate to career stage;
• expert knowledge of Roman history and material culture from the earliest times to late antiquity, museums, and sites in and around Rome;
• considerable experience teaching at the college or university level;
• considerable practical knowledge of the city of Rome;
• expert knowledge of Latin;
• practical knowledge of Italian and experience of researching in Italy.

To Apply

Please submit a CV together with a letter of interest explaining your understanding of the role of the Classical Summer School Director at the American Academy in Rome, your interest in the position, and your unique qualifications for the role. Please include contact information for three persons familiar with your scholarly work and teaching experience (please note: referees will be contacted only for short-listed candidates).

Please send your application materials to mellonprofessor [at] aarome.org (mellonprofessor[at]aarome[dot]org) no later than 2 February 2026.

Important

Please submit two (2) separate documents attached to your email message. Both documents should be in PDF file format. Indicate “CSS Director search” in the subject of your message. The file names of your documents should follow the naming criteria below:
YOURLASTNAME_Firstname_CV.pdf
; YOURLASTNAME_Firstname_letter.pdf

Do not place your letter in the body of your email message.

Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by e-mail within one week.

Interviews

Candidates to be invited for an interview will be notified by 9 February 2026. Interviews will take place online.

American Academy in Rome is a EEO/AA/M/F/VET/DISABILITY Employer