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Extension Instructor or Open Rank Extension Educator - Water & Cropping Systems (Clay County)

Employer
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Location
Lincoln, NE
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Job Details

Working Title:

Extension Instructor or Open Rank Extension Educator - Water & Cropping Systems (Clay County)

Department:

NE Ext Engagement Zone 10-12359

Requisition Number:

F_240135

Posting Open Date:

09/19/2024

Application Review Date: (To ensure consideration, please submit all application materials before review date):

10/21/2024

Open Until Filled:

Yes

Description of Work:

Overview
This position is based in Clay Center, NE with the geographic accountability region of Clay, Nuckolls, and Thayer Counties. Primary responsibilities are developing and delivering water and cropping systems extension programming that a) improves profitability and sustainability, b) reduces environmental risk, c) encourages stewardship, d) enhances resiliency, and e) expands consumer awareness of food, forage, grain, and fiber. The incumbent is an active participant in developing solution-based resources as a member of the statewide Water and Cropping Systems team.
Nebraska Extension professionals are committed to engaging with community partners, organizations, and all audiences, as well as individuals, in ways that reflect an understanding and value for individual differences. Nebraska Extension strives to ensure that innovative programming, translational research, and learning opportunities promote equity and inclusion.

This twelve-month, non-tenure position carries the title of open rank extension educator or extension instructor, depending on the candidate’s level of education. Those possessing a graduate-level degree in the requested area of instruction will be considered for an open rank educator position, a full-time, promotable, non-tenure track appointment. Those in possession of an undergraduate degree in the requested area of instruction will be considered for an instructor position, a full-time, non-promotable, non-tenure track appointment that will be renewed annually for a maximum of five years in the appointment. If hired as an instructor, the incumbent will be expected to make satisfactory progress toward and complete a master’s degree within the initial five-year appointment period. As part of the Nebraska benefits package, UNL offers tuition remission for full-time employees, up to 15 credit hours per year. Once the master’s degree is earned within that period, the position will advance to an assistant extension educator appointment.

PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSIBILITIES (approximately 80%):

  • Collaborates closely with colleagues, state and federal agencies, industry representatives, and crop producers to address agronomic and management issues in diverse cropping systems.
  • Develops, delivers, and measures impacts of programs and engagements regarding rainfed and irrigated crop production systems in Nebraska.
  • Participates in collection and interpretation of data to develop data driven, digital, and precision agricultural management strategies for clientele.
  • Uses innovative strategies and cutting-edge teaching and learning methods to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate programs for a robust extension education program focused on water and cropping production systems within the assigned geographic region, and as a member of the statewide Water and Cropping Systems Team.
  • Engages in a collaborative-learning environment with crop producers and encourages adoption of research-based information in decision-making.
  • Participates in and supports the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network.
  • Identifies needs and provides access to educational opportunities within the assigned geographic region, working with unit leaders, extension advisory committees, and local stakeholders (e.g., Natural Resources Districts and local commodity associations).
  • Works in a multi-disciplinary team environment with extension professionals and other partners to translate and teach the latest research-based information.
  • Uses entrepreneurial practices to secure grants, contracts, program fees, and partnerships to leverage the extension educational program’s resource base and to extend the reach and impact of these programs.
  • Partners with research faculty members in action research that can be applied to educational programming.
  • Conducts needs assessments, identifies priorities, measures program impact, and reports results at professional meetings and in professional publications.
  • Participates in professional development to enhance and maintain professional expertise in cropping systems and extension pedagogy.
  • Supports youth development programs by teaching in areas related to Water and Cropping Systems.

ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP/LEAD EDUCATOR ROLE (approximately 20%):
  • Serves in, contributes to, or supports the specific Lead Educator roles as described in the Roles and Responsibilities of the Lead Educator document found at https://myextension.unl.edu/lead-educator-position-description as determined in partnership with the supervisor(s).
  • Coordinates with Engagement Zone Coordinator(s) and other Extension professionals locally and in the accountability region to develop a robust Nebraska Extension presence by:
    • Cooperating with local faculty and staff in a team environment to promote Extension’s educational opportunities and impact in the host county.
    • Cultivating a culture of collaboration with local leaders and community members that builds positive relationships between the University and the community.
    • Supporting engagement of advisory or policy groups such as the Extension Board, Ag Society, or County Commissioners/Board of Supervisors.
  • Understands and adheres to Equal Employment Opportunities; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Civil Rights compliance efforts.
  • Accepts committee assignments, reporting responsibilities, and other special ad hoc assignments as requested at the administrative unit, college/division, institute, and/or university level.

Some travel is required. Must meet driver standards according to UNL policy and have a valid driver’s license.

Recognizing that diversity enhances creativity, innovation, impact, and a sense of belonging, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) and Nebraska Extension are committed to creating learning, research, Extension programming, and work environments that are inclusive of all forms of diversity. Consistent with the University’s N2025 Strategic Plan, every person and every interaction are treated as important to our collective well-being and our ability to deliver on our mission.

