Professor of Agronomy

Position Title:

Professor & Chair - Department of Agronomy

Appointment Type:

Faculty

Job Description:

Summary:

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa seeks a Professor and Chair for the Department of Agronomy. Nominations and applications are sought for a visionary leader with demonstrated capacity to lead this department in all its mission areas of teaching, research, extension/outreach/service. The department and college are consistently among the top ranked programs nationally and internationally, and have a culture of excellence and accomplishment.  The Agronomy department portfolio includes an undergraduate degree in Agronomy that offers a flexible curriculum, hands-on experience and career preparation. The department provides MS and PhD programs in Agricultural Meteorology, Crop Production and Physiology, Plant Breeding, and Soil Science, as well as online degrees in both Agronomy and Plant Breeding.  The department hosts the four major research areas that define the biophysical potential of the production system: Soil Science, Crop Production and Physiology, Plant Breeding, and Agricultural Meteorology. The department has a systems focus to agronomic productivity and sustainability to synthesize disciplinary knowledge for optimal impact on production systems in Iowa and the Corn Belt, and beyond. Departmental faculty support farmers, the agribusiness community, and other stakeholders through Extension programs and activities. Research, teaching and Extension activities utilize modern growth chambers and greenhouses, digital agriculture equipment, and extensive research farms throughout the state.

Iowa State University is a global and culturally diverse university committed to providing an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment for both learning and employment. We know that diversity in experience and perspective is vital to advancing innovation, critical thinking, solving complex problems, and building an inclusive academic community. At Iowa State, we translate these values into action by seeking individuals who have experience working with diverse students, colleagues, and constituents. The university has an expectation that all employees will demonstrate a contribution to diversity and inclusion as embodied in Iowa State University's Principles of Community. 

Specific responsibilities of the position include:

• Provide visionary leadership for the department to serve the needs of diverse faculty, staff, students, stakeholders and citizens to fulfill the land-grant mission of the department, college and university;
• Stimulate and facilitate excellence and impact in all aspects of teaching, research, extension/outreach and service;
• Ensure sound fiscal and budgetary management to achieve the mission of the department and comply with college and university-level policies and practices related to fiscal responsibility and management;
• Recruit and retain the best possible people in all department positions, and develop and promote an outlook and activities that enable local-to-global engagement, innovation and entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
• Recruit, retain and enable the success of a broad student body of undergraduate and graduate students who are prepared to excel in the departmental program areas, cross-disciplinary thinking, and innovation and leadership;
• Foster an environment of collegiality in which all faculty and staff work to realize the department’s purposes and are held accountable for their performance;
• Assist faculty, staff and graduate students to attain resources through extramural funding by encouraging a culture of collaboration and innovation, team science, and investigator excellence;
• Encourage and foster interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments, centers, and institutes within and external to the university;
• Serve the department and the college in accomplishing their missions, and be a collaborative member of the college leadership team across all missions and academic departments;
• Communicate effectively the mission, vision and strengths of the department and college within Iowa State University and to external stakeholders and collaborators in the public and private sectors;
• Nurture and maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders, including leaders and members of Iowa's various organizations supporting the program areas in the department and the college, and the general public;
• Nurture, maintain and accomplish excellent alumni relations, internal and external communications, marketing and recruitment, and partner and donor relations.  Enable departmental management and support for capital projects, fundraising and endowments to support all missions; and
• Participate in representational activities on behalf of the department and college, including after-hours and travel as necessary.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or equivalent in any of the areas of expertise in the department, or a closely aligned field.
• Scholarly activities that qualify for tenure in CALS at the rank of Professor.

Preferred Qualifications:

To show demonstrated evidence for and leadership in:

• Research productivity as evidenced in publications, extramural grants and professional presentations
• Budget/fiscal management of an academic department, college or university-level unit;
• Personnel management, including recruitment, advancement and retention of faculty and staff;
• Teaching, and undergraduate and graduate program planning and development, and student success;
• Advancing research enterprises and collaborations;
• Advancing Extension and outreach, and service, enterprises and collaborations;
• Working with external stakeholders, and building and expanding partnerships and coalitions with public and private sector organizations.

Position Details:

Initial Department Chair appointment is for five years with formal review during year four. This appointment serves at the pleasure of the Dean, in an at-will position. The position will be filled as a 9-month appointment with summer salary while serving as Chair. This position has expected percentages of 85% administration and 15% in a combination of teaching, research, outreach and service. Proposed start date August 15, 2024 (negotiable).

Additional Information:

• University information Iowa State University (iastate.edu), and Employment Opportunities | Iowa State University (iastate.edu)
• Region information About the State of Iowa | Iowa.gov Resources for Iowans, and  About Ames | City of Ames, IA

Proposed Start Date:

August 15, 2024

Number of Months Employed Per Year:

09 Month Work Period

Time Type:

Full time

Application Instructions:

To apply for this position, go to https://isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJobs and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

1) Cover letter/statement that describes experiences and forward-looking outlook related to the indicated responsibilities and qualifications

2) Full Curriculum Vitae

3) Contact information for five professional references (at least one from outside the applicants’ current organization). References will not be contacted without permission from the applicant.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled with review of applications beginning on August 1, 2023 . For questions about the position please contact the search committee chair Dr. Steve Harris (stevenh1@iastate.edu; 515-294-2149).

If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call

515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.  ISU is an Equal Opportunity institution.

Why Choose ISU?
Iowa State University is committed to fostering a workplace of belonging, where diversity is celebrated and equity is a core value. Our Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:
• Retirement benefits, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans;
• Generous leave plans;
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa);
• Life insurance and long-term disability;
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts;
• Employee Assistance Program;
• Wellbeing program.

Original Posting Date:

May 26, 2023

Posting Close Date:

Job Requisition Number:

R11968

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com