Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Employer
- University of Vermont
- Location
- Burlington, Vermont
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- Executive Administration Jobs
- Deans
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Dean
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Burlington, VT
The University of Vermont (UVM), one of the nation’s premier small public research universities, seeks an accomplished and inspiring academic leader to serve as Dean of its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). This is an exceptional opportunity to lead a vital academic unit that engages interdisciplinary programs and innovative research to address emerging needs of society through research in agriculture and the broad range of life sciences. The College seeks a dynamic, creative, visionary Dean who can lead CALS into a collaborative and impactful future.
The UVM campus spans Burlington’s highest ridgeline overlooking Lake Champlain, between the Adirondack and Green Mountains, and is surrounded by the small, vibrant, and historic city of Burlington, perennially voted one of America's best places to live. The University, home to seven schools and colleges, an honors college, graduate college, medical school, and a division of continuing and distance education, all on the same campus, enrolls close to 13,000 students. The University has steadily built its research enterprise with $144M of sponsored projects in fiscal year 2019.
Enhanced by an array of physical resources that include research stations, farms, and horticultural facilities, CALS plays an integral role in UVM’s research and outreach missions. It also supports a wide range of interdisciplinary initiatives across the University, including the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative, the Gund Institute for Environment, and graduate programs in food systems and ecological economics. Additionally, as home to the Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station and UVM Extension, CALS helps communities across the state find innovative solutions to the challenges they face. In each of these dimensions, the work of the College takes full advantage of Vermont’s unique position as a living laboratory for agriculture and the life sciences.
CALS offers dynamic programs in agriculture and the life and social sciences, with a focus on nutrition and food science, human and animal health and well-being, communication, entrepreneurship, sustainable and resilient communities, and the complex web of food systems. Enrolling over 1,400 undergraduate students and 120 graduate students, and supported by 70 faculty, CALS programs address current issues that are key to the future of Vermont, the nation, and the world. In 2019, CALS faculty brought in $23M in sponsored research funding and recently the College was designated a USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Center.
Structured around six departments: Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Community Development and Applied Economics, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Plant & Soil Science, Plant Biology, and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (shared with the LCOM), CALS also includes four undergraduate interdisciplinary programs shared with other colleges. The College’s diverse majors (17), and wide-ranging minors (18) and concentrations (18), appeal to a broad audience of students interested in agriculture, basic science, applied science, or linking applied work to the social sciences. CALS offers four doctoral programs and eight master’s programs, including professional programs in Dietetics and Public Administration, in addition to cross-college interdisciplinary master’s and doctoral programs in Food Systems.
The successful candidate will develop a vision for the College and its role in supporting research, teaching, and outreach activities, and will construct a clear narrative about its evolving identity. The new Dean will also champion interdisciplinary activity and the development of innovative, high impact academic programs. They will serve as the face of the institution across the state and will engage supporters to fund new initiatives and ongoing activities. The next Dean will also continue to build a diverse community working to recruit and retain outstanding students and high-performing faculty from all backgrounds.
The ideal candidate will bring intellectual breadth, strong emotional intelligence, and a record of academic achievement at a research university, combined with success in administrative management, including strategic planning and fiscal oversight. Candidates will also bring the capacity to build consensus and focus the collective energy of the College community. Academic credentials in a relevant discipline and an outstanding record of teaching and scholarship to qualify for full professor with tenure at UVM are required.
UVM is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and/or service. Applicants are requested to include in their cover letter information about their track record in this area and how they will further this goal at the University of Vermont.
Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, has been retained to assist UVM in this important search. Please direct all inquiries (including requests for a detailed position profile), nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters in confidence to:
Greg Esposito, Partner
Sarah Herman, Principal
Caitlin Barrett, Senior Associate
Isaacson, Miller
263 Summer Street, 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.
The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law. The University encourages applications from all individuals who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution.
Organization
The University of Vermont’s hilltop campus looks out across one of America’s most vibrant small cities to Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains beyond. Here, students’ educational experience and activities are enriched by our location — from the energy and innovation of Burlington to the forests, farms, and independent spirit of Vermont.
UVM is a Public Ivy and top 100 research university of a perfect size, large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet small enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship. With a commitment to undergraduate education, UVM professors — world-class researchers, scholars, and artists — bring their discoveries into the classroom and their students into the field.
You’ll find UVM faculty and students studying the effects of climate change aboard the Melosira, a research vessel and floating lab; testing new vaccines at the on-campus medical center; launching local start-ups; and working with refugees at Burlington community centers.
Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. The fifth oldest university in New England, UVM boasts a legacy of important firsts in education: the first college to declare public support of freedom of religion and the first to admit women and African-Americans to Phi Beta Kappa.
Today, the university continues to provide endless ways to explore the world, challenge ideas, and dig in on the most pressing issues of our time.
At a glance:
- Founded in 1791, became a Land Grant university in 1862
- Home to seven undergraduate schools and colleges, the Honors College, Graduate College, Larner College of Medicine, and Division of Continuing and Distance Education
- Enrollment: 10,267 undergraduates, 1,462 graduate students, 461 medical students, 23 post-baccalaureate certificates, 892 non-degree students
- 1,556 full- and part-time faculty
- Offering 100+ bachelor’s degree programs, 50 master’s programs, 29 accelerated master’s programs, and 22 doctoral programs
- 18 Division I athletic teams
- “UVM” stands for Universitas Viridis Montis, Latin for University of the Green Mountains
Our vision
To be among the nation’s premier small research universities, preeminent in our comprehensive commitment to liberal education, environment, health and public service.
Our mission
To create, evaluate, share and apply knowledge and to prepare students to be accountable leaders who will bring to their work dedication to the global community, a grasp of complexity, effective problem-solving and communication skills, and an enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct.
About Burlington:
UVM’s hometown perennially appears on national rankings that laud its livability, access to nature and recreation (including the best skiing in the northeast), thriving food and music scene, rising identity as a technology and innovation hub, and its status as a top college town. City perks include an active pedestrian marketplace in the heart of downtown, 8 miles of waterfront along Lake Champlain featuring stunning sunsets over the Adirondacks beyond, and a 12-mile paved bike trail that runs along the lake. Burlington’s nickname, BTV, comes from the code for its airport, just 10 minutes from campus. With Montreal a 90-minute and Boston a 3.5-hour drive away, international and metropolitan culture are easily accessible for weekend adventures.
With a metro-area population of approximately 210,000, Burlington is Vermont’s largest city. In addition to UVM, large local employers include Global Foundries, GE Healthcare, Keurig Green Mountain, Dealer.com, Seventh Generation and Ben & Jerry’s Homemade. Vermont’s public K-12 schools are perennially ranked among the best in the nation.
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