RHN 115/2019 | Opportunity
College of Agriculture Dean, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
Closing date for applications: 14 October 2019
Arkansas State University seeks a dynamic, innovative, and charismatic leader to create and implement a shared vision for the College of Agriculture. A-State’s agricultural programs prepare students for careers in large-scale production agriculture and allied agribusinesses. A non-land grant institution, A-State plays a vital role in supporting the agricultural industry and growing demands for agricultural biotechnology, precision agriculture, and associated research and applications in a multi-state region centered on the Lower Mississippi Delta.
Responsibilities: Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, the Dean provides support and leadership for undergraduate and graduate programs in agricultural science with emphases in plant and soil science, animal science, agricultural business, agricultural education, and digital agricultural technologies. The Dean’s responsibilities include faculty recruiting and development, increasing enrollment and graduation rates, developing community partnerships, expanding fundraising and externally funded research, expanding the research relationships between A-State and the developing NEA Rice Research Center, expanding relationships with the UA Division of Agriculture Experiment Station and Agricultural Extension, continuing the relationship with the UA Division of Agriculture and the Judd Hill Foundation through the Judd Hill Cotton Research Program at Trumann, Arkansas, modernizing the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, contributing to globalization of the University, and supporting the University’s research-intensive status. The Dean also is responsible for operations at two facilities, the A-State Teaching and Research Farm and the A-State Equine Center both adjacent to the A-State campus. The Farm includes both livestock and crop productions, serving as a teaching and research space.
Qualifications: An earned doctorate or terminal degree in an agricultural or closely related science; a record of scholarly and professional achievements significantly strong to qualify for rank and tenure in the college; a minimum of three years of administrative experience with budgetary, fundraising, and other leadership accomplishments; demonstrated engagement in competitively funded agricultural or related research; communication skills necessary to promote the college’s mission both internally and externally; demonstrated ability to foster a positive and collegial environment through a collaborative leadership style; ability to provide leadership to undergraduate and cross-disciplinary graduate programs; strong commitment to teaching excellence; ability to form strong partnerships with alumni, regional producers, industry stake-holders and the community; familiarity with row crop and livestock farming in the Delta Region, and experience in and commitment to fundraising.
The University and Community: A-State the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, is a public institution with an enrollment of almost 14,000 students located in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Located atop the unique Crowley’s Ridge formation, A-State serves as the entertainment, cultural, and educational hub of the Northeast Arkansas region, and hosts NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine on its campus. Jonesboro has a population of 75,000, is located 70 all-Interstate miles northwest of Memphis, and serves as the commercial, medical, industrial, and agricultural hub of a region that extends from the Ozark foothills through the Mississippi Delta.
For Additional Background Information Contact:
Dr. Carl M. Cates, Chair
Search Committee for Dean of College of Agriculture
Arkansas State University
P. O. Box 1150
State University, AR 72467
870-972-3973
ccates@AState.edu
Applications: Applications must be received online at http://www.astate.edu/jobs/. Please review instructions for new users on the home page and select the Dean of Agriculture position. Applicants should upload a cover letter speaking to diversity and addressing qualifications, curriculum vitae, along with the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of five professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately with applications accepted until the position is filled. To allow for the most complete consideration, applications should be submitted by October 14, 2019. Anticipated starting date is July 1, 2020. Under the Arkansas' Freedom of Information Act, applications are subject to public inspection. A-State is committed to creating a productive workplace in which both persons and property are secure. To achieve that goal, background investigations are conducted on all final applicants recommended for employment. Arkansas State University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff.