Chair & Director

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Donald and Terry Smith Endowed Chair for International Sustainable Agriculture & Director of International Programs

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Donald and Terry Smith Endowed Chair for International Sustainable Agriculture and Director of International Programs for the University of Tennessee, Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) administers and provides leadership and vision for the development and implementation of effective science-based international programs in agriculture, natural resources and family and consumer sciences. The Director/Chair is administratively responsible to the UTIA Chancellor.

The Director/Chair supports UTIA’s goal of becoming a recognized leader in international agricultural programs and is responsible for promoting and implementing the shared vision and mission of UTIA international programs and for leadership to accomplish that mission. The Director/Chair maintains an on-going interaction with UTIA deans, faculty, students, department heads, center directors, and other unit administrators, and works in a multidisciplinary capacity to foster faculty interest, capabilities, and recognition for international work. She or he will facilitate the development of UTIA faculty teams and forge synergistic partnerships with other national and international universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations to develop programming.  

The Director/Chair is responsible for aggressively seeking and securing extramural funds for international programs and is proactive in creating private gift funding opportunities for UTIA faculty. The Director/Chair is responsible for establishing and maintaining close contact through the development of partnerships with other Land-Grant institutions, private foundations and private sector investors, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other bilateral agencies, the World Bank and other Intergovernmental Organizations, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and other relevant public institutions and private companies and industries in the United States and globally.

Qualifications:

• The successful applicant shall have an earned doctorate in a discipline related to agriculture, natural resources and/or family and consumer sciences, or a discipline well-suited to the requirements of this position, with a distinguished record of professional accomplishments including:
• Significant and successful experience in international activities, preferably as part of an academic faculty or advanced international research institute;
• Knowledge of major international research, education, outreach and development priorities and activities globally, and an understanding of investors and mechanisms necessary for increasing UTIA’s ability to compete for international funds and for increasing the status and awareness of UTIA by those who fund international activities;
• Demonstrated ability to secure funds that support international research and development with evidence (e.g. grant or contract titles, years, amounts, description of applicant's role) of successful competition for funding with an array of funding institutions, public and private, national, and international;
• Academic credentials and previous experience meriting a tenured appointment in a UTIA academic unit at the Associate Professor or Professor level;
• Previous experience at a Land Grant university or at least understanding of the Land Grant philosophy and a strong interest in internationalizing UTIA programs across education, research and outreach;

The Institute of Agriculture (http://ag.tennessee.edu/) is a component of the University of Tennessee system and is headquartered in Knoxville. UTIA is at the core of the University of Tennessee land-grant mission of educating, discovering and connecting. Through its colleges, research and education centers, and county extension offices, UTIA contributes to the economic, social and environmental well-being of all Tennesseans and focuses on contemporary problems faced by Tennessee, the nation and the world.

Application Process:
Priority consideration will be given to those applications received by September 1, 2014.  Application materials should be sent electronically via a Word document(s) and should include: a letter of interest, including a vision for a modern international programs at a Land-Grant institution; a curriculum vitae; and contact information for up to five (5) references.  Questions and applications should be sent by email to:
  
Dr. William F. Brown, Search Committee Chair
Dean AgResearch
2621 Morgan Circle, Room 104
Knoxville, TN  37996
wfbrown@utk.edu
Phone: 865-974-7121

The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.  All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.