The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) provides Real. Life. Solutions. to some of society?s most pressing issues. UTIA is home to the Herbert College of Agriculture, AgResearch and its ten centers across the state, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Extension, which has a presence in all ninety-five Tennessee counties. UTIA also boasts the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture and the State Botanical Gardens of Tennessee. Through teaching, research, and outreach, UTIA seeks to support food, fiber, and energy production systems, enrich the economy, enhance biodiversity and environmental quality, develop the workforce, and strengthen human and animal health.
The Herbert College Dean is administratively responsible to UTIA's Senior Vice Chancellor/Senior Vice President in close collaboration with the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) Provost. The Dean works collaboratively with UTIA's administrative leadership team, including the AgResearch, UT Extension, and College of Veterinary Medicine Deans, along with senior staff, to fulfill UTIA's research, teaching, and outreach missions. The Herbert College Dean is responsible for the comprehensive administration of UTIA's teaching component, which prepares undergraduate and graduate students for leadership roles in the fields of agriculture and natural resources. More information about Herbert College programs, personnel, and student life is available at https://herbert.utk.edu
Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of the Dean are to:
Provide visionary leadership, administration, and advocacy in executing a vision consistent with UTK and UTIA strategic directions, as well as with the land grant mission.
Lead Herbert College to a position of national prominence in agriculture and natural resource-related education while advancing scholarly excellence in all land grant mission areas.
Facilitate efforts to modernize curriculum to ensure academic programs remain relevant, timely, and aligned with industry and community needs.
Fully implement and capitalize on alternative teaching practices, including virtual and experiential classrooms, to ensure students are prepared for modern-day workplace and societal demands.
Develop and promote a compelling educational environment that attracts and retains students and enables the College to meet/exceed aggressive enrollment targets.
Demonstrateanunderstandingofandappreciationforthelandgrantmissionandprovide support to all land grant mission areas.
Promoteinnovation ineducationalprograms to meetlocal,national,and global needs, including ensuring awareness of the global challenges facing agriculture and natural resources by expanding international learning opportunities for students.
Demonstrateanambitiousapproachtoagricultureandnaturalresourcesandpromoteexcellence in the field.
Provide physicalandfinancialoversightofcampus andfieldeducational venues.
Support and encouragefacultyinpursuingextramuralawards,contracts,andgifts.
Establish and enhance relations with key partners, including federal and state agencies, private industry,andfoundations,andstrengthenpartnershipswithotherinstitutionswithintheUniversity of TennesseeSystem.
Workcloselywith theUTKOffice oftheProvost on academic and compliance matters.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation for the position will be competitive. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, and much more. Additionally, Tennessee residents do not pay a state income tax. For more information on the University of Tennessee?s benefits, visit https://hr.tennessee.edu/ benefits/
Education
Candidates must have an earned terminal degree in agriculture sciences, natural resources, or a closely related field and evidence of scholarly, professional, or creative achievement sufficient to qualify for tenure as a full professor in a UTIA academic department.
Experience
Candidates must have demonstrated leadership skills and abilities, including:
Outstanding record of research and other academic accomplishments.
Broad understanding of agricultural production systems, natural resources, and the environment.
Progressive administrative experience, including knowledge of, appreciation for, and commitment to the philosophy and programs of land grant institutions.
Budget administration experience and experience working with a team and supervising personnel.
Proven record of securing resources from local, state, and federal sources, as well as gifts and industry contributions.
Full cycle management of scholarships and endowments, ensuring maximum utilization of available funds to benefit the most deserving students.
Preference will be given to candidates withexperiencein administering higher education agricultural teaching programs, including oversight of budgets and personnel in an academic environment.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Candidates must have significant knowledge and understanding of higher education. Specific skills include:
Excellent oral and written communication skills and outstanding listening skills.
Ability to communicate with various stakeholders, including industry partners, agribusiness producers, research scientists, Extension agents, federal agencies, and other diverse audiences.
Commitment to quality and integrity.
Ability to inspire and effectively manage faculty and staff and lead UTIA's land grant teaching programs.
Knowledge of emerging technologies in pedagogy, as well as those related to the field of agriculture and natural resources.
Ability to formulate and administer higher education budgets.
A track record of achievement in the areas of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action and a demonstrated commitment to promoting and fostering diversity.
Ability to create and maintain effective partnerships and working relationships both internally and among external stakeholders.
Ability to strengthen educational programs to ensure they remain on the cutting edge and provide relevant learning materials
Transparency in decision-making and accountability for resource management.
Recognition of and appreciation for local, regional, and state needs and rural economic development.
Strong commitment to graduate student education.
Ability to travel frequently.
Behaviors
The Herbert College Dean will exhibit qualities of emotional maturity, genuineness, self-confidence, common sense, judgment, fairness, creativity, discretion, decisiveness, political savvy, diplomacy, tact, resiliency, adaptability, courage of convictions, and tolerance for ambiguity. Demonstrated behavioral expectations include:
Ability to foster teamwork and to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
Unquestioned integrity and trustworthiness.
Commitment to UTIA's mission and values and to campus and University strategic plans.
Ability to make good, consistent, and fair decisions based on facts and data.
Applications should formally apply via Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/153311 and include a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and names and contact information for five professional references. Nominations and confidential inquiries are encouraged and may be sent via e-mail to Brooke Swart, Senior Executive Recruiter at bswart@utk.edu. Review of applicants will begin immediately. To be assured of full consideration, please submit a completed application on or before October 18, 2024.
All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university. Requests for accommodations of a disability should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3560 or eoa@utk.edu or (865)974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation & Resolution 216 Business Incubator Building 2450 EJ. Chapman Drive Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 or (865)974-0717 or investigations@utk.edu.
Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.