This position is not eligible for employment-based permanent residency sponsorship. UNL may be able to sponsor temporary work authorization (e.g., H-1B) for the successful candidate.

As an EO/AA employer, the University of Nebraska considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See https://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, crop science, plant sciences, or a closely related field (extension instructor) OR master’s degree in agronomy, crop science, plant sciences, or a closely related field (extension educator). If hired as an instructor, the incumbent will be expected to make satisfactory progress toward and complete a master’s degree within the initial five-year appointment period.
  • Field experience in production agriculture with an emphasis on cropping systems relevant to Nebraska agriculture.
  • Successful experience teaching in a formal or non-formal setting.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate (i.e., publications, presentations, web, and social media).

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience using precision agriculture strategies to address diverse cropping systems relevant to Nebraska agriculture.
  • Outstanding leadership skills as demonstrated by roles in college, career, and/or community activities.
  • Understanding of different ethnic and socioeconomic audiences and a commitment to developing and delivering both inclusive and targeted programming.
  • Successful experience in developing financial support for educational programs including grant writing, fund generation, contracting and/or cost recovery efforts.
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and programs.

Work Location (City, State):

Clay Center, NE

Criminal History Background Check Required:

Yes

How to Apply:

Click “Apply for this Job” and complete the faculty information form. Attach the following documents:

  1. A letter of interest that describes your qualifications for the job and anticipated contributions.
  2. Your curriculum vitae or resume (attach as “Curriculum Vitae”).
  3. Contact information for three professional references.
In addition, within the application, please complete the required supplemental question(s), one specifically describing your experience working in diverse teams or groups and your anticipated contributions to creating inclusive environments in which every person and every interaction matters. See https://ianr.unl.edu/tips-writing-about-commitment-to-deib for guidance in writing this statement.

For questions or accommodations related to this position contact:

Marci Sturek
msturek2@unl.edu

Job Category:

Faculty Non-Tenure Leading

Job Category (old):

Faculty Non-Tenure Leading

Job Type:

12 Month (Faculty Only)

Position funded by grant or other form of temporary funding?:

No

Organizational Location:

Default Location

Organization

Working at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

For 150 Years, A Leader in Higher Education 
Always a place of high ambition, University of Nebraska was one of the first institutions west of the Mississippi River to award doctoral degrees - the first was granted in 1896. The University of Nebraska established the world's first undergraduate psychology laboratory. The discipline of ecology was born here, and the campuses reflect that tradition, being recognized as botanical gardens and arboreta. An early institutional interest in literature and the arts provided the foundations for today's Prairie Schooner literary magazine, for the University of Nebraska Press, and for the Sheldon Museum of Art, which houses one of the world's most significant collections of 20th century American art.

Today, Nebraska is one of the nation's leading teaching institutions, and a research leader with a wide array of grant-funded projects aimed at broadening knowledge in the sciences and humanities. Nebraska is also a land-grant university and a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Benefits
The University of Nebraska offers an extensive benefits package that includes health, life, disability and long term care insurance; retirement accounts; tuition reimbursement for employees and their spouses and dependent children; and reimbursement accounts for health care and dependent day care. Leave policies are designed to help employees deal with personal or family events or crises.

Diversity and Inclusion
In the spirit of the phrase "Every Interaction Matters", UNL has an enacted commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence for our faculty, staff, and students. On our campus, diversity and inclusion are important priorities. Examples include: Husker Dialogues, which is an event that helps first-year students focus on diversity and inclusion and practice handling difficult conversations around difference; three Chancellor's Diversity Commissions that are charged with informing and advising the Chancellor and addressing issues of constituent campus communities; and the establishment of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion whose leader operates at the Vice Chancellor level. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we strive for excellence in all that we do. True excellence requires that each individual be able to work and learn in an atmosphere of respect, dignity, and belonging. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion requires each of us to continuously ensure our interactions are respectful, protect free speech, and inspire academic freedom.

About Lincoln
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is located in an up-and-coming and safe city of 300,000 people that has many of the cultural and entertainment benefits of a much larger city, with the feel of a friendly Midwestern community. The Pinnacle Bank Arena, opened in 2013, routinely hosts major touring acts. A buzzing entertainment district, the Railyard, connects the arena area to the Historic Haymarket. Cuisines from all continents provide the entree to dynamic urban nightlife and a wide variety of ways to enjoy time with friends. Nebraska's City Campus is one with Lincoln's city center, as it has been since the university was founded.Lincoln has more parkland per capita than Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and all but a handful of U.S. cities. The well-manicured Pioneers Park, the native woods of Wilderness Park and the open grassland of Nine-Mile Prairie are each within a 10-minute trip from campus. Connecting many of these parks is an extensive trails network.

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