Director of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
- Employer
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Location
- Boulder, Colorado
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- Executive Administration Jobs
- C-Level & Executive Directors
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- Institutional & Business Affairs, Arts & Museum Administration
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
The University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for the Director of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
The Director is the administrative head of the Museum with primary responsibility for leadership by offering new ideas and strategies for the future, working with staff and faculty toward a shared vision for the Museum, and by overseeing its management and financial operations. Candidates will be expected to have a thorough understanding of how natural history museums work as a research facility, cultural heritage organization, and public interface to science. The Director also serves as a teaching faculty member in the Graduate Program in Museum and Field Studies which is housed in the Museum. The Director will have a tenure home in a relevant department, with associated research and education duties, and may also serve as Curator in an appropriate section of the Museum based on experience and desire.
The University expects applicants to have an outstanding record of scholarly achievement that demonstrates a commitment to and leadership in research, training, and outreach activities. This includes supporting research and translating research findings to practitioners, policy makers, and the broader public that address local, regional, national, or international challenges. Applicants also should have a strong commitment and a demonstrated record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within and beyond the Museum.
The Museum Director is appointed by the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of Colorado Boulder on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, with the advice of the Search Committee, Institute Directorate and faculty and staff of the Museum. The Director’s term will be for four years, with possibility of renewal. The position reports to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Who We Are
The CU Museum of Natural History fosters exploration and appreciation of the natural environment and human cultures through research, teaching, and community outreach. We provide academic training for graduate students in Museum and Field Studies; build, conserve, and interpret research collections; and offer exhibits and educational programs for the University and the public.
Founded in 1902, the Museum employs more than fifty faculty and staff as curators, collection managers, public program specialists, designers, instructors, and administrators. The Museum maintains collections in all fields of natural history as well as human history. The Museum is divided into sections, which administer specific parts of the collections: Anthropology (Archaeological and Ethnological materials), Botany (Plant collections), Entomology (Insect collections), Paleontology (Fossils and associated materials), and Invertebrate Zoology (Invertebrates other than insects) and Vertebrate Zoology.
The Museum's collection has grown from a handful of objects to nearly five million. The CU Museum of Natural History has the largest natural history collection in the Rocky Mountain region. The museum was first accredited in 2003 and received re-accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 2019, an achievement earned by less than 5% of museums in the U.S.
The Museum has five exhibition galleries where visitors can explore natural and human history through engaging and interactive displays. Our youngest visitors enjoy Family Corners where everything is hands-on.
More information about the Museum is available at www.colorado.edu/cumuseum/
What Your Key Responsibilities Will BeLeads all elements of the Museum’s work: research, collections, exhibitions, and the graduate program in Museum and Field Studies. This includes:- Providing budgetary oversight and allocating resources (funds, space, effort) among the various activities of the Museum.
- Staying abreast of the evolving museum professional landscape to best cultivate and amplify innovation in the Museum, leveraging new approaches and technologies where appropriate.
- Developing, promoting, and coordinating long-range planning for the Museum with special attention to innovation and technology for next generation museum infrastructure.
- Providing for the enduring stewardship, development of museum collections and cultural resources and their associated data and increasing access to these collections and resources across the state of Colorado, nationally and internationally.
- Fostering continuing cooperation with Indigenous peoples and adherence to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
- Promoting collaborative exhibits of archaeological, historical or artistic collections of historically underrepresented groups in the US and the State of Colorado, including Indigenous groups and the Hispanic population (21% of the population of the state).
- Continuing to uphold the high-level museum standards that maintain the Museum’s accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
Effectively collaborates, coordinates and communicates with museum faculty and staff, as well as other museum stakeholders. This includes:
- Ensuring that museum policies and practices are equitable and transparently communicated and enacted.
- Convening and working with the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History's Advisory Board to advance museum goals, further its impact, and improve operations.
- Representing the Museum at university meetings, including meetings of the Institutes Directors and meetings of Program Directors and Department Chairs.
- Working with chairs of departments where Museum faculty hold tenure to ensure high quality hiring practices, equitable research, teaching and service loads, and is the point of contact between the chairs of these departments and the Museum related to tenure and promotion.
- Working with appropriate donors, agencies, and other constituencies to raise external funds to enhance the activities of the Museum and serves as lead consultant on evaluating major gifts of in-kind artifacts from prospective donors.
- Working with museum faculty to develop culture and capacity for grant-seeking that furthers the museum’s reach and mission and contributes to faculty professional development and advancement.
- Thorough understanding of how museums work as a research facility, cultural heritage organization, and public interface to science.
- Record of outstanding scholarly achievement in a related area of academic research.
- Evidence of experience in or future capacity for research and administrative leadership.
- Ph.D. in Anthropology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Geological Sciences, Education, Art History or other museum-related fields.
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- Cover Letter
- CV
- Four statements combined in a single PDF on the applicants’ record and vision regarding each of the following key areas of effort:
- Leadership/Administration/Museum experience
- Education/Mentoring/Training/Public outreach
- Research
- Justice/Equity/Diversity/Inclusion.
Please apply by September 5, 2022 (midnight). Review of applications will begin Tuesday, September 6, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. If you have technical difficulties submitting application information, please contact recruiting@colorado.edu. All other job-related inquiries should be directed to the posting contact for this posting.
Current CU Boulder employees can access the job posting and submit materials at the following location:
- Log in to the MyCUinfo portal
- Select CU Resources > Business Tools > CU Boulder Jobs Internal Job Board
- Use the Keyword Search to find this posting number: 34533
- Applicants should upload a letter of interest, current CV, the four ~3-page statements (Leadership/Education/Research/Justice DEI), and the names of 3 individuals who will be contacted for letters of recommendation.
- The Search Committee welcomes questions. These should be sent to Boulder Campus Human Resources at Recruiting@colorado.edu.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.
For questions and helpful FAQ regarding CU Boulder Jobs, visit our website.Posting Contact InformationPosting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human ResourcesPosting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu
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