DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

 

DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the premier public research university in the State of Illinois, invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). The University of Illinois is a major land-grant university committed to excellence in research, teaching, outreach, public engagement, and international programs. We have a long tradition of shared governance and are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The university seeks a visionary Dean dedicated to addressing grand challenges related to food and agriculture, families and communities, and the environment at local, regional, and global scales.

The College of ACES: The college mission is to discover, advance, and integrate new knowledge to ensure nutritious and safe food, sustainable and innovative agriculture, strong and economically resilient families and communities, and environmentally sustainable use of natural resources to benefit the people of Illinois and the world. The college has an operating budget of $160M and successfully completed the “With Illinois campaign” in June 2022 by raising more than $251M. The college has over 1,500 faculty and staff, of which nearly 700 are affiliated with Extension, and over 2,600 undergraduate and 700 graduate students in seven academic departments: Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Animal Sciences, Crop Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Human Development and Family Studies, and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Additional programs include the Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications Program, the Division of Nutritional Sciences, and the Metropolitan Food and Environmental Systems major. The college also houses cutting-edge facilities that support research goals, including the Child Development Lab, the Feed Technology Center, and the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory. The college also administers the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) and the University of Illinois Extension. Illinois AES supports on-campus research and provides oversight of seven Research and Education Centers across the state that serve crop producers and consultants, landowners, and advisors in the agricultural, green, and commercial industries. University of Illinois Extension offers educational programs to residents of each of Illinois’ 102 counties. Communities are directly served by Extension staff in 27 units located in three regions in Illinois. Extension educators in local offices and specialists located on the Urbana-Champaign campus develop and deliver in-depth programming locally, in regional venues, and through distance-learning technologies.

The position: As the chief academic and executive officer of the college, the Dean has the primary responsibility for strategic direction, faculty and staff development, budgetary oversight and planning, academic and curricular issues, fundraising, and facilities development. The position of Dean of ACES reports to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost and is a senior administrative position with a seat on the Council of Deans. The Dean will support and empower faculty, students, and staff; promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access across the college; enhance and build interdisciplinary partnerships and collaborations across the campus, Illinois, the Midwest, and the world; and be a strong advocate and spokesperson for the college both on campus and with external partners and stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will possess (a) the ability to identify what is needed and inspire movement in that direction; (b) outstanding communication skills; (c) commitment to research, teaching, and extension on agricultural, consumer, family, community, and/or environmental issues (d) commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access; and (e) experience with budgetary planning and financial oversight. Ideal candidates will hold an earned doctoral degree, or the highest degree awarded in their discipline, and have a distinguished record of scholarly accomplishments commensurate with an appointment at the rank of full professor and as the Robert A. Easter Endowed Chair in Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

This full-time, 12-month appointment has a negotiable start date with salary commensurate with experience. More information about academic and administrative appointments at the University of Illinois can be found here: https://www.bot.uillinois.edu/resources/gray_book

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, full resume/CV, a one-page diversity statement, and contact information of at least five references), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to November 30, 2022. For additional information, please contact:

Laurie C. Wilder, President

Porsha Williams, Vice President

Erin Raines, Senior Principal

Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875

Atlanta, GA 30328

770-804-1996 ext.: 117

pwilliams@parkersearch.com || eraines@parkersearch.com

 

Founded in 1867, the University of Illinois is located in Urbana-Champaign and is a world leader in research, teaching, and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty. Illinois faculty have earned 23 Nobel Prizes; two faculty and 18 alumni are Pulitzer Prize winners, and our faculty and alumni are well-represented in the memberships of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. The campus is a leader in access for students with disabilities and was the first to provide disabilities access to all campus programs, facilities, and services and the first to offer comprehensive wheelchair sports programming. Additional information about the University may be obtained from its website, www.illinois.edu.

As a land-grant institution, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a responsibility to acknowledge the historical context in which it exists. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sits on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations. It is necessary for us to acknowledge these Native Nations and for us to work with them as we move forward as an institution. Over the next 150 years, we will be a vibrant community inclusive of all our differences, with Native peoples at the core of our efforts.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility. The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment. University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University process.