APPLICANT: Before you apply please have all documents available to upload during the application process. See Instructions below.

SUMMARY:

This position is a twelve-month appointment (50% faculty/50% Administration), responsible for directing and developing an Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication program as well as serve as the Assistant Dean for College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) operations and maintaining responsibility for major functional unit(s) within the CASNR. Provides leadership for and is responsible for developing and sustaining a productive and collaborative atmosphere, mentoring faculty, developing an effective shared governance system, working effectively with the college dean and senior administration, building excellence in curriculum and coursework scheduling in collaboration with the faculty, and initiating and sustaining an externally funded research program.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Faculty member/teaching, Research/Scholarly Activity and Service

• Teaching courses in agricultural leadership, education and/or communication.
• Advising undergraduate and graduate students.
• Teaching and developing both face-to-face and online program instruction.
• Supervising graduate student research.
• Serving as a liaison to the agricultural education and communication community, and engaging in professional organizations.
• Building a strong reputation through teaching and outreach with Texas FFA and 4-H related to Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication.
• Communicating and working effectively with undergraduate and graduate students and stakeholder groups.
• Working collaboratively with faculty and staff to implement Ag Leadership/Ag Communication curriculum.
• Instructional duties may include teaching during the day, evening, or on Saturday
• Developing, designing, and updating curriculum
• Providing service to the college, university and the profession
• Continual learning to stay current with research, best practices in teaching, and technological applications in the classroom, including online teaching.

Assistant Dean

• Coordinating development of semester course schedules, including faculty workload and timely submission to the Dean.
• Coordinating development and submission of curriculum changes, including changes to existing programs and courses.
• Serving in various roles as a chair/committee member for scheduling and curriculum committees.
• Assisting in program development, evaluation, supervision, and review; including identification of need for full and part-time faculty positions.
• Assisting in the preparation and review of materials for the university catalog and other publications.
  • Development and implementation of evaluation tools beyond student evaluations. These may include 1.) in-class observations, 2.) peer observations, 3.) course assessments, and 4.) other methods as developed.
  • Assisting with and serving as an administrative reviewer for the CASNR Institutional Effectiveness (assessment). Oversees the assessment processes used for regional accreditation.
  • Promoting Agricultural programs in recruitment and retention as well as public relations.
  • Representing the College at university-wide activities, including regularly scheduled meetings of University Executive Council, Deans Council and Academic Council in the absence of the Dean.
  • Providing primary oversight of selected areas of the instructional programs as assigned by the Dean.
  • Working regularly with the Dean to establish protocol for continuous improvement.
  • Assisting the Dean concerning allocation of assets and resources.
  • Works collaboratively with faculty to build a positive culture and effective structures, policies and communication channels.
  • Assesses college performance and determines critical requirements for program practices and documentation.
  • Works closely with the Dean to lead best practice expectations for recruitment and retention of students, faculty success, alumni relations; securing and managing extramural funding and other scholarly and fundraising initiatives.
  • Promotes, maintains and mentors the professional development and ongoing success of faculty within the academic college. Encourages and supports attendance at professional conferences, grant writing, academic and research publications, professional consulting, mentoring, and community engagement. Mentors faculty to success in achieving tenure.  Performs annual evaluations of faculty and staff. Develops annual performance plans outlining what each faculty or staff member will accomplish in the coming year.  Combines results of individual plans to produce an annual performance plan for the academic unit as a whole.
  • Ensures that college course offerings optimize resources in a timely manner with adequate student input to ensure the smooth flow of student progress toward graduation.
  • Exercises fiduciary responsibility on all college operating, special, and endowment accounts as well as fixed and consumable assets assigned to programs.
  • Develops and improves the college plan for curriculum development, review and revision. Utilizes course student assessments and input from faculty, program graduates, and external stakeholders/ employers. Utilizes results from these assessments to identify and respond to areas of greater demand and to seek out new areas of strength.
  • Oversees, in conjunction with program faculty and staff, an effective and continuous student academic advising program for each academic program of study in the college. Monitors graduation rates, and ensures compliance with any relevant Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements, particularly, where appropriate, state-mandated core curriculum learning goals. Collaborates with faculty to mentor new graduate students and ensure that any graduate assistants employed by the college, including those supported by extramural funds, receive appropriate training and mentoring to enable them to perform their job assignments professionally.
  • Serves as the primary liaison with the dean, graduate school, the registrar, and institutional effectiveness.
  • Keeps faculty informed of institutional issues in a timely and transparent fashion and manages student issues; the graduation process; employment of adjunct faculty and GAs; college and program marketing, including the college website; student internships; alumni records; fund-raising initiatives; ordering of equipment and/or supplies; facility renovations; and the completion of various required reports.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Education: Ph.D. or EdD in Agricultural Leadership/Education/Communication or a closely related field from an accredited institution.
• Experience / Knowledge / Skills: Academic background commensurate with the rank of associate professor or higher. Six (6) years of higher educatoin experience. Earned tenure. Experience with advising undergraduate and graduate students. Familiarity with curriculum development and assessment. Exhibited experience in program development, mentoring faculty, working effectively with the college dean and senior administration, building excellence in curriculum and coursework scheduling in collaboration with the faculty.
• Ability to: Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with faculty, staff, and students, as well as people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Ability to work beyond normal office hours and/or work on weekends as needed. Ability to travel.
• Licensing/Professional Certifications: Valid Driverâ™s license.
• Physical Requirements: None
• Other Requirements: None 

PREFERRED EDUCATION / SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE:

Earned rank of full Professor with a minimum of two (2) years administrative experience in higher education. Demonstrated experience in program building and development, with accreditation, THECB and Texas A&M University System policies and university rules and procedures. Demonstrated a high level of connection and collaboration with Texas FFA Ag Science teachers and County Extension Directors. Leadership experience at the department head level.  Higher education teaching and advising experience.  Demonstrated experience with budgeting, curriculum/course design and implementation, and distance education.  Evidence of effective interaction with students, faculty, administration and community. 

SUPERVISION OF OTHERS:

Department faculty and staff as needed and/or in the absence of the Dean.

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT: During the application process you have only one opportunity to upload documents.  The page âœMy Experience❠has an area provided under Resume/CV to drop or upload files.  Be sure to include:

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter
• At least 3 references and their full contact information, and
• Transcripts if a degree is required.

Applications received by Texas A&M University-Commerce must have all  job application data entered. Failure to provide all job application data could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application.