California State University, Chico is now accepting applications and nominations for the Dean of the College of Agriculture.
The College of Agriculture offers programs in Agricultural Business, Agricultural Sciences/Education, Animal Science, Plant Science, and Land Stewardship. The curriculum is structured to create an integrated and interdisciplinary course of study. Bachelor of Science degrees are offered in Agricultural Business, Animal Science and Agriculture. The teacher education program is a post-graduate option leading to secondary teaching credentials in Agriculture. A Masters in Agricultural Education is a fully online, self-support graduate degree option for agricultural educators offered through an innovative collaboration with the Ag*IDEA Consortium. Integrated into the instructional program and managed by the College is an 800-acre irrigated farm and 240 acres of rangeland. The College receives external funding and support to accomplish its mission; it enjoys strong relationships with producers and processors in the agricultural industry and various support groups; it has especially strong connections with its 12-county service region in northern California. The College has 16 tenure/tenure track faculty; with two tenure-track searches to begin summer 2014, 9 full-time equivalent lecturer positions, and 23 staff positions, including an Advancement Officer. The College has experienced double-digit enrollment growth in the last 5 years which shows no signs of tapering off. We are fortunate that the students and faculty in the College of Agriculture have a strong sense of pride for our University, Community and our College. The relationships the students and faculty create together develop a strong culture of unity in the college and propel authentic relationships. The “family-feel” environment of our College is a unique component that we continually strive to build upon.
Responsibilities: As chief academic and administrative officer for the College, the Dean reports to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and is responsible for administration, development and direction of academic programs of the College of Agriculture, including the oversight of the Agricultural Research Institute Funds. The successful candidate will understand and support the values of a public, comprehensive, residential campus, who recognizes the critical role of faculty and staff in the life of the University, and who will actively participate in collaboration. Specific responsibilities include College leadership for academic excellence in teaching, research, university service, and the development of external support and fundraising through building relationships with alumni, friends, and industry and community organizations. The Dean is responsible for setting College-wide strategic directions, guiding academic policy, administration of resources for instruction and research, fiscal and personnel management of the College, as well as student recruitment and retention. The Dean will serve with a strong administrative team committed to making CSU, Chico one of America’s outstanding comprehensive universities.
Required Qualifications:
· An earned doctorate and academic accomplishments for faculty appointment at the rank of professor in one of the academic disciplines in the College.
· A record of outstanding administrative leadership roles and a collaborative management style that fosters trust, respect, and successful working relationships with students, faculty, staff, deans, administrators, industry partners and community.
· Evidence of expanded alliances with both the public and private sector.
· Strong experience and commitment to engage the College in a comprehensive program of advancement / fund raising activities.
· Demonstrated evidence of increasingly complex managerial experiences with the ability to manage substantive and rapid growth.
· Demonstrated experience / knowledge in the agriculture industry (California and western US).
· Demonstrated experience in fiscal management.
· Demonstrated experience with business operations of a productive working university farm that functions as a living laboratory for students.
· A vision consistent with the strategic plans/goals of the College and University.
· Demonstrated experience and ability to convey their vision to move the College forward.
· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to represent the interests of the College both on campus and externally.
· Appreciation for and willingness to support the programs in the College.
· Ability to promote excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional activity in the College.
Preferred Criteria - The successful candidate will demonstrate the following critical attributes:
· Broad background in Agriculture, with specific expertise in one of our core discipline groups; agricultural education, agricultural business, plant and soil science (crops, horticulture, soils and land resource management).
· Ability to communicate a vision for the future of agriculture.
· Demonstrated competence/knowledge in a collective bargaining environment.
· Ability to oversee a complex budget strategically and successfully.
· Ability to promote student success, retention and recruitment and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate and graduate student research.
· Commitment to diversity as demonstrated by leadership, persistent effort, active planning, allocation of resources, and accountability.
· Ability to resolve complex personnel issues.
· Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective teams.
· Demonstrated ability to work with community and industry partners to enhance the educational experience for our students.
Review of applications will begin August 15, 2014, and continue until the position is filled. As a condition of employment, persons will have to submit to a confidential background check and submit official, sealed transcripts. All information obtained will be strictly confidential.
Applications/Nominations: Applicants should submit a complete and current curriculum vitae, as well as names, addresses and telephone numbers of up to five references. A cover letter of interest should indicate how the applicant’s qualifications relate to the responsibilities of the Dean. Applicants should briefly articulate their administrative philosophy and the role of the College of Agriculture in public higher education. In addition, each applicant must complete the Academic Application form which is available online: http://www.csuchico.edu/faaf/facultyrecruit/facultyapplication.pdf.
Applications/Nominations should be sent electronically or via USPS mail to:
College of Agriculture Dean Search Committee
Office of the Faculty Affairs
California State University, Chico
Chico, California 95929-0024
facultyaffairs@csuchico.edu
The University employs only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States.
CSU, Chico is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disability
An annual security report disclosing crime statistics for California State University, Chico can be obtained by contacting the California State University Police Department (530) 898-5372 or by accessing the following web site: http://www.csuchico.edu/up/
Additional information about the University and the College of Agriculture is available on the World Wide Web: http://www.csuchicoag.org/